Day 1 - Miami to Atlanta to Abu Dhabi to Johannesburg, South Africa
We left home around noon on Thursday, January 15, for Miami. After check-in, we ate our packed sandwiches at the airport and took the 3:50 PM flight to Atlanta, which was on time. Due to turbulence at all altitudes, food service was suspended on the flight.
We reached Atlanta around 6 PM and took the airport train to Terminal F, where the lounge and boarding gates were located. Food options were limited, but we enjoyed a vegetarian soup with croutons. We realized we had forgotten the yogurt we had packed in travel-size containers at home.
At the lounge, we met a couple from Pittsburgh who were taking a Celebrity cruise from Argentina to Antarctica. We had a long and pleasant conversation and lost track of time. We considered picking up a Qdoba sandwich at Terminal E, but the line was very long and it was getting late, so we rushed back to our gate.
We boarded our flight to Abu Dhabi, which departed around 9:30 PM. Dinner was served soon after takeoff. We arrived in Abu Dhabi at 7:30 PM local time on Friday. At the lounge there, we took a shower and enjoyed a nice meal. It was a huge, multi-storied lounge, and we noticed that many staff members were from countries like Nepal and Bangladesh. I also met a lady from Madhya Pradesh, now living in Chicago, and spent some time chatting with her.
We then boarded our next flight to Johannesburg. The flight was about 7 hours, and we arrived around 8:30 AM local time. After clearing immigration, collecting our bags, and withdrawing money from an ATM, we met our driver Lee at the airport. He dropped us at our Marriott hotel at Melrose Arch. The drive took about 45 minutes, mostly on highways that felt similar to US highways. Along the way, Lee shared information about the city and pointed out Wits University. He mentioned that Johannesburg is one of the most populated cities in South Africa.
At the hotel, we met Sifiso from Dynamic Transfers and Tours, who was ready to take us on our city tour. We checked in and went to our room on the 7th floor. Though tired, we took a quick shower, grabbed some water and snacks, and set off with Sifiso.
Our first stop was Nelson Mandela’s house in Soweto, located in the same neighborhood as Desmond Tutu’s house. Soweto was historically a township for Black South Africans. A student volunteer guide named Kele showed us around. Nelson Mandela and his second wife, Winnie Mandela, had lived there. We saw the Melluluka tree from Australia, planted by Mandela himself. He spent more than 20 years in prison, and his younger photographs reminded us of Muhammad Ali, while his older pictures looked very different. We also saw gunshot markings on the walls, left from police raids. After his release, Mandela went on to become the President of South Africa.
Next, we visited the Hector Pieterson Memorial. Hector was a young boy who was shot and killed during the 1976 student protests, when children were peacefully demonstrating against being forced to study in Afrikaans. When the photograph of Hector’s death was published worldwide, the United Nations imposed sanctions, which eventually contributed to the end of apartheid. The museum features slate walls of varying heights, symbolizing the different ages of the protesting children. There is also a confrontation line marked by olive trees and flower beads, beyond which students were not allowed to cross.
From there, we saw the two Soweto Towers, originally used to cool a coal-fired power plant that supplied electricity to Johannesburg and now used for bungee jumping. We then visited the Apartheid Museum, opened in 2001, which powerfully illustrates the history, struggle, and legacy of apartheid—the system of racial segregation enforced in South Africa from 1948 to the early 1990s.
After the museum, we enjoyed a nice lunch at Shayona, the BAPS restaurant. We then visited Gandhi Square and Nelson Mandela Square. Finally, we returned to our hotel, prepared a simple instant meal, and had dinner.
Day 3 - Cape Town and Cape of Good Hope
Day 4 - Cape Town
Day 5 - Table Mountain, Cape Town
Day 6 - Victoria Falls
Day 8 - Rwanda
Day 9 - Akagera National Park in Rwanda
Akagera National Park pictures
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