My last full day in South Africa for the year was spent in Port Elizabeth. (Although technically my last 10 hours will be spent at the O. R. Tambo Airport while I wait for my connecting flight), the "windy city", which is a very apt name.
I was staying at Kings Beach Backpackers which was close to the airport and obviously, the beach. My Thursday was spent wondering around the beach, trying to get a bit of a tan but ending up getting burnt in weird spots, a bit of last minute gift shopping (I think I finally have everything I want to buy for people???) and then going to go watch Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them because I had time to kill and movie tickets are like 50% cheaper here than they are in Australia. It was a good movie.
Can't divulge to much about what I bought in Port Elizabeth but I think I got some pretty good gifts. After finishing the movie I went back to the backpackers and did all my final packing. I'm surprised I actually do have a bit of space in my bag left, and I'm hoping to fit two bottles of wine in there after I buy them in the duty free section at the Joburg airport, but that's going to be a bit of a struggle. I had a restless nights sleep and woke up at about 5:20am with plans on getting an Uber a bit after 6am to the airport. After 6 months it's finally time to make the journey home!
However, first a stop over in Abu Dhabi and Dubai has been planned for first. I kind of wish that I was doing this mini UAE trip in January on my way back to Africa so I can just get home already, but after doing a bit of research (and cringing internally at the price differences between South Africa and Dubai ...), I'm excited to see what the Middle East is like! A new part of the world to explore!
Currently at O. R Tambo Airport. Caught a flight at 8:40am from Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg, arriving at about 10am, and I've been here since then, sitting in cafes and making use of the free wifi. My flight to Abu Dhabi is at 7:50pm tonight, and once I arrive there I shall use the free Etihad shuttle from Abu Dhabi to Dubai and stay there three nights. And then Wednesday morning I get ready for a 13.5hour flight to Melbourne! Yay! I'm a bit sad to be leaving South Africa, but I'm obviously going to be back. This marks the 1/3 mark of my travel over this summer break though ... two more months of exploring southern Africa to go once I return after the New Years!
See you in Dubai!
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