Johannesburg, S. Africa

Johannesburg is the largest city in South Africa, The city is the source of a large-scale gold and diamond trade, pop 4.5 million.

Johannesburg

We are staying two nights, February 5 and 6, 2015, at the OR Tambo Protea Hotel to meet the other 9 people in our Overseas Adventure Travel tour group, headed by our guide, Thompson Matumbi.  He has been emailing us, preparing us for our adventure.  We need to bring headlamps and warm clothes for the early mornings and evenings, which seems to be his main concern.

Johannesburg is the financial capital of the country.  Friday was a free day there so we hired a guide to take us to the Apartheid Museum and Soweto.  He also stopped by the constitutional court house, which is like our Supreme Court.  It was built on the site and with the bricks of an apartheid prison.  It is designed to have the feel of how traditional justice was done, by creating a space much like a clearing in the woods under trees.  

We visited a Mutihi shop that sells bones and horns and herbs for traditional healing.  We saw an old shop sign that said Non-whites only. Through the city we passed over the Mandela bridge, and saw the mirrored, diamond shaped DeBeers building.  Petrol was about 10 Rnd per liter, or about $4.00 a gallon.  Every sign is written in English.  We also passed by the modern soccer stadium used for the 2012 World Cup held in S. Africa.  Spain won that year.  

Soweto means South West Township.  There is a large population of black Africans living there.  Mandela's simple 4 room brick home was just like the others on the street except there were a couple bullet holes in the walls.  Desmond Tutu lives down the street.  There was a Soweto museum that concentrated on just the riots of 1976 that happened in that area, because the people protested against having to only use the Africaans language in school.  The protests resulted in children being killed.  The museum presented the information in photos, quotations, and film interviews from all sides of the confrontations.

After that we went to the Apartheid Museum.  1/3 of it was on Soweto, so we were able to concentrate on the history of apartheid in general.  It was presented in a similar fashion using large photos, commentary, interviews on TV screens, and a movie explaining the history and the eventual end of apartheid in S. Africa.

We were too tired to go to the other attractions that our Zulu guide Mthandeni Khumalo recommended.  At the Lion Park he assured us 120% that we would see lions and even touch the cubs.  The cultural village, presenting cultures from several African tribes and a traditional meal, was appealing to me, but we went to have a swim in the hotel pool instead.

OR Tambo Hotel

Here are his recommendations in case you are on your way to an African Safari:

My former travelers have recommended these items on “WHAT TO  BRING WITH YOU LIST”. Here are the suggested items.

> 1)a bandana or a small scarf or dusty musk for dusty roads 2)Sunscreen

> 3)mosquito repellents 4)Water Bottle.

> 5)Sun Hat with wide brim with ties as it might constantly be blown off

> by the wind in open safari vehicles 6)a good flash light as the lighting in camp rooms are not as bright as you are used to in the US.

> 7)A  head lamp is a MUST BRING.

> 8) Rechargeable batteries as you will be able to re charge in camps

> 9) a good pair of binoculars 8x40 , 10x42

> 10) if you have a tablet computer you many bring it ( you can use it

> as back up for your pictures and some camps will have internet .)

>

>                 IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON CLOTHING It will get cold in

> some areas in the mornings . I  recommend we come prepared with the following clothing

> 1)        Winter jackets which have good wind break we will be doing our safaris in open vehicles

> 2)        Pajama /night dress.