Into Jozi - journeys in a castle

NOTICE: LISTEN, THIS INTERNET CAFE IS SUPER SLOW. I KNOW THERE ARE MULTIPLES OF THE SAME PHOTO, IT IS ALL MESSED UP..I APOLOGISE. when i get to PMburg, it will be easier to upload. until then, here a few shots..not much. sorry.


hey last night was good.. had some great food with Piet, VK and Chigiwa. It is so great to have chips again..like true true
chips.. i can't explain why but even when i make them at home, it is not the same. so after loading up on eats, we were just all sitting
outside, sharing coffee and stories. the guys from Germany came and joined us. They are such friendly guys, the three of them. one guy was wearing a Thrice hoodie, so we had a nice talk
about music and whatnot. conversations..out and about..they can always be quite interesting
and they take you in a-l-l k-i-n-d-s of directions.. from punk rock to Israel and it's safety net
of suggesting we not forget what happened in Germany, that it runs to each time it
commits one of its' atrocities.
One of the guys had lived in Camperdown for one year before.. he was volunteering there at a NGO for children. I remember seeing the place many times while staying in Camperdown. it was
just straight up Umlaas Road from Neil and Ingrids' place.
So it was nice to talk to him as he knew Cato Ridge, and Umlaas and all these familar places. He is heading back to Germany in just a few days now, but he plans on
heading back to Camperdown in maybe one years' time..so if so, I truly hope he contacts me. I could show him around PMburg and the townships and what not.
After some time outside, I finally noticed there was a group of guitars against this wall!! I was excited, as silly as it sounds.. I really
cannot stand being away from music.. so it was great playing around on that. I ended up staying up until 4 am with VK watching TV..haha..he kept wanting to watch
these fashion shows. runway type stuff. It was truly hilarious.it was better than the adult channel he would occasionally flip it on. haha. So this morning I woke up around
7 am and took a nice hot shower..I was ready to go into to Jozi,but I had to wait until Piet woke up. So I just chilled out,
sat outside enjoying that after the rain smell..it rained hard all night.. As we were getting ready to head out, this huge group of Germans arrived, ready to take the bicycle
tour right away into Soweto. i hope they get their money's worth and have a great time. I am, on the other hand, quite pleased that I chose to
take it on foot and just trust that I would meet some good folks..as I always do. Yeh, so we took off with this guy Piet called. he has a minibus taxi but he was doing us a favor
and just taking us privately to Joburg quickly. We shot there with him..as we traveled I started to speaking to his friend, who is originally from PMburg and has been interested
in starting a backpackers there in PMburg..which is great cos Sam and I have been planning for one. He is going to get ahold of me in a few weeks when he
is back in PMburg.. man it would be wonderful if we could get it going well.. accomodation, tours of the township, tours of PMburg and Durban.. I truly hope
we get something going. I think that PMburg needs a township tour.. and there is so much to see there.. yeh it's not Joburg or Capetown..but it is beautiful country with a rich
history. So if all goes well..we will eventually have a good backpacker in the township. with luck..
yeh so now we have arrived in Joburg, at the Jozi Backpacker Ritz. it is definitely a different vibe here. Obviously this used to be a castle residence of
some incredibly rich family here. it is beautiful, the yards are lovely, a great patio..wonderful views.. a pool..the works. now it is
a great backpacker which has nothing but great reviews. Piet stayed here last year and everyone remembers him. he is a pretty memorable guy though.
the guy that runs the place is this incredibly flamboyant (sp?) hilarious young guy..he gave me the tour of the place and everything
is almost shouted, it is quite funny.. he has more energy than the whole place together. it is fun. showed me around.. I got my bags situated and now.. sitting out
on the patio, just catching up. Soon we will head down to this internet cafe so I can grab their wireless and upload this stuff. : )
There is a girl here from Atlanta haha it was interesting to hear a deep southern accent here in SA. yeh, so more will come
later.haha, oh man this lady that works the bar here at the backpacker just was telling this story about guests
that they have asked to leave..once this Australian was accusing some of the ladies that work here of stealing all these things..
yelling and cussing apparently when, in reality, at the end it was like in another bag or whatnot..he was saying cos all the
blacks they steal..she said they kicked him out quick and would not call a taxi, he had to walk up to who knows
where. hahha.it is wonderful to be back here, but i truly wish Elisha and my family could be here now..I just want to share the wonders..
(six hours later)Well well , Piet and I walked to the mall at Hyde Park to buy some groceries quickly and so I could
stop at the internet cafe.. well the internet cafe was already closed for the day. so we came back, made some beetroot salad,
mash,zucchini and the works..So tomorrow morning I am planning to head to the internet cafe again to try and upload some photos and this entry..
(next morning 5 Oct.) hey everyone in the dorm room had to suffer through Piet and his brigade of snoring. it is quite loud, but he finds it hilarious. At some points I get very worried, as it sounds
like he stopped breathing..then quickly.. a RUSHING sound!! almost like a train ! sitting at the table, listening to Fela Kuti-- coffee by my side. I am now making plans for the newest version of
my travels.. today at the internet cafe we plan to head to Pretoria, as Piet has to meet with this guy there about some business..I am tagging along, to see the city and visit the Voortrekker monument. There is a guy, Nathan, from Oakland. Nice guy. he is going to tag along as well. his situation is quite interesting though, as he reached in and grabbed a random vacation plan-- apparently knowing next to nothing about South Africa, be it the history or layout of the country. Last night, Piet and I gave him loads of advice, tapping into what it is he wants to get out of thr trip- his interests and whanot-- so his aimless journey now has some structure..but not too much structure as they it no way to travel. so we shall see what he thinks of Pretoria, although--in his own words "the Voortrekker monument just looks like some big rock." we s-h-a-l-l see.
need more coffee-- my feet are cold-- thankfully I brought my guide book for Mocambique, as he is also interested in visiting for a few days. yes if you have-take the malaria pills- visa entry fees depend where you want to buy it--and how desperate the border guard is.. gotta get Piet up soon, the internet is calling--these photos are burning a hole in my hypothetical pocket-- take care.

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