Johannesburg

I flew with my two friends, Kerry and Blair, to Johannesburg today. Wow- the Lusaka airport was a big hassle since our flight was early in the morning and things were just getting started. Therefore all the lines were backed up because the airport employees were just showing up to work. We got through fine though and got on an airplane --- so exciting for us! Made it to Johannesburg and got picked up by our hostel- Ghandi's backpackers.

Just the ride from the airport was about 20 minutes but we had the biggest culture shock. The car we were in was SUPER buana (fancy and nice). It rode so smooth and had a working radio with all the speakers in great condition- even had two sunroofs. I know this must sound pretty dumb, but believe me, this is a big step up for us. The four lane highways were just like the states and I felt a big surge of homesickness. It's just so stark a difference between here and Zambia- it's hard to even describe.

Once we got settled at the hostel, we took a trip to the nearest mall. I forgot it's 3 days before Christmas (I'm used to feet of snow and temperatures in the minus 20's this time of year), so the mall was PACKED. I'm not a big fan of crowds- but people watching here was GREAT. Everyone is so diverse! We had a great lunch at a nice restaraunt. Wow I just can't believe we're here in South Africa and heading out tomorrow. We're taking a bus to Maputo, Mozambique (the capitol of the country).

Looking forward to sitting on the beach!