Day 1: Depart to South Africa - Sun 24 Jan 2016

---

Our adventure nearly didn't get started as despite having had a flu jab, I (Lesley) went down with the flu on Tuesday. On Sunday morning the doctor agreed that I could fly. We spent Sunday packing and went to the airport to meet up with the group only 10 minutes late. But we weren't the last.We checked in and made for the lounge. From the lounge window we could see the beginnings of the storm due to hit Israel after our departure. We seem to have picked our vacation times well because during the last storm we were away and missed the flooding in Raanana. As we settled down and I was taking my evening tablets I remembered the half sleeping tablet given to me by the hospital when I had my hip op. I had been holding onto this for a rainy day. After about a five second debate with myself I decided today was my rainy day and I took it. I slept the night through - on the plane.
.

We are taking a kosher tour organised from Israel to South Africa. We call this SEP holidaying, because the food, travel, lodging, etc are all Someone Else's Problem. As we proceed around the southwest part of South Africa and then to Zimbabwe and Botswana, the tour agency are responsible for ensuring we have what we need. The only things they don't guarantee are the weather - which should be nice as it is the middle of summer - and that all the wild animals we desire will necessarily appear.

We flew overnight on El Al direct to Johannesburg, landing on Monday morning and then transferring to an internal flight to Port Elizabeth on South African Airways. The program for the next 12 days is very full, so it is good we slept on the plane!

.

---

Photos

Flying from Tel Aviv to Johannesburg
Through the night we flew south past our penultimate destination of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe near Botswana, arriving Johannesburg South Africa in the morning. Africa is a BIG continent!

Our touring zone in Africa
Victoria Falls is top center by Livingstone where Zimbabwe and Botswana border near the eastern Namibia extension;
Johannesburg is right of mid-center (at the red marker) below South Africa's northern border;
Port Elizabeth is on the southern coast just west of due south from Johannesburg;
and the Garden Route roughly follows the coast westward to Cape Town.