Mom and I landed in Johannesburg late on Sunday night. After a couple of long flights, it was nice to see that all of our luggage had arrived and intact. We were met by the driver of the Emerald Guest House, where we would be staying for the night, as our next flight did not leave til late morning on Monday.  As we waited for the second couple to arrive, we chatted with Peter?-could be wrong about that- our most wonderful driver that was going to take two brain-dead Americans to their hot shower and soft beds! Mom had mentioned that many here speak very softly. Boy she wasn't kidding! It was incredibly difficult to hear him, then add on a speaking pattern I hadn't really encountered before. Very sweet, very humble guy though. Finally the other two had arrived. Bags in the van (not without a few milling about outside approached the vehicle for a handout) and we were off!

The Emerald Guest House was only a 5-10 minute drive. So thankful we didn't have to sit in a car for another hour and it certainly was a sight for sore eyes! Beautiful landscaping and recently renovated rooms, I wish we could have stayed an extra day to enjoy it more. Basically, we checked in, got the bags to our room, showered and went to bed. We had to take the 8 am shuttle back to the airport. Close but not there yet! I was hoping to take a dip in the pool which was enticingly located right outside our door, but alas, a hearty English breakfast of beans, mushrooms, tomatoes and hotdogs awaited. Only had time for one thing and the food won out. Sorry pool, maybe next time.

One of the most annoying, challenging and sometimes most fun things about travelling is making weight. Usually this entails all heavy things in two carry-ons, which is great cause you don't get charged for extra weight, but not so good cause you have to carry it... hence the term CARRY-on. Easy enough. In past, I may or may not had to wear 3 pairs of pants and 4 shirts to make weight. This time, mom and I were able to walk on with 2 carry-ons a piece and only had to pay for 13 kgs extra weight i.e. one suitcase. We had the best possible outcome we could get!

We made it to our gate quite easily and were able to sit back and relax for a bit. The next thing I noticed about South Africa/Africa is that there are very few to no water fountain/bubblers. Never did figure out why that is.

The third thing of note is that it's hot. That's to be expected, but what I wasn't expecting is how people deal with it. Now shade is always nice on a hot day, but it is a way of life here! You will experience a DRASTIC temperature drop when seeking refuge from the extremely intense rays of the southern hemisphere sun. Trees are great shelter, overhangs, and even airplane wings. ANY shade will do! It is not uncommon to see lots of open parking spaces in a lot, but have a ring of cars under trees where they have no lot. Basically, if it makes sense, it goes!

Somehow KML managed to feed us one more full meal and a beverage service on our hourish flight from Joberg to Gaberone. I'm surprised we didn't eat the same thing twice! Once we landed in the small airport of Gabs, we cleared customs quickly and met up with our contact Mary Lederer and two students from OIEP, which is the international exchange program office at the University of Botswana. They helped us get sorted out, but the only problem was the student who was supposed to arrive a day early on the same flight with us, didn't arrive on the same flight with us. No idea where she was! Thankfully, she was flowing on the next flight. Pretty common saying around here: T.I.A.- today in Africa or This is Africa. Take your pick. Things happen at their own pace here. Somehow no one who knew what was going on seemed worried or concerned that Pita was running late. T.I.A. Oh well. On to the next task: getting us to the Letlhanke Lodge!