Yesterday I flew over Joburg in a helicopter.
This experience was so crazy and unexpected — I hardly know how to explain it. But here’s how it went, briefly:
Last week I was invited to participate in a mysterious “Instawalk” hosted by Vodacom. (If you don’t know what an Instawalk is, read here.) The invitation was shrouded in secrecy. I signed on right away, sensing something extraordinary.
Yesterday a group of about 15 Instagrammers, myself included, converged on a rooftop in downtown Joburg. We were greeted by representatives from Vodacom and a communications agency called Cerebra. We each received a new olloclip — a nifty iPhone lens attachment — and were instructed to mark our Instagram posts with the hashtag “#Vodawalk”. (If you don’t know what Instagram is, or don’t know what a hashtag is…Just figure it out, okay?)
We had a couple of minutes to admire the view and then were ushered downstairs into cars, bound for an unknown destination.
View from the roof of 24 Park Street, near Maboneng. #Vodawalk.
Twenty minutes later we arrived at a place in Germiston called the Harvard Café. I didn’t realize until we entered the café that it is part of Rand Airport.
Rand Airport. #Vodawalk.
Next thing I knew I was in a helicopter.
Our copter. #Vodawalk.
Oh look, I’m in a helicopter. (Photo by Tim Van Rooyen, who also wrote a nice blog post about the #Vodawalk.)
I was amazed and bewildered. I didn’t have my DSLR with me. I did my best to take pics through the window, struggling to hold my phone steady against the helicopter’s wingbeats.
#Vodawalk. (I personally think the hashtag should have been #Vodaflight. But I’m not complaining, Vodacom. I heart you forever.)
#Vodawalk.
Omg. #Vodawalk.
Omg omg this is so fu&*ing amazing #Vodawalk.
Then we were back on the ground. The ride lasted about 15 minutes.
A bit later we went back to the Jozi rooftop and watched the sunset. We also had burgers and beer.
Pretty rooftop, pretty sunset. #Vodawalk.
Cool people having burgers and beer. #Vodawalk.
#Vodawalk was kind of awesome. Twenty-four hours later, I’m still buzzing.
Well done, Vodacom. You’re brilliant and you’ve earned a spot in the title of my post.
A new 2Summers Facebook profile pic, courtesy of Tim Van Rooyen. Thanks, Vodacom and Cerebra.
To see more photos from our walk in the sky, check the #Vodawalk hashtag on Instagram. Also follow me on Instagram at @2summers.
#Vodawalk, baby. #Vodawalk.
Love your sense of humour!
Thank you Timmee. I do my best.
Beautiful pics. I so want to go and experience the city now. Hashtags I know, but do you have to have an iPhone or iPad to Instagram?
@Eugenia you can use any Android phone also. There are also other photo sharing networks out there like EyeEm, Flickr, Oggl and 500px.
Thanks Eugenia. Just in case you didn’t see Tim’s response, you can also shoot instagram with an Android phone. It’s just not available for Blackberries or non-smart-phones.
very cool.
Thanks Tricia!
What an awesome experience, it’s been on my bucket list forever.
Pretty awesome pics of Jozi from the air! Wow! I love the first one with Ponte Tower and the SABC tower in the background. Looks like an awesome experience!
Thanks Gertie, it really was.
I love doing Instawalks, but this is by far the coolest one ever!!
Yes, it sure was. I’ve been on some cool “walks” before but this one took the cake.
AMAZING! I would heart Vodacom too forever 🙂 Clever marketing, but even better images – I really like the second-last image (the three people) – where was that shot taken? It’s beautiful. What a great way to see our city.
Thanks Ang. I took that shot on the rooftop where the ‘walk’ started and ended – it’s 24 Park Street, right around corner from Maboneng. I asked the Vodacom people how they found the building and apparently there is a company called Amazing Spaces that rents out rooftops like this. I need to investigate it.
Very cool.
AMAZING! I would heart Vodacom too forever 🙂 Clever marketing, but even better images – I really like the second-last image (the three people) – where was that shot taken? It’s beautiful. What a great way to see our city.
Wow wow wow.
And that’s all I have to say about that 🙂
Thank you Forrest 🙂
We go together like peas and carrots, Jenny and me 😉
Wow wow wow.
And that’s all I have to say about that 🙂
Thank you Forrest 🙂
We go together like peas and carrots, Jenny and me 😉
Nice job.
Thanks Dad.
Nice job.
Thanks Dad.