OK... so I'm a little behind on my blog. My sincerest apologies to those avid follows of "Up in the Air: Edouard Style"... all 2 (maybe) of you. LOL. So let's travel back in time.
On October 29, 2010 I flew to Johannesburg, South Africa for business. I will admit that I was partially excited and apprehensive about returning to Joburg. I was excited to return to South Africa as it reminded me of the "amazing" (that's for you Jenn) time I had with my brother for the World Cup, but I was apprehensive because neither my brother nor I really cared for Joburg. I certainly flew hoping that I would enjoy myself more this time. Let me tell you.... I DID!
First off, flying that monster 15+ hour flight from Atlanta to Joburg is MUCH more enjoyable in business class (thank you Fluor). Delta business on their boeing 777's is fantastic. The flight was wonderful.
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| Montecasino Square |
We arrived in Joburg Saturday evening, giving us a day, Sunday, to adapt to the time change and visit some of the area. We stayed at the Montecasino resort in Fourways (just 15 km from Sandton). The resort was very Las Vegas hotel resortish. There were 3 hotels on the property, lots of restaurants, a casino and theater. Nice digs compared to the places my brother and I stayed during our trip.
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| Nelson Mandela Square |
On Sunday we decided to visit a local flea market (Bruma World Market) to do souvenir shopping right off the bat and get it out of the way. We all picked up some cool local crafts. I highly recommend this place for local souvenir shopping. Love the bargaining to get what you want. After a couple of hours there (in the scorching heat.. it was spring after all), we headed into Sandton to Nelson Mandela Square for lunch. That concluded our "adapting day" as we headed back to the hotel to workout/crash and just have dinner later.
I'll skip the work days since all the fun happened over the weekend. I had hoped my colleagues would be up for going to Sun City since I was desperately wanting to go down Zip 2000 again (the longest, highest and fastest zip line in the world); my brother and I had done it on our previous trip. Funny enough, a couple of them wanted to go to Sun City and when I mentioned the zip line, they were in. Woo Hoo!! We were going to Sun City.
So Saturday we got up early and were off to Sun City around 8am. It was myself and my colleagues Linda and Michelle. We got to Sun City a couple of hours later and immediately signed up for the zip line and a 1/2 day game drive into Pilanesberg Game Reserve (adjacent to Sun City).
The zip line was even more exhilarating this time. I think it was because I knew what to expect and I could focus on the the surroundings as I bombed down. My goal this time was to film the whole trip down. I did just that. As I turned the video off at the end of the line I heard a big "crashing" sound and noticed I almost got to the end of the line. I had apparently hit the emergency break. That means I had some serious speed going down the line. Nice!!
Once down I was able to take pictures and videos of Linda and Michelle (I had gone first). At the top I had noticed they seemed a little scared. It was evident when they would say "what did Ed get us into?" I just snickered. As they both came down the line, they were "wooooing" like little kids. They absolutely loved it. Mission accomplished. Great time. A must while in Joburg!
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| Me |
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| Michelle |
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| Linda |
After the zip line we had time to walk the grounds of the Sun City resort. It has a kick-ass wave pool . With the hot weather, there were tons of people laying out.
Eventually, we boarded our truck into the game reserve. Again, this drive was so much more enjoyable than the one with my brother. The weather being the key factor. With my brother, I was freezing and a lot of focus was on staying warm. With the heat this time, the focus was on the wild life. We were treated to some fantastic close-ups this time. A group of elephants and white rhinos crossed the street right in front of our truck. We saw lions sleeping in the distance, saw plenty of giraffes and zebras playing. I was happy as we had caught 3 of the Big 5 (Buffalo, Elephant, Lion, Leopard, Rhino). The beautiful Africa sun set on our way back to the resort. Got some nice pictures of the landscape with that.
After all that excitement it was time to head back to Joburg to meet up with my 3rd colleague for dinner.
On Sunday, we all went to Lion Park. It was only like 10 km from our hotel. There, we would be able to play with lion cubs, feed giraffes and see some lions feeding. We got there at the perfect time. We didn't know about the feeding, but got there in time to sign up for the feeding tour. Before the tour we spent some time playing the lion cubs. All you cat lovers would love these guys. They have massive paws and sharp claws. One of them drew some blood on me, but it was playful. The lion keeper told us that due to the overcast skies, the cubs were nice and playful (like not sleeping) with us. Great time.
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| Even Augustus got in on the action |
After the Lion Park we had another go at local souvenirs. This time we went to another recommended flea market call Rosebank. It takes up a whole floor of a parking lot and has everything you want. We all spent a bunch of our money. I am now going to admit that I am obsessed with the Big 5. Between both flea markets, I picked up a set of Big 5 carved in stone, and ostrich egg with the Big 5 painted on it, a bracelet for Jenn with Big 5 charms, Big 5 beaded sculptures for my office assistants, a Big 5 magnet.. it keeps going. I need help!
Monday it was back to work and back home on Friday (yes, in business class again).
South Africa ranks as my 3rd favorite country in the world. Don't be afraid to go people. It's an AMAZING (;-) Jenn) country!
As a little bonus I prepared a little movie trailer for this trip (thank you iLife 11):
As a little bonus I prepared a little movie trailer for this trip (thank you iLife 11):
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