The staff was very polite and helpful whenever we had questions. A breakfast buffet was also included in the price so we had the option of eating something there before heading out to see Dubai.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Accommodation Dubai, United Arab Emirates
We decided to stay at the Rihab Rotana located 1.2 miles from Dubai International Airport and very close to downtown. It was a good place for us to stay at and its location close to the center of Dubai was convenient and allowed us to walk to some of the activities and restaurants. We booked two classic studio rooms which each cost $195 per night. The total amount we spent for the week was $2340. The rooms were very clean, spacious and well equipped.
The staff was very polite and helpful whenever we had questions. A breakfast buffet was also included in the price so we had the option of eating something there before heading out to see Dubai.
The staff was very polite and helpful whenever we had questions. A breakfast buffet was also included in the price so we had the option of eating something there before heading out to see Dubai.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Budget
On transportation we spent $8,445 (67,332.8 rand) on flights for five of us to get to South Africa. The car rental for the week was $2,000 (15,946.2 rand). Overall on transportation we spent $10,445 (83,279.0 rand). For accommodations, the hotel we stayed at was $960 (7,654.18 rand). For the week we spent $450 (3,587.89 rand)on fun activities in Johannesburg. Food for the week cost us $533.83 (4,256.28 rand). We spent about $200 (1,594.62 rand) on local arts and crafts. They were so unique and we knew we couldn't get them any from any where else. So in total we spent $12,588.83 (100,372 rand) in Johannesburg. This leaves us with $67,197.17 (535,770 rand) left for the rest of our trip.
Meals
Day 1: When we got to Johannesburg we decided that we wanted to try out the local tap and bar. We went to Mikes Kitchen to sample some of the food, we all split and sampler with a bunch of things on it, then we me and will split a pizza which was real good. The girls wanted to try a salad so they all got a different one and all tried each others. We spent 12.99 on the sampler, the pizza cost 13.99 and all the salads were 9.99 each bringing the total to 56.95. We also order 3 pitchers of beer for 10.99 each bringing the overall total 89.92
Day 2: we just went to the nearest grocery store and bought some pop tarts and juice this cost us 14.71 for it all. Later that day we went and dined at The Boma the local sandwich place. They had some of the best cold subs in the world. They were all made the same with whichever meat you want on it. The sandwich’s cost us each 8.99 for a total of 44.95 for lunch. For dinner we went to the nice local restaurant called Pigalle. We wanted to try something crazy while we were here so we got the Ostrich fillet which was very chewy and pretty gross, we also got some other dishes too like the slow roasted duck, and lamb phyllo the total spent that night was 62.57 with a total for the day of 122.23.
Day 3: We decided to skip breakfast and just have a big lunch so we went to a place called Brazen. We got the Beef & Guinness stew. This was pretty good considering I don’t like Guinness so I made the best of it. we all got our own dishes too, I got the pork chops which were pretty good. The meal all together cost us 74.28 for the meal. For dinner we went to a Mcdonalds for some cheap and quick food. We all got the Big Mac combo which cost us 6.20 each bringing our total to 105.28.
Day 4: today we decided to go back and get some more pop tarts and juice for the same price of 14.71. For lunch we went to higher grounds restaurant. Here we had some really good food which included their famous seared salmon. This was a really good we also got the Rockefeller steak which was also really good this meal cost us 63.89. For dinner we went to Fahrenheit Seafood & Grill this was nice because I don’t like seafood so I had some other choices. The girls all got salads again, which fresh shrimp on top and will got some fish while I stuck with the chicken. This meal cost us 58.46 for a total of 137.06 for the day.
Day 5: for our last day we were only there for lunch so we decided to go out with a bang. For this meal we went to Coco Bongo this place was amazing. They had such a variety of food to choose from. I got the royal rib rack will got the beef fegato Britney got the chicken platter, Sam got the fisherman’s platter, and Mirjam got the kingklip calypso. This was one of the best meals we have ever had and it came with a big price too of 79.34 total but it was well worth it.
Activities in Johannesburg, South Africa
Day1: The first day in Johannesburg we decided to tour the city to get familiar with the area. After walking around downtown for a while we went into the Carlton Centre, a 730 feet tall skyscraper. The center has an observation deck on the 50th floor called Top of Africa and the view was very spectacular. We were able to see the entire city, and it was the perfect destination for the first day in the largest city in South Africa. We all enjoyed it a lot and took many pictures. The Carlton Centre is also a shopping mall and before we returned to the hotel we stopped at some of the shops. Sam and I bought a few souvenirs there. 
