Thanks, jsnydcsa. I sure do wish this were easier!

I'm pretty certain my tmobile android is "unlocked." Does that mean it would work in South Africa with a South African SIM card? Or not necessarily?

If it would work, would there be some sort of "easy" prepaid plan I could sign up for? For example, in the USA, you can spend $30 and get unlimited text, day and 100 phone minutes. Anything like that in South Africa? And where's a good place to buy a SIM card in South Africa?

If getting a South African SIM card to work on my phone is not possible, it sounds like I might do better just leaving the phone home and bringing a tablet to access the internet whenever I could find free/cheap internet. I could also buy a prepaid phone in South Africa if I feel I need it for phone calls. Where would be the best place to do this?

Thanks for the help!