A Visitor’s Guide to Bathurst
Last year, before the pandemic, I started a campaign called #10SouthAfricanTowns. I planned to visit ten small towns all over South Africa during 2020. Bathurst, 20 kilometers inland from Port Alfred in the Eastern Cape, was one of the first towns I put on the list....
Back to Bethulie and the Royal Hotel
Six years ago, during a wild road trip in a van full of bloggers, I spent a night at the Royal Hotel in Bethulie. I was enchanted: Bethulie is a charming, tiny South African town and the Royal Hotel was one of the quirkiest guesthouses I'd ever stayed in. I vowed to...
Phyllis Drives the Blogitects to the Eastern Cape and Back
Thorsten and I decided to take a long road trip from Joburg to the Eastern Cape, down through the Free State to the Sunshine Coast and back. We were super excited and had everything planned. But we had a vehicle problem. Our driving options were: 1) My beloved but...
View From the Top of the Nizamiye Mosque
Although the Nizamiye Mosque is huge and impossible to miss when driving north on the M1 highway, it remains one of Joburg's best kept secrets. The Nizamiye Masjid (mosque) in Midrand. I think most Joburgers know there is a mosque there (since it's impossible not to...
Chicken Dinner at Chilli Pepper on Immink Drive
Due to poor planning, I probably won't have time to visit a roadhouse in March. But if you're eagerly awaiting the next installment in my Roadhouses of Gauteng series, the Chilli Pepper Restaurant on Immink Drive in Diepkloof, Soweto, is a great substitute. Saturday...
Braamfontein From Above
On Tuesday evening, South Point properties invited me to check out 56 Jorissen Street, a brand-new, high-rise student residence in Braamfontein. The whole building is beautiful -- I almost wished I could become an 18-year-old college student again and move in. But the...
Where to Eat Outside in Joburg: Blind Tiger
For obvious reasons, lots of people have been asking me for outdoor dining recommendations -- specifically restaurants with gardens. And considering this city has one of the best climates on earth, restaurant gardens are surprisingly hard to find in central Joburg....
I’m Obsessed With Sourdough Bread (and other pandemic thoughts)
Since the pandemic started a year ago, I've developed many thoughts and opinions about things that I hardly ever thought or had opinions about before. Sourdough bread is one of these things. Joburg's most beautiful (and tasty) loaf of sourdough. Before covid, I didn't...
Bisecting Joburg: A Walk on Linksfield Ridge
Last weekend I took a walk through the Harvey Nature Reserve on Linksfield Ridge. Walking on this ridge is an interesting reminder of Joburg's crazy geological history. Thorsten heading east on Linksfield Ridge. I am obviously not a geologist. But here is my...
MiniMark Wholesale Discount House: Fabric Heaven on Diagonal Street
I recently went with my friends Manuela and Gail to Diagonal Street, a historic Joburg shopping street. Diagonal Street -- known for its fabric, blanket, and muti (traditional medicine) shops -- is so named because it runs on a diagonal for three blocks between...
Valentine’s Date at the Fireplace Roadhouse
Second in my Roadhouses of Gauteng series. Browse all of my roadhouse posts or view a map of the roadhouses I’ve visited. In my first roadhouse post, I mentioned I'd been meaning to do a roadhouse series for years but never got around to it. One of the...
My Favorite Jozi Coffee Shops: Toasted in Parkwood
Tenth in an occasional series about my favorite coffee shops in Joburg. Remember the good old days, when I used to meet people for coffee in interesting places and then blog about it? I'm ready to bring those days back. Last week the Johannesburg in Your Pocket Guide...
The 2Summers 2021 Support Group: Post #2 (Purplish)
Welcome to my second 2Summers 2021 Support Group Post. Here are some updates, both good and bad, since my first support group post: 1) Good: January 2021 is over. 2) Bad: It's still raining in Joburg, for the 13th (feels like 130th) straight day. 3) Good: I started...
Roadhouses of Gauteng Province
First in my Roadhouses of Gauteng series. Browse all of my roadhouse posts or view a map of the roadhouses I’ve visited. I've been planning to blog about South African roadhouses -- the equivalent of American fast-food drive-ins -- since 2015, when I...
Heather Mason
I’m an American writer/blogger/photographer living a quirky life in Johannesburg. Follow along as I explore Johannesburg, South Africa, and the rest of the world.
