Blogs from Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa, Africa - page 59

April 1st- April Fool’s day. I hope you all did not waste the opportunity to perform a stunt, prank, or practical joke on those that mean something to your life. What better way to demonstrate your long-lived love, like, or hatred for someone than a well-rehearsed lie. After much brainstorming, Breck and I decided the genre of shock/ horror would be most respectable. Considering our already heightened vigilance to crime in the city, we capitalized on the chance to distort reality. Our three targets slept innocently at the end of hallway: Tiffany, Samantha, and Christy. The scene required a minimum of setup and basic props: bloody butcher knife, pile of scattered cash, injured/dead victim (Breck), and of course some strategically- placed ketchup. We were ready. It began with slamming and banging of the doors and walls ... read more

February 4 I did a tour of Downtown Johannesburg and went to the Museum of Africa, which details the apartheid-era history of South Africa. Johannesburg is just like any North American big city, it doesn't look very African (or at least not stereotypically african.) It is a very busy big city. February 5 I visited the Sterkfontein Caves, where the first Australopithecus skeletons were found. Afterwards, I did a mini-safari at the Rhino & Lion Park near Jo'burg. It is not the "real" thing (the carnivores are separated from the herbivores and they are fed) but it is cool to see some big anaimals close up. When I was there it was feeding day, and the lions were walking on the road among the cars waiting for their fare! ... read more

January 19 - 22 2006 We arrived in Port St Johns after an unexpectedly long bus ride. We were in East London waiting for the bus for two hours before it arrived, because it had been filled with the wrong kind of fuel in Port Elizabeth and had to be drained and refuelled. It wasn’t a big deal, except that we had to just sit around and wait for the bus, because we weren’t sure when it would arrive. After a four hour bus ride, we arrived in Port St Johns, which was a beautiful town. It has mountains and lush vegetation, but also a beautiful beach and river. The hostel we arrived at was a total hippy hangout with a lot of ‘chill out’ areas. It was totally relaxing though, and the owner made excellent ... read more

After following Tom on another 6 hour drive, going through a pass over the mountains again and dodging the speed cameras, we arrived in Giant’s Castle. The scenery was awesome and the hutted camp a delight. We had 2 self catering chalets with mountain views from the decks. Sarah and Tom had been shopping (big time) and had brought loads of food for the braais. It was cooler in the mountains than it had been in either Jo’burg or the Kruger, but we could still sit outside on the deck and listen to the river in the valley below. We were amazed when we woke the first morning because all the clouds had gone and we could now see the full extent of the berg - a sheer rock face shooting up into the sky from ... read more

Hi all! Well, we've been having a fabulous time here in joburg, despite the razor wire and ak47s. We have had the most marvelous christmas with pauls family, countless family dinners, bbq (braai)s, lunches, breakfasts, golf, even the eventful trip to the mall was pleasant. I do like joburg, but for the people. Today we visited a friend of Mary-Anne's (pauls step aunt i think) who lives in a gated community. It has a lake in the middle and ducks and wild life, there is no razor wire or electric fences. Half the people don't even lock their doors. I think that if I were to live in joburg I'd like to live in a place like that. We were going to leave for mozambique tomorrow, but we have been offered a ride with a friend ... read more