Cape Town Bound: the 32 Hour Journey

The day was finally here! I boarded the lite rail out of Seattle, tired but excited for the long journey to South Africa. The train ride gave me time to mentally prepare for the slog ahead of me: 14 hour flight to Dubai, 8 hour layover and finally a10 hour flight to Cape Town. There are several choices when it comes to South African flights, but I opted for Emirates, which has long been my favorite airline (possibly because of that “free” time in Dubai on all of their Africa connections). This first flight to Dubai was one I had done many times before, and on past flights the friendly Emirates crew ensured I was well fed and the movie selection ensured I was well entertained. I happily found this flight to be no different! We landed in Dubai the following morning without issue, and I walked laps and caught up with friends for the next 8 hours in the UAE. Unfortunately, I was not so lucky on the flight to Cape Town, and spent the next 10 hours in and out of fitful sleep, unable to quell my growing boredom. I slept no more than 2 hours, and arrived in Cape Town delirious, but extremely excited. This excitement only increased as my Adventure Life driver and I made our way toward the city. I’d dreamt of Cape Town for many years; it was hard to believe that I was finally seeing it with my own eyes!