Johannesburg, South Africa

I am in J'burg and just like the last time I was here am spending the whole day at the mall. Cathi and I stayed up late talking and solving all the problems of the world, but drifted off to sleep around 1am. We woke up to freezing cold weather here this morning and our little place has no heat. Most buildings here do not. They are not insulated either, which makes for cooler buildings in the hot summer, but cold toes during the cooler months. We walked to a nearby mall around 9 and stayed there until after lunch. We ate at one of those middle eastern chain restaurants that serve falafal and chased it with Ginger Beer! It was all fairly Western to some extent, but far from Phipps or Lenox. I love getting candy and cookies and such from different countries that are just different than what we have, so I love the markets the most. I got an assortment of all kinds of brightly packaged candies and sweets and things for the kids, ahem. In a few hours I will take a taxi from Angel's Rest in Alberton to the airport. It is about a 45 minute drive. I am actually looking forward to the quiet, peaceful flight and endless selection of movies. My brain needs mindless entertainment and I am not ashamed to admit it. I will hit the ground running once home and cannot wait to celebrate Catherine's 12th birthday with the whole family tomorrow afternoon. For this moment, there is certainly no place on earth I would rather be.