I am now in the airport in London. I felt much better Saturday morning after having slept 10 hours the night before. The flu like symptoms were entirely gone and all I am left with is a cold. Such a relief! Because I was feeling so much better, Erica and I went on a little shopping expedition on Saturday morning purchasing some last minute souvenirs. We found a great store called "Out of Africa" that had all kinds of African artifacts and supports local artists. It was then back to the house to finish packing and wait for my drive to the airport.
The flights to Johannesburg and then to London were uneventful except for a completely frustrating exercise of trying to reclaim the VAT I paid on my purchases. Everyone told us it was so easy and they they would put the refund on your credit card or give you American cash or whatever but it was totally not worth it. I had to wait in a long line twice, once to get a check, which was made out in South African rands and once to cash the check. The fees taken off at both the tax refund place and the cash checking place were pretty huge. Also, I did not realize there was no refund of VAT for accomodations and that was by far my greatest VAT payment - for the stay in Johannesburg and the Safari. Anyways, other than that bit of annoyance, everything went fine and I had a pretty good sleep between Johannesburg and London. Now it is homeward bound!
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