south africa: johannesburg

I landed in the airport in Johannesburg and immediately discovered that I'd lost my South African SIM card, much to my frustration. Since it was just after midnight, there were no shops open from where I could buy a new card. Not having a working SIM card meant I had no access to any internet, or any apps. I'd booked a place through AirBnb, but without a SIM card I couldn't get the phone number I needed, though I did have the address. 

I ended up asking a taxi driver at the airport (I couldn't access uber either, which I really would've preferred, as it would've been heaps cheaper,) to take me to the address I had. Of course lucky me chose a guy who didn't have a smart phone, so he couldn't plus anything into GPS. He got lost a couple times, ugh. 

We finally got the right address, only to find a security gate that wouldn't let me through, and was very hesitant to call the home. I understood their hesitation, but I begged, and I think he understood that otherwise I had nowhere else to go. Fortunately the phone was answered, and I was let in. 

My room in the home was really cozy, and I wish I'd arrived earlier. The couple was older and retired, and very friendly. Since it was around 2 in the morning, it didn't take me long to fall asleep. The next morning they cooked me a full English breakfast, then I packed up. They took me to a mall so I could get another SIM card, much to my relief. After this, they took me to my next accommodation, in another area of the city. I loved this couple, and I'm thankful they let me stay at their place after arriving in the middle of the night. 

My next accommodation checked me in, I had a cottage on the property. This guy was a journalist. In the cottage was a binder filled with information on available activities, tours, sights, and restaurants. Really really helpful. 

After relaxing for a while I walked to the apartheid museum. It was a long walk, and took me through a couple sketchy areas of the city. At one point I had to double back and figure out another way to go because a gate was closed. 

The museum was well designed, and is a very intense experience. When you buy a ticket, it includes a slip of paper saying which entrance you should use. They want you to experience a very small part of what apartheid used to be like, when there were multiple entrances for early everything. 

I went through the whites only entrance, which was definitely a lot easier (wider and less crowded,) than the blacks and coloureds entrance. 

As I said earlier, walking through this museum is intense. It isn't a pleasant experience, but it is necessary, in order to learn and remember the evil that was a legal part of this country for so long. 

There are exhibits on the history of the laws that made apartheid legal, bit by bit. There are exhibits on the people affected, which was everyone. There are a few videos, more than one of which I couldn't watch all the way through. Some of the violence perpetrated in the name of the law was disgusting. How do people do such awful things to each other? How do people believe others are worth less?

I'd planned to walk home, but when I walked out of the museum it was raining, so I arranged an under taxi. 

The next morning I went to a nearby place called De La Creme Patisserie. YUM. A scone, omelet, and tea were more than adequate. 

From there I walked to a grocery store, buying loose leaf tea and other drinks. From there I walked to a mall, where I found two more large supermarkets. I bought more tea, yogurt, and snacks. 

During that part of the walk I passed a park with a pond. There were rowboats on the lake, very cute to watch couples and families. 

The mall was huge; in addition to the two supermarkets there were multiple levels, shops, and buildings. I got turned around several times, ooops. 

I walked home to drop off my stuff, then got another uber taxi. This driver took me to a massage parlor, where I'd arranged a hot stone massage for 90 minutes. It felt amazing. I slept like a baby that night. 

The next morning Elvis picked me up at 0930. Our first stop was the wealthy area of Johannesburg. Those houses are big, and the security walls are thick. Other than a lot of money I wonder how much of a community tie there is in this area. After becoming president, Nelson Mandela lived in this area, it's called Houghton Estate. We stopped near his house, which still used. There are memorial rocks (small stones, decorated by private citizens who wanted to leave a momento,) in several areas in front of the house. 

Our next stop was Constitution Hill, Constitution Court in particular. Though I'd wandered through a couple months earlier, this time I learned a lot more from Elvis. I love the tradition and thought that went into building this court, and I love that it's open to the public. 

After the court we drove through Hillbrow, the most dangerous area of the city. Should I have known that when I first arrived in South Africa? I don't know. Since we were in the van, I asked Elvis to stop so I could take a photo. 

We drove the the apartheid museum. Even though I'd visited before, I appreciated the chance to go through again, taking a look at areas I hadn't seen. To see everything and take it all in, you really need at least half a day, if not longer. Despite my two visits I still haven't seen all the exhibits. 

Our next stop was Soweto. The name is actually an acronym for SOuthWEstTOwnships, and the area is HUGE. It's a lot bigger than I expected, and much bigger than international media ever portrayed. There are still a lot of people living in the area, much to the chagrin of the current government. The government wants people to move into newly built homes, and start paying rent. I can understand why people don't want to do that. 

When these townships were first created it was in order to have a place for miners and household employees to live. At the time, the government said this housing was adequate, but it didn't have running water or electricity, which only arrived after the fall of apartheid. People lived in shacks. That didn't stop vibrant communities from forming, complete with businesses and shops. 

Not all the homes in Soweto are shacks, though some still are. I could see some informal settlements off in the distance. Some homes are very middle class, with security walls and gates. 

There are a couple electric towers in Soweto, the photos are iconic. Unfortunately, those towers never provided power to the areas surrounding it. They're no longer functional, at least not as power towers. 

Our next stop was another area in Soweto, a street known as Vilikazi st. Two Nobel Peace Prize winners came from this street, the only time in history this has happened. The street has been paved and turned into a commercial/tourist area. We had lunch at a buffet place on the street. Elvis said it was typical food of the country.

This specific neighborhood of Soweto is known as West Orlando, and is where Nelson Mandela lived with his family for a while. I went through the house, it's hard to miss. It's small, only four rooms; two of the rooms are bedrooms. There are markers on the floor, showing where the boundaries were, and there are signs on each wall describing each room. None of the original furniture is still in the house. What is original are the bullet holes still in the front of the house. I can't even begin to imagine the terror felt by the family as they lived there. 

Down the street from Mandela's house is the school at which started the 1976 school uprising. The school is still open and functioning. This uprising started because of the passing of the Bantu Education Act in 1953, enforcing the education policies of apartheid.

On the day in 1976, schoolchildren had decided to go on strike, and the protest was to start on a street corner near the school. A student by the name of Hector Pieterson was shot by the police, the photo of another student carrying Pieterson body is one of those iconic photos known by people around the world. 

The memorial dedicated to Pieterson is located a couple blocks away, because that is where there was enough space to do it properly. There is a museum here too, but we didn't go in. 

Elvis drove me home, after a full day of learning and watching. I'm really glad I did this tour. 

After getting home, I walked to a nearby Indian restaurant to get curry. YUM. 

Read another post about my day trip to the Sterkfontein Caves, Cradle of Humankind, and the Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve. 

After returning from Pretoria the day after that, I stopped at Rosebank Mall again. I had seen a Krispy Kreme shop in there, and decided to buy some just because I could. From there I took another uber taxi home. I went back to the Indian restaurant and got another curry to take with me on the plane. 

I packed everything, taking it all with me back to Park Station, where I caught a Gautrain to the airport. I still had yogurt with me, which I couldn't take with me through security. The guys who working there laughed as I stood there and ate a LOT of yogurt. For the first time ever, I tried to get a VAT refund, the process was annoying. 

They process it, take a commission, then print a check. When you go to cash the check you have to pay taxes (on your refunded taxes!!) and a fee to get your money. Argh. I spent what I did get back on postcards, which always make me happy. 

I will definitely be back to South Africa, it's an amazing country.