A Trip to South Africa We are 3 New York sisters of Argentinian descent, going to South Africa in order to support the Arengentinian team. We are also interested in nature, so we’ll enjoy visiting natural parks, of course. Here is the description of our soon coming trip.

The round trip NYC/Johannesburg For this journey, we will be travelling by British Airways which is one of the safest companies, this way we are sure to enjoy our trip, even though it’s a long one. We will take the plane from Newark in New York City,on June 5th at 6:25pm to London Heathrow, where we will arrive at 6:30am on June 6th. After this short stopover, we will take another plane at 9:20am the same day to Johannesburg where we will finally arrive at 9:10pm. There, a taxi from the hotel will be waiting for us.

The Hotel (From the 8th of June to the 24th of June) When in Johannesburg, we will stay at the African Pride Melrose Arch Hotel. The design inside seems to be wonderful, as we could see it on the pictures. There are even chocolates and roses offered in each room! That's so charming! And we are so fond of it that we will surely put on weight. Every detail of this hostel seem to be luxurious, the room in which we'll sleep contains everything we need, such as a television with a DVD recorder, a desk, perfumed candles, etc. A breakfast is served every morning. Moreover, the hotel has several restaurants offering buffets, so we have many choices. What pleases us in the African Pride Hotel is its library of colonial style. That's quite original, we are longing to see it. Every morning, and some afternoons during which we'll stay at the hotel, we will take advantage of the sunny weather, by going to the Swimming Pool, with a cocktail (there is a bar next to it), of course. After each evening's buffet, we will have a pleasant walk in the beautiful gardens of the Hotel which seem to be quite romantic so we feel sorry to be there without our boyfriends. Fortunately, there are a lot of elegant shops and a gigantic mall next to the African Pride Hotel, so, of course, we will spend whole afternoons buying new clothes.

The Match On Saturday 12 th June, we will attend the match between Argentina and Nigeria. Of course, we will support Argentina, for it is where we come from. The ticket costs around 1790 dollars. That's quite expensive, but we have the best places, and since it's Argentina first match, we want to enjoy it ! The match takes place in Johannesburg in Ellis Park Stadium, which is huge since it seats 62,000 fans. It is not so far from our hotel, so it'd be easy to get there.

One excursion in Johannesburg Not far from our hotel, there's a wide nature reserve which is called “Rietvlei nature reserve”. It is very interesting, I could even say fundamental, to see such places when we travel in a country such as South Africa, because we can discover wonderful things that we couldn't see in the United States. In this nature reserve, there are a lot of wild animals, like zebras, rhinoceros, hyena or mongooses. It would certainly be an impressive excursion, particularly because we are fond of this kind of animal, even if Lola, the youngest of us would surely be afraid of them. It will give us a unique opportunity to view many species of animals. Therefore, we mustn't miss such a chance. We will organise a picnic there, because it would be a pleasant place to visit. I think we'll do this excursion after the match which will exhaust us, in order to relax.

On the 24th, we will take off from Johannesburg, in order to see another match in Port Elizabeth. The flight will last aproximativly une hour and forty minutes (from 11:10 an to 12:50 am). It will be another safe trip, since we are travelling on the British airlines again, but on the other hand, it is quite expensive: 7 038,64 rands or 904 $! Again, there will be a car waiting for us at the airport. The Flight Johannesburg/Port Elizabeth

The Hotel ( from June 24th to July 1st) During our stay in Port Elizabeth, we will stay at Hitgeheim Country Lodge & Eco- Reserve. Situated on a secluded eco-reserve, Hitgeheim Country Lodge offers guests luxurious rooms with bathrobes and complimentary toiletries. It features an outdoor swimming pool with sun loungers. The restaurant serves gourmet cuisine and wines on the terrace overlooking the surrounding countryside. The hotel offers free Wi-Fi access in the business centre. Guests can also make use of the library and games room The only negative aspect of this perfect place is that it is quite far from Port Elizabeth: 75 minutes away by car. But, we shall overcome that, and if we really need to be in town fast, we’ll be able to rent an helicopter anyway !

The Match Assuming that Argentina would win its matches, we booked places for the round of sixteen matches in Port Elizabeth. We took the best places possible here too, because we wanted to support our team the best we could. Plus, we are delighted at the idea to be the « first » supporters to enjoy the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, since it has been built for the World Cup. So we happily paid the 6.999,75 rands ( approximativly 900 USD) for the tickets.

One excursion in Port Elizabeth In order to relax after the match, and to discover new feeling, we will be happy to join in “ Addo Elephant Back Safari” an activity offered by the hotel. Despite its name, this is not a safari, but an elephant back experience, which excites us a great deal, since we are such nature lovers! Anyway, this is a once in a lifetime must do and the combination of seeing and experiencing the gentle wild herds of Addo in the morning and then have the opportunity to touch, feed, walk with and ride the biggest land mammal on earth for the afternoon is something else.

The flight Port Elizabeth/Cape Town Because we wanted to see more of South Africa, we decided to go to Cape Town for a few days, because the city is reputated for its natural beauty. As for the round trip, we will travel by British Airways in first class, as always. We will leave Port Elizabeth on July 1st at 12:30pm and will arrive the same day at 8:10pm in Cape Town. The cost of this flight is ZAR ,23. And, as ever, there will be a car waiting for us there.

The hotel (from July 1st to July 8th) We will stay at the Twelve Apostles, a five star hotel and spa named after the mountains at the foot of which it lies. We will have the best suite which is at the top of the hotel and described as out of reality

Activities around Cape Town We will discover the beauties of the Table Mountain and Cape Point. We will also have the chance to go whale watching and visit the Karoo National Park, which is the largest ecosystem of South Africa. We are so excited! So much natural beauty in one place!

The flight Capetown/Johannesburg In order to reach Johannesburg before the last match we’re attending, we will take a plane at 15:50 inCape Town and arrive two hours later in Johannesburg. Again, we will travel with British Airways. In Johannesburg, we will stay in the same hotel as before.

The Match We will, of course, attend the final !! That is maybe what we are the most longing for. We hope and believe that Argentina will make it to this match, but even if not, we will still enjoy a great football moment. Plus, the stadium is beautiful and regarded as « One of the most artistic and awe-inspiring football venues on the African continent », so we’ll just enjoy being there, despite the price of the tickets, which are even more expensive than the others: rands each !!

It is sad, but we will have to leave this delightful country, which I am sure we will enjoy, and go back to our skyscrapers… We will take the plane on July 16th at 9:15pm from Johannesburg. As before, we will have a stopover in London, where we will land at 7:20am on the 17th and will leave three hours later for Newark where we will arrive at 1:00 pm. What a long and sad flight it will be! But we will have all the joyful memories. We will travel first class on British Airways and the total price of this round trip between Newark and Johannesburg is ZAR ,06. The flight Johannesburg/NYC