Blogs from Soweto, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa, Africa - page 4

Hi all!!! Eindelijk ist zover, Anouk en ik hebben genoeg verlof opgespaard om weer serieus te gaan genieten van t leven, ditmaal in Zuid-Afrika. Ja het is onveilig, ja we gaan vermoord worden in de steden, ja we gaan opgegeten worden door leeuwen, ja we missen een been bij terugkomst door het surfen tussen de haaien, but hey, het wordt fun! Like last time kunnen jullie hier terecht voor 3-tot-5-dagelijkse pogingen tot humor en fotografie, al kan het wat langer duren eer we ditmaal een internet café vinden. laat jullie commentaren maar komen, we zullen er even hard van genieten als vorige keer en proberen te antwoorden! De reis zelf: we komen toe in Johannesburg en rijden daar sneller buiten dan dat we toegekomen zijn, oostwaarts richting Hazyview waar panoramische route 1 van de 542 begint. ... read more

I decided to spend the day exploring a bit more of Johannesburg. Although I love the South African countryside and animals I felt I should learn something of the history of the country. I booked a tour that would cover the city centre, the Apartheid Museum and Soweto. Johannesburg is a large city covering more than 2,500 km sq. It was founded after the discovery of gold in the area by Australian prospector George Harrison in 1886. Thousands of diggers rushed to the area and those who had the wealth to finance underground mines did so on a large scale. By 1889 Johannesburg was the largest city in South Africa, and the most multicultural, with white and black fortune seekers alike being drawn by the promise of gold. These fortune seekers were treated with mistrust by ... read more

sawubona!!! (that'd be hello in zulu!) 2nd Feb, Soweto Hello again!!! Where did i leave you guys? Oh yeah, hung-over! Or at least Becky was. That was how she spend most of the day, so we took it easy, kicking back in the gardens under the shade of a big old tree. I took my camera out to try and get some photographs of the birds, they are quick little buggers though! Managed to catch the sun a little more than i would have liked, forgot about the back of my neck when i was getting busy with the sun cream. As the sun set we headed out into Hyde Park for Chinese takeaway (some habits you just can’t kick!) it was awesome, and less than £2! I spent the evening reading a Danny Wallace book; ... read more

Ah, today was much better. I arrived in Johannesburg two nights ago (Oct. 30), and it was nearly midnight by the time I got to my hostel. Yesterday was spent trying to get myself organized here and I just seemed to have one problem after another with getting money sorted, my cell phone, my camera card, my electrical adaptor, the internet . . . anyway, most things are now sorted. First thing this morning, I was picked up at my hostel by my guide, Michael. I joined 2 girls from Sweden and we went on a Soweto tour. Soweto (South Western Township) is likely South Africa’s most famous township. Townships are the areas on the outskirts of cities that started like shanty towns or squatters camps. Their populations vastly multiplied first when people were drawn from ... read more

Sawubona! (hello in Zulu) -- Days 2 though 3 The past few days have brought two extremes-- elite wealth and absolute poverty. Because this is a business-focused UW course, we are visiting multiple companies throughout South Africa, which the students have all studied and prepared for. We added to that knowledge by meeting with a lecturer for the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) to talk about the challenges and opportunities facing South African businesses. This provided a solid base for questions and understanding at our first company visit, to First National Bank in Johannesburg. After a long security check-in process, we werewelcomed with coffee, tea and breakfast items to a stunning board room, complete with padfolios for each of us and a "goodie bag" full of info on the company. FNB executives gave a very ... read more