Series of Mishaps and One Glorious Day

South Africa is a lot more expensive than expected. Johannesburg is a horrible city and not what was expected. I will give you a day by day breakdown of South Africa and its surroundings.

Day 1:
Sleep and go around the neighborhood.

Day 2:
First attempt to tour the city which is advisable to only tour Johannesburg with the sun. By 4pm, it started to get dodgy and time to go back to the hostel before sundown. (Sidenote: The hostel seemed a bit sketchy at first and, well, I still kind of do think it is a bit sketchy).

Day 3:
Got tricked to pay to tour the ghetto. And had to give even more money to look into people's houses. Went to the Apartheid museum which is the only thing worthwhile to go to while around the Joburg area.

Day 4:
Decided to rent a car. Last minute decision to drive to Mozambique based on what someone in the hostel told us. Our original plan was to go to Durban. Almost got arrested and the car almost broke down. Policeman said it was an early Christmas present. I think he just wanted bribe money. I saw my life flash before my eyes. Spent a night by Kruger Park.

Day 5:
Drove into Mozambique and paid $82 for a visa. Also had to pay $110 to drive the car into another country. Got into the capital, Maputo, which is absolutely crazy to drive into. So many pedestrians. Ridiculous amounts of pedestrians. Couldn't find our hostel. Asked 2 random guys on the street and he offered to show us.

Day 6:
Goal was to drive to the beach. TomTom was leading the way to Ponto do Ouro (this mystical place where lobster and prawns come cheap). Low and behold, I end up driving to the border of Swaziland (a kingdom within South Africa) and another border crossing. At this point, this whole border crossing was getting old. The guard tells us that we can't drive to Ponto do Ouro with our car and we need a 4x4. We think and decide to go to Durban.

Well, from there we get to Durban and have delicious curry in bread bowls (called a bunny). Spent a couple of days there and went back to Johannesburg area to catch a flight to Cape Town. After sights of a sushi buffet for about $12, we believe that our luck has finally started to change.

Finally in Cape Town and tomorrow I start the tour and head to Namibia in the next couple of days.

The Glorious Day:
So, as many of you may know, I am absolutely petrified of sharks. And a few days ago, yes, I went into a cage to observe these beasts. They are actually quite graceful and are so quiet in the water. Saw some Discovery like channel action and determined that it was one fabulous day.