Later in the afternoon we went to Rosenbank, another suburb of Johannesburg, where we relaxed for a while at a street cafe. We were all a little tired from the traveling and sightseeing. After that, Sam and Britney wanted to check out the African Craft Market located a few blocks from the cafe and we all stayed there until it closed. We found a few postcards and Sam and I also bought some handcrafted jewelry. It was fun.
The view from the observation deck:
Day 2: Will thought it would be good to learn more about the history of the area so we went to the Africana Museum in Newtown, a suburb of Johannesburg, in the morning. They had many great collections of historic items and art. We especially liked the rock art and musical instruments exhibitions. It was a lot of fun. After that we went to see the Nelson Mandela Bridge, the largest cable bridge in South Africa, and therefore a famous tourist attraction.
http://www.sxc.hu/photo/90793
Day 3: On the third day we went on a 4 hour tour that took us to the biggest and most popular township, Soweto, in South Africa. It cost us each 480 Rand (60 USD) and it was well worth it. Our tour guide was great and we learned a lot about the culture and the history of Soweto. Cooper took a lot of pictures of the areas we visited.
http://photos.igougo.com
Later in the afternoon we went to Rosenbank, another suburb of Johannesburg, where we relaxed for a while at a street cafe. We were all a little tired from the traveling and sightseeing. After that, Sam and Britney wanted to check out the African Craft Market located a few blocks from the cafe and we all stayed there until it closed. We found a few postcards and Sam and I also bought some handcrafted jewelry. It was fun.
Day 4: We went to the Lion Park. Admission was $16 USD per person and once we were in the park, we were allowed to touch and photograph lion cubs. It was a fun experience to be so close to these wild animals and felt a lot like being on a safari. We also wanted to go to the Johannesburg Zoo but there was not enough time that day because we stayed at the Lion Park much longer than intended.
Day 5: We decided to go to Gold Reef City to see the theme park and the former gold mine. During our visit we took a tour of the underground mines and caves that are no longer in use. It was an interesting experience. The entrance fee was 110 Rand ($14 USD) per person and we stayed for a few hours. In the evening we went downtown again and walked around a little. The week in Johannesburg was great and there were so many attractions and things to do. Now we look forward to our next destination.
Accommodations Johannesburg South Africa
We chose to stay in the Bramley lodge, this lodge only cost $80 a night per room and each room held four people. We spent $960 total on this lodging. Included with our rooms was access to the big swimming pool in the back and a barbeque area. The lodge was located in the central part of Sandton in Johannesburg. This allowed us pretty easy access to all of the activities we wanted to take part in. The place was nice overall, the bathrooms were a little dirty (rust stains etc..) but it was a nice place for the price. They did have awesome customer service and were able to give us great directions to all of the places we wanted to see. I would recommend this place if your budget is a little tight. A pretty good experience I think. The girls didn't like it quite us much as the guys, who aren't at all picky, but since we've experience roaches in the past I guess we've lowered our standards.
Transportation
Flight
Depart
19:30
Foz Do Iguacu, Parana , Brazil
Foz do Iguacu International Airport (IGU)
Stop 1
21:20
Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo , Brazil
Guarulhos Intl (GRU) Terminal 1
Change airlines. Time between flights: 5hr 10min
Depart
02:30
Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo , Brazil
Guarulhos Intl (GRU) Terminal 2
Arrive
15:10
Johannesburg , South Africa
Johannesburg Int'l airport (JNB) Terminal A
The Flight to get to Johannesburg, South Africa from Brazil was very expensive. The cheapest flight that we could find was $1, 689 each and for five of us that came out to be a total of $ 8,445.
We first went to the airport in Iguassu Falls, Brazil and go on our plane and had to make one stop that took us to Guarulhos Intl. Airport that is in Brazil. This flight took about two hours. We have a long layover in this airport almost six hours. We all decided to get some food and also sleep because there was not much to do other than wait for the next flight. Britney and Mirjam looked ahead at all the cool activities we were planning on doing in Johannesburg because they were really excited to be going there. After a long layover we finally got on our plane that took us to the Johannesburg Intl. Airport. This was a very long flight it was close to nine hours. The place ride was a little bumpy buy overall pretty good. The food they served us on the plane was not very good, but Cooper really like the lunch that was provided. It was some sort of sandwich that did not have much taste to it. After we finally got to Johannesburg we then rented a car from Budget that sent someone to pick us up and take us to our car that we were renting. We had to rent a car that could hold five people and all our stuff. It was some kind of Audi station wagon that cost us $400 a day so for five days it cost us a total of $2,000. The total we sent on transportation for this leg of our trip was $10,445.
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