China

And just like that, I find myself once again overseas and in the familiar surroundings of a youth hostel.

Despite the many differences between my two-month stint in Europe last year and the slightly slower-paced twist to this summer's stay in Africa, I feel like I'm moving into the same mindset. For those of you who haven't travelled alone or stayed in hostels, I'm afraid this feeling may not be familiar to you until you actually do it. When one is a solo traveler, he must be both introspective and ready to communicate with strangers. He must resist the temptation to shut down in panic when things are not looking up or playing out how he would like. He must make a decision about every aspect of his life- no delegation, no shirking responsibility. It is a truly unique frame of mind. I must say I am happy to be in it once again, but excited to see how it changes once Toukam arrives and I don't live from my suitcase.

The last 36ish hours have been pretty tiring, though thankfully not chaotic. I left the Crossmans at about 8AM on Wednesday, catching a subway to Penn Station, transferring to a Long Island Rail Road train to JFK, and made my way to South African Airlines. The first bit of news I got was disheartening- for the 14 hour flight, I was booked for a middle seat. Obviously, my long legs were not exactly enthused at that prospect. Anyways, I checked my big piece of luggage (just barely under the weight limit) and made my way through security. When I arrived at the gate, I put on my best manners and politely asked the person behind the counter if there was any way I could get an aisle- to which she replied that she would hold on to my boarding pass and see if anyone wouldn't show up. In a great sign of potential for the trip, I ended up being given an aisle! To really add a cherry to the top of the situational sundae, I found that SAA planes have generous amounts of legroom- my knees didn't even touch the person in front of me! Oh, the ecstasy.

The flight took off a little late after waiting on the tarmac for an hour, but it didn't really affect our arrival time. Though the ride was smooth and the chair comfortable, I found it nearly impossible to sleep. As an indication of my increasingly desperate boredom, I began to allow myself to watch films of decreasing quality. I started off with Slumdog Millionaire, which I found quite good and well done, digressed to Benjamin Button which, though entertaining, was not exceptional in its quality, and finally found myself in a pit of desperation watching Jim Carrey's Yes Man. Mercifully, it froze midway through, preventing me from rotting my mind any further.

Besides those THREE movies, I listened to a lot of music and made more headway into Atlas Shrugged. The plot is really quickening up, and I find it even more enjoyable and even more capitalist. Other than those activities, I ate the decent food provided by the airline and contemplated my coming fate, despite the clocklike intervals of a baby's piercing screams.

Upon arrival to Johannesburg, called "JoBurg" by the locals, we deplaned after a brief delay and I managed to get through customs without any suspicious looks or interrogations. The only unfortunate thing is that according to my visa stamp, I have to try my best to refrain from becoming an "undesirable," lest I lose the favor of this great republic. Because of the layover being the first port of entry in to SA, I had to collect my checked bag (they arrived!) and go through security again for the domestic terminal. Everything went swimmingly on that front and I boarded the plane to Cape Town. I sat down in my seat and the results of my lack of sleeping on the first flight took hold of me until I was awoken by a young South African woman politely asking to get into the seat next to me. We ended up chatting for a bit, and I learned a lot about South African life and culture from Sarah (I hope I remembered her name right!). She's taking a brief trip to Cape Town before starting a job at Seventeen- really interesting, I thought. It was nice to get to know a South African, and I look forward to meeting many more.

I arrived in Cape Town at about 2PM today (Thursday) and was pleased to find a man holding a sign with my name on it waiting for me outside baggage claim. It was Alex, the head of Drive Africa, picking me up to take me to my new car. I felt so important having someone waiting with my name on a sign in a South African airport, though it was a short-lived feeling of self importance. We had a very nice conversation in the car on the way to Drive Africa, in which we talked about starting businesses in SA as well as the history of Drive Africa. It turns out that Alex has been doing buybacks for more than 10 years. We got the office and proceeded to go through oodles of paperwork to purchase my first car! It's a glorious white Toyota Corolla:


To my grateful surprise, the car came with not one but two locks beyond the door locks- one to secure the steering wheel as well as one to keep the gearshift in reverse to prevent theft. The car seems to be in great shape, well maintained, and everything I want. I'm trying to think of a name for it, since I'll be spending so much time driving it. Perhaps Rocinante? Or some other literary reference? Readers, feel free to offer suggestions.

Next came perhaps the most stressful part of my travels thus far- driving the car to my hostel. Let me tell you- driving on the left side of the road is so disorienting at first. Alex was kind enough to guide me to the hostel in his car, but it was still hard to shift with my left hand, steer with my right, and maneuver around Cape Town. I think I'm going to do some thorough map-studying before I venture out again. We both made it safely to Backpackers, the hostel here, and I've checked myself in and started to get my bearings. It turns out that the apartment will be ready on Sunday, so I shaved off a $40 stay here and I'll be moving in then. Apparently, the apartment is in the dead center of the city with good furnishings, security, and parking! I'm hoping that it isn't too good to be true.

For tonight, I plan on grabbing dinner either at the hostel's bar or nearby and reading guidebooks before turning in. I am exhausted and I want to be ready for a day of exploration tomorrow. Thanks again for following my adventures!