I Have a Blanket Problem (Lockdown Day 96)
Today, after a week or so of procrastination, I returned to the Aranda blanket factory in Randfontein. After my previous Basotho blanket post, a reader in America sent me a donation to buy blankets [...]
Magic at Rand Steam: Rialheim and Boho Cafe and Co.
I've already blogged about Rand Steam and how it is by far the most pleasant suburban shopping center in Joburg. But when I wrote that post I didn't yet know about Rialheim and Boho [...]
Upcycle: Giving Junk A Second Chance in Joburg
As an "influencer" and member of the media, I often receive swag (i.e. free gifts) from events, product launches, travel campaigns, etc. I can't tell you how many branded bags, water bottles, mugs, notebooks, [...]
Five Places to Buy Local Gifts in Joburg
"Buy local" has become a popular retail catch phrase lately. But I have always loved buying locally made gifts, especially gifts in the realm of African arts and crafts. December seems like the best [...]
Sobae Sorbet: A Frozen Joburg Love Story
Today is Heritage Day, a holiday celebrating South Africa's incredible cultural diversity. It's also the unofficial start of summer and a day when South Africans celebrate their diversity by grilling meat. (Heritage Day has [...]
The Dramatic Story of Rand Steam Laundries
Once upon a time, about 130 years ago, a group of Zulu men called the AmaWasha ran a business washing clothes beside a stream, on the outskirts of a ramshackle mining town called Johannesburg. [...]
Langwan Cleaners and the Mother Teresa of Albert Street
In March 2017 I receive a Facebook message. "Do make a turn at my mom's store, corner Albert and Mooi Street, called Langwan Cleaners. Will make a good story. "My mom, a single mother [...]
Learning About DNA (and Me) at Health Works in Hyde Park
Check the end of this post for details on how to win a R1000 voucher to Hyde Park Corner. I haven't blogged much lately. There are a few reasons for this but the bottom [...]
Mallies Spice Works: The Place to Buy Spices in Joburg
Sometimes I buy spices, thinking the fragrant, colorful little packets might motivate me to cook something. Unfortunately that rarely happens and the spices get old and sticky and I wind up throwing them away [...]
10 Places to Visit in Melville’s 27 Boxes
27 Boxes is a retail center made out of shipping containers on 4th Avenue in Melville. The beautiful new children's play area outside 27 Boxes. I recently wrote a story about 27 Boxes for the [...]
Fashion Makeover with Dr. Pachanga
As I've said before, I consider myself to be an unfashionable person. But the longer I live in South Africa, the more fashionable I feel. I find the fashion in South Africa -- and [...]
10 Really Cool Jozi Places I Didn’t Blog About in 2017
I blogged about a lot of Jozi places in 2017. But there are also a lot of places I visited but never managed to write up, for one reason or another. Lots of these places [...]