Johannesburg Wrap-Up

Panoramic view of Johannesburg Suburb Sandton from my Hotel Room

It’s hard to believe I’ve been in Johannesburg for almost two weeks already.  The time’s flown by.  I’m sure a lot of it is to do with the fact that Chris is here now so it’s a bit less lonely, and there’s just more to do.  I had the unexpected surprise of 3 days off while I was here.  I’m not sure of the specifics, but there was a security threat that closed down all of the US Missions in South Africa, including the office where I’m working.  That gave me the opportunity to join Chris in a bit of sightseeing.  We visited SAB World of Beer, Museum Africa, Top of Africa (the tallest building in Africa), Soweto, and the Apartheid Museum. 

Johannesburg is a beautiful, diverse, and at times frustrating city.  It’s difficult to get around without your own car–I’ve spent more money on cabs this week than I care to think about.  Also, the central business district is really run down and crime-ridden.  It was especially sad to see that the Carleton Centre Hotel downtown had been closed down, as businesses moved to the less crime-ridden areas in the suburbs.

Visiting Soweto provided a stark contrast to the CBD and the suburbs like Sandton.  While there were certainly slums and run down areas, the majority of the neighborhoods we saw were well-kept.  You could really tell the people there had a pride in the property they owned, and were slowly making upgrades to their houses.  It was funny to see the additions that some had put on to their little matchbox houses.  The lots are small, so there’s really only one direction to build in–up.  Visiting Nelson Mandela’s house and the Hector Pieterson Memorial was pretty cool as well.

Of course a trip to Jo’burg wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the Apartheid Museum.  It didn’t strike me until about mid way through the exhibits that a lot of this stuff was happening during my lifetime.  Visiting the museum definitely made me appreciate how far this country has come in a relatively short period of time.

Me and Chris outside the Apartheid Museum

And that’s about it for Johannesburg.  All of the pictures I’ve taken are up on my Flickr account now. Tonight, we’re off to Cape Town!