The first leg was to Capetown.  There were women from Arkansas in the row behind me, fairly loud and obviously needed more volume than that available in their row.  They said something about being on a medical mission, but I only heard them talking about the shopping they did, and Victoria Falls, and etc.  We left a little late and they announced that we were waiting for 4 more passengers.  The two empty seats next to me looked promising, but I knew they'd fill when we got to Capetown.  Then a very angry older woman came and sat in the aisle seat.  She was disheveled and standing in the aisle putting things in the rack and getting situated.  But she was in the way of the stewardess who was trying to demonstrate the safety procedures, and they had an argument.  Then the woman moved up to the row in front of me.  She had kept looking at me like she wanted an audience for her outrage, but I had my headphones on and was listening to War and Peace, and didn't make eye contact with her, and so was able to successfully ignore her.

In Capetown we were not allowed to get off the plane while they fueled and boarded the remaining passengers.  The plane filled up, and a man sat in the aisle seat of my row.  Then the woman came back and plunked down in the center seat next to me.  I made sure to keep my headphones on.  But just before pushback, another stewardess came and got her, and she moved to some other seat elsewhere on the plane.  And I had an empty seat next to me for the long flights to Atlanta.  Yes!

There was a French family in the row ahead, who didn't understand the instructions about keeping seatbacks upright during taxi and takeoff, and also during meal service.  Once I asked the attendant to ask the man to move his seat forward, and he did.  After dinner I was quick to get to the bathroom as soon as the trays were cleared, so I didn't have to wait in line.  That was a good idea.  Then I bedded down.

I woke for the landing into Isla Da Sol.  There we were not allowed to get off as in years past.  This was due to new security rules required by the US.  Not only could we not get off, but since 3 passengers were getting off since SAL was their destination, a security team came on board and went through all the carry on compartments and made sure someone spoke for each piece of luggage.  There was also a crew change.  We were on the ground about an hour. Another 7 hours 40 minutes to Atlanta.