Security was a hoot in J-Burg! They hardly looked at me or my stuff going through initial security, but that was not to be the final round. Right before we boarded the plane, approximately 10 airport staff members appeared to our gate and told us that since we were flying to the US, we needed to go through extra security. They brought in tables and sorted us into two lines - men and women. At this point, we were all getting nervous for no one was answering our questions (trust me - I tried asking, but to no avail). I pointed out to my fellow flyers that this was the security that we did not receive when first entering the airport. And... since they did not possess the equipment the US does, they were going to do it themselves. Sure enough... we were each patted down, our shoes were shaken and clapped together, and our carry-on bags gone through. My, my... that was an experience for all of us!
Upon arriving home, I caught a virus... along with the rest of my family... and we spent the next week recovering, healing up, and for me - restoring my body to North American time (it took 9 days for my body to remember what continent it lived on and to sleep through the night). Sleeping is such a joy!
Well what a typical Africa goodbye for you at the airport :-) A friend of mine got a slaughtered goat from a bishop in Ruanda as a gift. She flew with her goat in a bag under her seat for two flights! Before her final flight to Johannesburg, she gave it to a native friend, rather than security taking it from her for a dinner for themselves. They were probably checking that you're not flying goats and chickens back to the States! Just joking :-)
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