Advertisement
Published: December 2nd 2006
Yes I really did leave Sydney, barely. I went to check in and Thai Air said I couldn't fly without an onward ticket from S. Africa. I had to go over to Quantas and buy a fully refundable (minus fees) ticket back to Sydney. But I made the plane and I am currently in Johannesburg, S. Africa. I've been here since Thursday morning. Amazingly I'm still jetlagged. I don't have any trouble staying up until 10 or 11 at night, but I keep waking up at 2AM and am ready to be out of bed by 4AM.
That is ok, I'll adapt here shortly.
I haven't done much either. Mostly just research and planning for where to go next.
We will talk about that later.
What have I done. Well I went to a lion park yesteryday morning. Got some great pictures of lions and got to pet a little lion club.
Today I took a tour of Soweto and went to the Apartheid Museum, and Hector Peterson Museum. Soweto is the township in Johannesburg where alot of the rioting in the 70's and 80's took place. Hector Peterson was the first black to die in the
'76 riots. He was a 13 year old school boy and the school children were marching in protest to having to learn Afrikaana. It is more complext than that and the museum told a good story. The Apartheid Museum was very heavy... think Holocaust Museum in DC and you have the same idea. The pictures and films in both museums were borderline horrific at times. But I guess that is what really happened. Pretty intense stuff, but a great education
Both Museums were great. I wasn't so impressed with Soweto. I don't know what I expected but it was just a neighbor that could be in any place anywhere. It actually looked much safer than much of Jo-burg.
I think I would have enjoyed going to Gold Reef amusment park more than Soweto.
But that is ok.
I did see a shanty town, Nelson Mandela's house, Desmond Tutu's house, and Winnie Mandela's house. Big stuff.
I can't tell how I feel about Jo-burg. Not sure I like it so much. Everyone really goes out of their way to scare you about crime. I don't think it is as bad as all that. But you get this fear
to go and do anything on your own unless someone tells you it is alright. I'm not saying there isn't lots of crime around here. I'm not sure what I'm saying. I guess I just haven't seen much of Jo-burg and don't have a feel for what it is really like.
Ok what next.
Well tomorrow I hop a bus for Botswana. I suspect that by mid week I will be somewhere in the Khalari.
So I might be incommunicado for awhile.
Click here for more pics PS == Possum Soup
I forgot one more short story from Sydney. I educated the boys on some fine southern cooking. Made a low country boil a couple of nights. Clinton insisted on telling everyone that I was making Possum Soup... kept the guest list short. My only problem was finding good spice, shrimp (because they are prawns) and real cocktail sauce. Another time I showed them how to make BBQ ribs. I think that was all the cooking I did in Sydney. Oh no, I made fondue one night as well. Wasn't as popular as the others.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.233s; Tpl: 0.01s; cc: 19; qc: 68; dbt: 0.0989s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.3mb
clinton
non-member comment
Finally you have left us, we thought you somehow made your way back to double bay. Looks as though you are having fun. There are 2 things that I relate to the south of america: Possum soup and the movie "deliverence".. Did Daz email you the photo of you and olga? Daz is in love now, shut the gates for "Daz Abbott". Have fun over there and watch out for the dodgey criminals, you idiot.