JoBurg

30 hours of travel.
One middle seat.
A head full of thoughts about leaving the loving womb of my life for the sake of this adventure.

Hardly the makings for a Mastercard commercial.

Despite the travel aches, I am safe in Johannesburg and had a suprisingly great evening with a few new friends. Dougie and his brother Wellington are both from Zimbabwe. Dougie does late night pickups for the hostel that I am calling home for 48 hours. We talked Barack Obama, Zimbabwe politics and Chaka Demus' musical talents on the drive from the airport and quickly recognized our mutual appreciation for good conversation. Went to a sweet little bar where dance remixes of Tracy Chapman complimented a meal of Pap and chicken. [Pap is like mashed potatoes, made out of maize. A staple in S.A.] I felt a little silly for not knowing the right way to eat with my hands...but Dougie was far more interested in talking poetry slams than concerning himself with my fumbles.

I know this trip is going to be more about the people than the places. Great start. Thanks, Dougie.

Spent the day touring around Jo'burg. Hard to judge a city by its crime rate, but this place is hardly a replacement for a womb. The folks have been nice. The graffiti is EPIC and the history is rich. However, when the hostel owner gave me tips on how not to get robbed, I had this image of myself as a plump pork chop tiptoeing through a hungry lion cage.

Speaking of which....Tomorrow, it's the Greyhound bus for six hours to Nelspruit...where I'll rent a car and head to Kruger National Park for a safari. I'm camping out of range for the next three days at Lower Sabie - where the big five are commonly seen. Hoping to fall asleep to bright stars and howling sounds of the savannah -- in the distance.

So much love.