Said goodbye this morning to our Cape Town couchsurfing host Mark. Thanks for having us Mark!
Then we drove our rental car over to Key Car Hire, filled it up with gas one last time, and owners Gary and Liesl personally drove us to the airport from there. So nice dealing with a small company where the owners are there to properly look after their customers.
Then, we had a two hour wait for our flight.
But we find that time passes quickly waiting in the airport. Always lots of people watching to do, and free newspapers around to do some catching up on the local news. Plus, a half hour of free wi-fi internet access, so that's always welcome in an airport.
We flew with Mango airlines. They're a local South African airline. Happened to catch them with a really good sale a few weeks ago and booked the Cape Town to Johannesburg segment for only R1650 ($170.74) for the two hours flight. Yes, $85.37 each, taxes and everything included. Not bad!
The plane was late boarding though. We were supposed to leave at 11:35am, and it was 12:10pm by the time we got on the runway.
Cape Town's Table Mountain in the background.
Just after we took off, the captain came on the speakers and apologized for the delayed departure. "But that's okay" he says, "we're gonna fly you as fast as we can to make up the time!".
Nice.
Nice flight though. A few clouds, but overall clear skies until we got close to Jo'burg.
Not that we needed to rush.
Our flight from Jo'burg to New York City doesn't leave until 8:15pm this evening so we've got a few hours again right now to hang around.
And, they've changed our flight a little bit. It was supposed to be a nonstop flight, but now apparently we'll be landing in Dakar, Senegal (Africa's westernmost city) at three o'clock in the morning to refuel. Can't get off the plane though, so it adds an extra hour and a half to the flight time! Oh well. So now we don't get into JFK until 7:30am.
Oh, and speaking of flight changes...
Our flight from Cancun to Guadalajara (that we booked last August!) that we will be taking on March 19th has been changed. Now, instead of leaving at 7:00am, it will leave at 1:40am, with a stopover in Mexico City. Looking at the bright side, this allows us an earlier start to get to our motorhome Sherman, who is waiting for us in Valle de Juarez.
Really looking forward to getting back to our motorhome...and Mexico!
But first, we have three days of fun coming up in New York City! That's where we'll be next time you hear from us. See you there!
Sitting typing today's blog post!
Hi Kevin and Ruth:
ReplyDeleteWell, what a winter you've had! It'll take years to digest all you've met, seen, done, learned. I'm happy I got to tag along on the wonderful adventure. And, I'm envious of your being able to return to Valle de Juarez and Sherman.
I'm on my way 'home' in CA, now in Tucson with lovely weather - about 84F yesterday with a low of about 59F this morning. I'm really tired of ice storms and freezing weather.
Looking forward to hearing how Barb and Sal and all the Mexico folks are. Have a fabulous interlude in the Big Apple!
Thank you Mary-Pat, it really has been a dream of a life time for us to do this trip and it is one that we will remember for many years to come. Having said that we are really looking forward to getting back "home" and seeing all of our friends in Valle de Juarez.
DeleteSo glad that you are finally getting some nice weather.
Safe travels and enjoy NYC
ReplyDeleteThank you Donna, we will!
DeleteIt was a wonderful trip!!
ReplyDeleteYes, it was an amazing trip, sure hope you enjoyed it!
DeleteI can't believe your time there is almost over! Thanks for showing us so many interesting places.
ReplyDeleteWow, four months seems to fly by much to fast but when we look back over it, it sure seems like we did a lot. So glad that we were able to show you and everyone else some of these incredible places.
DeleteFeeling sad that your trip is over - we LOVED every minute of it - just can't thank you enough for sharing with us! Looking forward to what is coming next!
ReplyDeleteSo happy that you have enjoyed our travels but don't be sad because I am sure there will be more interesting things coming up.
DeleteThank you for taking us on your ride.l It was a wonderful trip.
ReplyDeleteSo glad that you could come along, even if it was done virtually.
DeleteWhat a great winter you had!!! Very nice posts and wonderful photography. Thanks for taking me along!!! I am feeling some of the same feelings that I have when I am leaving a vacation... and I wasn't even there! Have fun in NYC.
ReplyDeleteWe were happy to bring you along on our travels and although that trip is over there are still more adventures ahead.
