You already know that Jozi is pretty from the rooftops. You know Jozi is pretty from the ground. I am now here to tell you that Jozi is pretty from highway overpasses, too.
View of Market Street from the Joe Slovo Drive overpass, just east of the city centre. Continue Reading
As I said in my previous post (and many other posts, for that matter), Joburg is pretty from above. But just to clarify, Joburg is pretty from ground level, too.
On Sunday I participated in another walking tour with Gerald Garner from JoburgPlaces. (Read about my previous JoburgPlaces tour here.) Sunday’s tour took us from Newtown to Maboneng and back, mostly on foot with a bit of driving mixed in.
Walking through Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown. Continue Reading
As I mentioned in my previous post, I am really f-ing lucky.
A couple of weeks ago I spent the weekend at Leobo Private Reserve, one of the most amazing lodges in South Africa (in my opinion at least). I traveled to Leobo in my colleague Theresa’s brand-new Landrover, which was pretty luxurious. But as if I weren’t already lucky enough, I got to travel home from Leobo in a helicopter.
My new mates — Gaye, Kirsten and Lin — and me, ready to take off in the chopper. Continue Reading
I am so f-ing lucky. I am so f-ing lucky. I am so f-ing lucky.
This mantra drifted through my head (with a few letters added), over and over, during the two days I spent at Leobo Private Reserve.
I occasionally get offered free trips because of my blog. When I was asked to visit Leobo, which is in the Waterberg district of Limpopo Province, I nearly said no. It was last-minute and I had some things planned for the weekend. Thank god I came to my senses.
I’ve been to some pretty amazing places during my time in South Africa. But never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined staying in a place like this. Continue Reading
Johannesburg is a relatively new city, founded in a big hurry when gold was discovered here in 1886. Jozi has reinvented itself several times during its 130-year history and there isn’t much in the city that can be considered “old”, at least by European or Asian standards.
The Rand Club, Joburg’s first gentlemen’s club, is a notable exception. The Rand Club is old, and proud of it.
The Rand Club, in the center of Joburg at 33 Loveday Street. Continue Reading
Last night I had dinner at the Darkie Café. I’m writing about it because:
1) The Darkie Café is smack in the middle of downtown Jozi, in the mining district — one of just a few restaurants in that area that are open at night.
2) The Darkie Café has decent food, and it’s fun.
3) The Darkie Café is called the Darkie Café. Only in Joburg will you find a restaurant with such a name. I like it. Continue Reading
This weekend I participated in a workshop on urban exploration in downtown Joburg, sponsored by Dérive app. Dérive is a new online application that encourages people to explore cities in a unique way — following a set of random instructions from a virtual deck of cards.
The cards in the deck say things like “Follow something red”, “Use public transport”, “Find a dog”, etc. Each time you complete an instruction you ask the deck for a new card, and keep going until you decide to stop.
Example of a Dérive app card. Continue Reading
I broke my iPhone yesterday.
Don’t be deceived by the smile. This is just me trying to be a good sport. I’m not happy. (Photo: Fiver Löcker)
I dropped the phone during an Instawalk. Last weekend, the people at Instagram challenged Instagrammers all over the world to meet up locally and walk together. It went without saying that the Instagram groups from Joburg (@IGersJozi) and Pretoria (@IGersPretoria) would get together and do a walk, as we do on most Sunday afternoons. Continue Reading
…ahem. Penis Enlargement.
Penis enlargement sign on Mint Rd., Fordsburg.
I’ve been planning this post for a while. But when it came time to actually write it, I hesitated. I don’t want to offend anyone and I don’t want to invite the wrong kind of web traffic, if you know what I mean. Continue Reading
Constitution Hill is one of the most historic places in Johannesburg. It’s ten minutes from my house. I’ve referred to Constitution Hill — the home of South Africa’s highest court and site of the historic Old Fort Prison — in my blog many times, including two years ago when I promised to write a post about Constitution Hill in the immediate future. I even held a photo exhibition at Constitution Hill last year.
And yet it has taken me nearly three years to write this post. Shameful.
My dad stands at the entrance to the “Natives’ section” of the former prison at Constitution Hill. The sign above reads: “It is said that no one really knows a nation until one has been inside its jails.” (Quote by Nelson Mandela.) Continue Reading
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