Thirteen hours later we are there, with almost six hours to kill before the connection to Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe.

On the advice of a fellow passenger, we decide to pass through customs and see if we can take a tour to "Gold Reef City", which offers a look at the country's gold mining past. It turns out there wasn't enough time to fit that in.

Instead we take a two-hour city tour of Jo'berg. This was our first experience of South Africa. The city is a long way from its glory days, when multiple gold mines made millionaires out of their white owners. The mines are all closed know, not because the gold ran out but because, at a depth of 4 kilometres (2.5 miles), the air temperature of over 120F makes it impossible to work (ground temperatures rise approximately 13F every one km).

A high wall topped with either barbed wire or an electric fence surrounded almost every home in the city. Our informative guide tells that punishingly high unemployment (over 30%) has produced rising crime rates. A brief drive through a black township called Alexandra revealed acres of flimsy shacks with no electricity and no running water. It makes American inner-city slums look almost inviting. We finish the tour with a sense of relief.

The 90 minute flight to Harare was uneventful, and we touch down feeling exhausted after 22 hours total travel time: the two lengthy connection layovers had taken their toll. A plethora of metered taxis was a pleasant surprise, as was the modern appearance of the city of Harare. Rosemary to driver: "Nice city!". Driver, laconically: "For sure". We enjoy seeing the sun for the first time since July: the forest fire smoke in Singapore from Indonesia has been a constant depressing pall.

We are booked into the Bronte Hotel, which turns out to be a charming neo-colonial establishment dating from the 1930's. Our room overlooks a peaceful garden with a small pool.



Fighting off the urge to go to bed at 16:00 (and wake up at midnight), we force ourselves out to take a walk. The streets are broad and dusty, the jacaranda trees in full bloom. The pleasant temperature keep us going for half an hour, but then we run out of steam. Returning to the room, we flip on CNN to find Bill Gates saying "The Internet will become as much a part of our lives as the telephone and the car." Thanks for the tip, Bill. We start talking about our surprise earlier this week to discover that a good friend of ours, a journalist, did not know how to create a new folder (directory) on her Mac, and how computers needed to become much simpler to use before they become just another appliance.

Suddenly we realise that we are still talking about work while sitting in a hotel in Zimbabwe. It appears that we have not quite got into the vacation mindset just yet...