Journey to Africa -- Day Two/Three

Flight was only 7 1/2 hours to Dakar. The lady I sat by was from Gambia. She had her 2 1/2 year old son along with her 7 week old baby girl she gave birth to in the USA while visiting her sister in Reading PA. When I asked about the differences in medical facilities in the USA vs Gambia after having given birth to her children, one in each country, she said the technology is quite different. Her inference was that our medical facilities are technicalities superior to those in her home country of Gambia. She was excited to be going home. I was intrigued to see her black baby girl, outfitted in pink from head to toe adorned with a pink bow on her little headband, tied to her back with a square piece of brightly colored cloth. Her husband was to have met his little family and take them on their 6 hour drive back home to Gambia. Apparently Gambia is surrounded on three borders by Senegal and their native languages are similar however, dialects have English and French intertwined. English is the official language of Gambia and French the official language of Senegal. Therefore, natives can instantly distinguish between nationalities (Gambia and Senegal) with the English vs French inflections in their spoken language.

The second leg of this flight from Dakar to Johannesburg was over 9 hours. A couple from Senegal took the vacant seats left by the Gambian family. I could tell they were from Senegal even before I saw their Customes Declaration, as they spoke French. Lessons learned during travel. Descent into Jo'berg was quite bumpy, even in the big Airbus 320. Breezed through immigration claimed our bags (including the gate-checked wheelie) and cleared customs. We carted our bags from the international terminal to the domestic terminal and checked in for the flight to Durban.

Took awhile for my cell phone to register on the SA wireless cellular network displaying "Emergency Only" at first. I knew from our Lands of the Midnight Sun experience earlier in the summer, that it might take some time. Lindsay was surprised when we called from Jo'Berg and assured us that she would be at the airport in Durban when we arrived. The short one-hour flight from Jo'berg to Durban was bumpy as expected due to thunder storms in the area.

Lindsay and her friend Zane were there to meet us in Durban. She blew right past security and literally jumped into her father's arms with tears of joy. Being away from home alone is trying--even on the best seasoned travelers. Zane and Don engineered loading all five bags into the small Toyota along with the four of us, and headed out for the B&B. Villa Picasso located in the Glenwood area of Durban is quite nice and secure. Our roomy suite with private bath overlooks the pool and spa. We turned lights out close to mid-night.