A Final Goodbye?
Today's the day we leave for South Africa. It is all very exciting, although the impending 20-hour plane ride has tempered the anticipation a bit. Also, it was reported on Monday that a Tuberculosis outbreak is forcing many hospitals to turn away patients due to lack of bed space. So, combine that with 70% of the population stricken with AIDs and you have yourself a peaceful and safe vacation spot.
I'm sure it will be ok. Most of the health issues in South Africa are in the north. However, if I was to perish I'd like the following to serve as an impromptu will:
To my brother Mike, I leave my greatest asset - my beer collection. It now numbers well over 100 bottles, including two near priceless bottles of Westvleteren 12. Feel free to throw out the Chimay. You are also entitled to all the empties I've been collecting. Please fill them with lovely brew.
To Maarten, I leave my hookah. I know you've coveted it for some time. Enjoy.
To Chris, I leave my knife sharpener. You shall no longer have to deal with dull blades. Continue to pursue culinary excellence.
So today's schedule is a little hectic. I'll be in the office for about three hours attempting to get 8 hours worth of work done. At 11am I'll drive to the Drygas', pick up Christina and my mother-in-law, drive to Bala Cynwyd to pick up my father-in-law, then drive to JFK. Our flight doesn't leave until 5:30pm, but we figure that it'll take us 2.5 hours to get to JFK and another 30 minutes to park in long-term parking, grab the bus, and get on the terminal train.
I've decided to ignore Chris' advice of waiting to read Moneyball until closer to baseball season. It'll be a good airplane read. The Brothers K will also accompany the carry-on so hopefully I'll be able to chip away at that. To be honest, the on-demand movie feature on South African air will occupy most of my time. The Departed, All the King's Men, and The Queen are all playing. The Guardian, starring the overly-talented Ashton Kutcher and Kevin Costner actually received some decent reviews from critics I trust. So I'll check that out too.
The direct flight to Johannesburg is about 16 hours, so we'll arrive there tomorrow at 4:30pm local time (7 hours ahead). A quick layover, then a 2-hour flight to Cape Town. I guess we'll get in to the hotel by 9 or 10pm. All in all a long time in airplanes and airports.
We really don't have any definite plans for the week, other than going on a safari, touring through the wine region, and playing golf at Milnerton GC, the 'Pebble Beach' of South Africa - whatever that means. I am interested in sampling the local brew. South Africa is well known for producing some of the best wines in the world, but I'm not sure if they make good beer or not. It's a fairly arid area, so I'm guessing grains and hops don't grow that well there. We'll find out. Ratebeer has the top rated South African Beer, Mitchell's Raven Stout, at a gawdy 56. South African Brewery (owned by Miller) seems to be the only major brewery in the country and their highest rated beer is 37. Hm.
Oh, a quick vlog update. I just purchased a firewire adapter for my laptop. Hopefully it'll be on my doorstep when I get back so I'll post the first four episodes soon. I know you've been waiting with bated breath.
Our hotel does have Internet access so I'll try to post some updates if the cost of the service is reasonable. I hope everyone has a great week. I'll be back in town on February 3rd.
Death to tyrants, Death to turncoats, Death to McNabb.
I'm sure it will be ok. Most of the health issues in South Africa are in the north. However, if I was to perish I'd like the following to serve as an impromptu will:
To my brother Mike, I leave my greatest asset - my beer collection. It now numbers well over 100 bottles, including two near priceless bottles of Westvleteren 12. Feel free to throw out the Chimay. You are also entitled to all the empties I've been collecting. Please fill them with lovely brew.
To Maarten, I leave my hookah. I know you've coveted it for some time. Enjoy.
To Chris, I leave my knife sharpener. You shall no longer have to deal with dull blades. Continue to pursue culinary excellence.
So today's schedule is a little hectic. I'll be in the office for about three hours attempting to get 8 hours worth of work done. At 11am I'll drive to the Drygas', pick up Christina and my mother-in-law, drive to Bala Cynwyd to pick up my father-in-law, then drive to JFK. Our flight doesn't leave until 5:30pm, but we figure that it'll take us 2.5 hours to get to JFK and another 30 minutes to park in long-term parking, grab the bus, and get on the terminal train.
I've decided to ignore Chris' advice of waiting to read Moneyball until closer to baseball season. It'll be a good airplane read. The Brothers K will also accompany the carry-on so hopefully I'll be able to chip away at that. To be honest, the on-demand movie feature on South African air will occupy most of my time. The Departed, All the King's Men, and The Queen are all playing. The Guardian, starring the overly-talented Ashton Kutcher and Kevin Costner actually received some decent reviews from critics I trust. So I'll check that out too.
The direct flight to Johannesburg is about 16 hours, so we'll arrive there tomorrow at 4:30pm local time (7 hours ahead). A quick layover, then a 2-hour flight to Cape Town. I guess we'll get in to the hotel by 9 or 10pm. All in all a long time in airplanes and airports.
We really don't have any definite plans for the week, other than going on a safari, touring through the wine region, and playing golf at Milnerton GC, the 'Pebble Beach' of South Africa - whatever that means. I am interested in sampling the local brew. South Africa is well known for producing some of the best wines in the world, but I'm not sure if they make good beer or not. It's a fairly arid area, so I'm guessing grains and hops don't grow that well there. We'll find out. Ratebeer has the top rated South African Beer, Mitchell's Raven Stout, at a gawdy 56. South African Brewery (owned by Miller) seems to be the only major brewery in the country and their highest rated beer is 37. Hm.
Oh, a quick vlog update. I just purchased a firewire adapter for my laptop. Hopefully it'll be on my doorstep when I get back so I'll post the first four episodes soon. I know you've been waiting with bated breath.
Our hotel does have Internet access so I'll try to post some updates if the cost of the service is reasonable. I hope everyone has a great week. I'll be back in town on February 3rd.
Death to tyrants, Death to turncoats, Death to McNabb.
posted by JP at 7:56 AM
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