Johannesburg/ the worst 24 hours (part 1).

So we ended our drive in Port Elizabeth and were preparing to board a flight to Johannesburg for the next leg of the adventure. We flew on an airline, strangely named 1time air. It was here that things started to go bad. Our flight was delayed two hours putting us into Johannesburg around 11pm. The man from our hostel, Sunnyside Up, was waiting those extra 2 hours to pick us up. He drives us to the hostel. Apparently booking a chalet 'with the possibility of sharing with others' meant we were stuck in an 8 bed dorm. I went back through old emails, and never were the words 'dorm' or '8 bed bunk' mentioned. I argue with the man, Martin, and realize there is no alternative. So we head to our bunk.

It's the coldest winter South Africa has had since 1912. Our bunks were in a thinly insulated hut. And the rest of our bunkmates were Chilean dudes. All of whom had major snoring problems. Six of the loudest snorers I have ever heard, all snoring together. This and the cold permitted me to get about 2 hours of sleep that night. This hostel, too, was located in the middle of nowhere, and there were no towels for us to purchase, nor anywhere for us to walk and buy. So aside from the cold and my lack of sleep, I woke up dirty.

We go to the main lodge at the hostel to make some tea to warm and wake up. It's here that we meet some of the other hostel members: seven Israelis. The Israelis tell us they were at the game the night before and saw advertised tickets for the game that evening - the USA vs. Ghana game. When else are we going to get to see the USA play in South Africa? We go online and purchase tickets, with 9 minutes left to do this. The Israelis have two cars and say they have room to give us a ride to the game. Perfect! The game's at 8:30 pm and an hour and a half away in Rustenburg. The Israelis want to do touristy stuff in the area, so we tag along, leaving our hostel around noon.

This is our first tour through the northern part of South Africa. It's in the middle of the country, so it's more dusty and warmer than Cape Town. I very much prefer Cape Town to Johannesburg. And not just for the story that will follow.