Singapore Airlines made the trip fairly comfortable, my seat was in Premium Economy and I was given a pouch containing an eye mask, slippers, lip balm and wet wipe.  The Sydney to Singapore flight takes around 8 hours and I did manage to snooze for a bit. 

My layover of 11 hours was too long for staying in the transit area of Changj Airport. About 6-8 hours would be sufficient if you wanted a sleep, refresh and rest. I had my hair washed and blow dried and then had a nice sleep and shower in the transit hotel. I paid $217AUD for a 6 hour respite … worth it for the privacy, shower and the bed. I enjoyed my meals and beverages in the KrisFlyer Gold lounges for free.

After wandering around the enormous airport, I purchased some items in duty free when I was told that I had to get to terminal 3…. I didn’t realise that I was in terminal 2 … so I had to catch the skytrain to terminal 3, all still within the transit area. The train was very easy to find and was clean and efficient. This took me to the KrisFlyer Gold lounge that I have been to many times before so I spent the last hours having a bite and a wine.

The next leg of the flight took about 10 hours to Johannesburg. Many passengers alighted there but those going on to Cape Town were told to remain on the plane. Cleaners and security personnel came through and did their jobs before a replacement crew started the next leg of the journey. It was a good opportunity to stretch our legs before the one and a half flight to Cape Town. Since they were vacated by a couple at Johannesburg, I asked if I could move to their window seats and permission was granted. There were about 30 per cent of the initial passengers continuing onto Cape Town so the plane looked quite empty. 

At Cape Town airport we had to disembark using the wobbly stairs and walk across the tarmac. Luckily there was not a cloud in the sky so the sunshine was a nice change from the aeroplane cabin.

All the airport staff were happy and willing to assist. We were reminded to make sure that we declare any restricted items…so the wine and small vodkas I bought in Singapore (to help me sleep but I didn’t open them) were going to put me over the limit … I didn’t check before I left home and I had popped a bottle of vodka and a Graham’s Port in with my checked luggage. The limit you can bring to South Africa is 2 bottles of wine and 1 litre of spirits. I was so sure that some would be confiscated but the lovely young customs man opened my bag, asked me why I came to SA and then handed me all my grog and sent me on my way.

So Scott was there to greet me and we had a coffee at the airport before catching an Uber to the accommodation in Sea Point.

The traffic was terrible and our driver skilfully worked his way past shanty shacks, schools, government buildings and shopping centres until we reached the seaside suburb. 

The apartment block is behind metal gates which are topped with electrical security wires. I looked around and noticed that this was common for all the dwellings around us.

It was just a two block walk to the beach and the swimming pool. Scott walked me down to the sand so I could dip my feet in the sea water and help avoid jet lag issues.

We then strolled along the esplanade and spotted an inviting restaurant across the road called the Grand Pavilion. Our waiter was the friendly Zimbabwen young man called Lesley. We ordered a bottle of local sparkling wine, oysters natural and Japanese style, tempura prawns, crispy calamari and a large garden salad. The food was superb and the view of the ocean was only interrupted by the traffic on Beach Street which included the topless red tourist buses, the occasional Maserati along with everyday cars like Range Rovers and Toyotas.

We finished with spicy margarita cocktails which were some of the best we have had anywhere in the world.

The shopping strip was busy and I noticed that there were security officers on general duty scattered across the city. Many shops are also behind iron gates which are activated by the staff inside.

There was even a guy selling cigarettes from his little stall on the footpath. The locals shop for their groceries at the Checkers Supermarket and people are so helpful. We gathered some supplies for the evening and walked back to the unit for a bit of a rest.

Dinner was just some corn crackers with eggplant dip and hummus. It was still daylight so we went down to the opposite direction of the shopping strip and stopped at a bar for some Dirty Martini’s and traditional margaritas while watching the locals go about their daily business.

It was a long day so an early night beckoned.

Goeie nag!