DeleteWow. That's a lot of air time. I know three people who have this affliction called "restless leg syndrome", and sitting on any airplane that long would present a challenge. Not even sure I'd be able to tolerate it myself. The almost nine hour non-stop flight from Vienna to Toronto was just about all we could ever handle.
ReplyDeleteKind of sad that your trip is over, but I'm sure you'll be happy to get back into your "own bed" chez Sherman. Have a safe trip.
I have to admit, it was a long, long flight. It bothered my legs a bit too so it was definitely nice to stand up and stretch them when we landed in Daker. We couldn't get off the plane but we at least could stand up for a while. Certainly wouldn't want to do a flight like that too often.
DeleteYou cannot believe how forward we are looking to being back in Sherman again.
Like everyone else, I'm so grateful I could tag along on your journey. Your photos and adventure really made this year's cold and snowy Canadian winter a little easier to handle. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome Dianne, so glad that you enjoyed our adventures.
DeleteWhat a wonderful adventure, and many more to come. Any desire to return and see more of Africa?
ReplyDeleteWould love to come back to Africa, there is still so much to see. Ethiopia looks like an interesting country!
DeleteHope you are able to sleep on the plane!
ReplyDeleteI think we got some but it really wasn't much.
DeleteEnjoy the flight and especially getting back to Sherman!
ReplyDeleteIt will still be a while before we are reunited with Sherman but we are getting closer.
DeleteCertainly, the travel folks in NAMBIA who sponsored the Contest got their money's worth! I have been so entertained with your travels I haven't missed a single post. NAMBIA and LESOTHO are high on my bucket list! Meanwhile, we kayaked with an 8' alligator on the upper part of the Estero River from Koreshan State Park one day this week. Saw lots of turtles and fishes. Went kayaking with lots and lots of Manatees at the Manatee Park near the Power Station in Ft Myers, FL two weeks ago. No matter where you roam, there are places and folks to enjoy. We plan to do a Trike Tour up to Lakeland to visit friends soon. Your experiences with Couch Surfing hosts have even convinced my husband to take the plunge. We plan to book a few overnights on the way to and from and make a pleasant journey of it. THANKS SO MUCH FOR SHARING!!! We have enjoyed every single post. Rebecca Zanzibar Safari - Florida, USA
ReplyDeleteWe certainly hope that they got their money's worth. We are so grateful to have been able to win the trip and hope that we have encouraged others to make a trip to Namibia. We loved Lesotho and would go back there at a drop of the hat, there is still so more to see there.
DeleteSounds like you are having a great time in Florida. We love the manatees they are such interesting creatures and so gentle. Hope you continue to enjoy your time there.
Will Sherman remember you?
ReplyDeleteWe sure hope so! He probably thinks we have abandoned him.
DeleteWhat a great adventure you have enjoyed, and thankfully you have taken us along for the ride!
ReplyDelete~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Karen and Steve
(Blog) RVing: The USA Is Our Big Backyard
http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Thank you Karen and Steve, we hope that you enjoyed it.
DeleteYou have to come and stay for a couple of days before we take off! Can't wait to hear the details first hand.
ReplyDeleteI doubt that we will be making it up your way before heading back to Canada, Chris. You will just have to make sure that you stop in to see us at the campground in Saskatchewan when you do your Canada, USA trip.
DeleteWhat a wonderful adventure. I never would have thought that Africa could be such an interesting place. I especially liked Namibia. Thanks for all your blogging.
ReplyDeleteAfrica is a huge continent so it is full of different and interesting places just like North America and we really learned a lot from this trip. Now we know that there are still many countries that we need to visit there. We loved it all!
DeleteSo what the heck you gonna win to top this for next winter??? This was a great trip for all of us to help share in. Your perspective is way better than the "touristy" stuff that we get on line. It's truly been a treat to follow along!
ReplyDeleteWho knows, especially with us. We think that next winter will be a bit of a coasting winter but you never know what might happen over the summer to change that. So glad that you had fun following along.
DeleteSadly airlines often make changes to their schedules closer to the their 'new season'. So glad you are able to take it with a smile. Once you land in NYC you will be ready for the next leg of this adventure.
ReplyDeleteWe have learned that if you want to travel you have to put up with these changes, it is all part of the experience.
Delete