We landed in South Africa less than 48 hours ago and it has been a total whirlwind. Mike and I keep looking at each other and asking, "can you believe we're in Africa right now?" We also simply say to each other, "we're in Africa right now" to make sure the other person is aware.

After so many months of planning, it's surreal to finally be here. I can't decide if it feels like it has been weeks already or like we got here five minutes ago.

We actually arrived Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. local time. We spent our first night at a hostel in Boksburg, a town about 30 minutes outside Joburg's city centre, chosen for it's proximity to the airport in a generally quieter, safer residential area. The hostel was perfect for what we needed - a spot to crash and relax for a night. Although it was hot as hell.

I'm committed to blogging more frequently now that we're so much farther away and venturing deeper into the unknown. That said, we're still getting used to the time change and need to pack up and get on the road to head to Sossusvlei. But first, here are some quick thoughts on safety:

Disclaimer: we've only been here for two days, so these are just initial observations and reactions.

The thing we heard over and over again when telling people that South Africa and surrounding countries were on the itinerary was "it's not safe." Well, that can be counterproductive, not to mention unsettling, when we've already committed to going. I had no idea what to expect as we pulled away from the Johannesburg airport. At first I was struck by how similar it looked to the U.S. - although there were a lot more walls and fences around, well, everything.

When we arrived at the Mbizi hostel in Boksburg, one of our first questions was about safety. The host assured us that it was fine to walk around. Again in Windhoek last night, when we asked about safety, we were told, "don't wear your packs and you'll be fine. We haven't had a problem in the ten years we've been here." Sure enough, we ventured out in both cities and found no issue with walking to the store as well as to and from dinner.

Moms, don't worry, we're still on alert and aware of our surroundings, but it's great to see that at least the two small areas of Africa that we've seen so far aren't that big, bad and scary after all. While I'm sure this sense of security will be tested in the larger metropolitan areas, I'm certainly glad we eased into Africa by staying in places like Boksburg and Windhoek first.

The pool at Mbizi backpackers hostel in Boksburg