How to Climb Table Mountain via Skeleton Gorge
I visited Cape Town for the first time more than 11 years ago, with my mother. During that trip, Mom and I attempted to climb Table Mountain in a hilariously foolish way -- I'll let you read about it yourself in the blog post I wrote back then, called How Not to Climb...
The Shawarma King of Roodepoort
A couple of Sundays ago, Thorsten and I were finished hiking the Kloofendal Nature Reserve and looking for a place to eat. We were in Roodepoort -- an area neither of us know well, dominated by big shopping centers -- and had no idea where to go. Thorsten drove as I...
The Glorious Proteas of Kloofendal Nature Reserve
Last Sunday Thorsten and I went hiking in the Kloofendal Nature Reserve, which is in Roodepoort on Johannesburg's West Rand. I last hiked in Kloofendal nearly 11 years ago; I know I enjoyed it because I wrote a blog post back then, too. But Kloofendal is even more...
JFF Rooftop Farm: A Plant Nursery in the Sky
I recently moved to a new house, and for the first time in nearly half a century of life I've become interested in plants. Actually that's an understatement: I've become obsessed with plants. Most of my plants have names. I spend lots of time googling their care and...
Brixton Light Festival Magic
Johannesburg is not an easy place in which to exist. We've got electricity problems and water problems and crime problems. Obtaining a visa to live in South Africa is a near-impossible task that keeps getting harder. I don't like to admit this, but sometimes I wonder...
Lion Sightings in the Lap of Luxury at Thanda Safari
A couple of weeks ago, I complained to a friend that I never have good big cat sightings when I go on safari. (I know it's an absurd thing to complain about. But I'm a travel blogger in South Africa, after all.) The very next day, I received a last-minute invitation...
Chappy: Vintage Heaven in Linden
I don't have time to write a long post this week. But I can't wait any longer to tell you about Chappy Vintage, my new favorite Jozi shop. Chappy's delightful interior. Chappy opened about nine months ago in Linden, which is fast becoming one of Joburg's hippest...
Emzini: The Place to Eat in Westdene
Ever since I moved to Joburg I've been driving past a shabby restaurant building across from the Westdene Dam, at the corner of Lewes Road and Motor Street. The restaurant used to be a Portuguese place called Tasca do Sol and once looked vaguely intriguing, with a...
Ludwig’s Roses: The Rose Capital of South Africa
Ludwig's Roses, a huge rose farm north of Pretoria that has been running for more than 50 years, had been on my radar screen for a while. Several people told me I should visit, but that I must go at the height of summer when the roses are all in full bloom. Somehow...
The Joburg City Park You Must Visit in 2022
I last blogged about the Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve, a huge Joburg City Park on the south side of the city, more than 11 years ago. I don't normally like to blog about the same place twice but I think it's time for a Klipriviersberg refresher. It's a truly...
Grieving for Jon, Ten Years Later
For the past couple of months, I've been thinking about what to write in my blog for the ten-year anniversary of Jon's death. Jon died a decade ago tomorrow. Jon hanging out with the locals on a remote mountaintop in Lesotho, September 2010. For those who haven't read...
Corona Finally Came for Me
I finally caught the corona. My "Oops, I caught covid after all" selfie, featuring my newly knitted pussy hat. This news is no longer particularly interesting. It seems like everyone in Johannesburg, and their mother, has had the 'rona at least once at this point. But...
Isolating With Omicron, Brixton-Style
Greetings from the Omicron epicenter! I imagine lots of people in other parts of the world, and even elsewhere in South Africa, are wondering what's really happening with the Omicron variant in Gauteng. We've got some first-hand experience at the Blogitect (blogger +...
Mustardbox 713: Chowing Korean Corn Dogs in Boksburg
A few days ago, I received a hot tip from my friend Debjeet about a Korean corn dog place in Boksburg called Mustardbox 713. Mustardbox 713. I had never heard of Korean corn dogs (Mustardbox calls them "Korn Dogs", which I really like for the alliteration, but I'm...
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.
