We got the visas! On Thursday we went to the consulate and after much hassle which will be the subject of a later post, the girls’ visas were issued! Hurray! We’ve been celebrating ever since. We can now enjoy the rest of our stay here in South Africa without this hanging over our heads and hearts.
As you can tell, we made it to Cape Town without incident. The flight was very good… we made it from Atlanta in 13 hours and 15 minutes and the service on South African Airways was top notch.
Cape Town is incredibly beautiful. It has elements of New Mexico, the Carolina Coast, and Tuscany all rolled into one. Plus an incredible diversity of people. It is easy to get around and make your way through the town – most everyone speaks good English (lucky for us), and the urban area is extremely westernized.
Constrasted with all this, of course, is the extreme poverty of the majority of the (mostly black and coloured – separate legal designations under Apartheid) populace. As Americans here, the dollar is incredibly powerful (a great bottle of reserve Chardonnay, for example, costs 45 rand, or about US$3.50).
Much more to tell, but all of you celebrate for us!
