By clairemac93
Unlike during my previous time living abroad, this time around I’ve been content to stay around the area of Stellenbosch more than travel around the region. Some of this is to do with mullah, but a lot of it has to deal with simply liking the area I’m in. However, something I also like a lot are my friends here- and one of my closest asked me to come stay with her in Johannesburg when the term ended. And if you know anything about me and my way of traveling, it’s that I’ll take someones home and a local guide over a hostel or hotel any day.
But that doesn’t come without sacrifice. In the small capacity in which I thought about my trip, I never ventured a guess at how long the car ride would be. Similarly, when I was told to be ready at 4am in the morning to depart, I failed to ask myself why anyone would want to leave that early. I think I might of even told myself at some point that my friend was simply a hardcore morning person. This was all in a scheme of lying to myself as to avoid admitting that it takes 16-18 hours to drive to Johannesburg. Additionally, what lies in-between Stellenbosch and Johannesburg is an abundance of nothingness, like driving 18 hours through the state of Ohio (for those of you who have had the absolutely thrilling experience of doing so). So much nothing, that if South Africa could export nothing, it would be the world leader in nothingness. It was to the point that I would point out when I saw a tree, or utter sentences like, “Hey, that’s a cool hill”. Nothing.
Johannesburg, on the other hand, would never be described in terms of nothingness. With large skyscrapers and huge shiny billboards, fancy cars, and fancier people driving these cars, its contrast to Cape Town did not go unnoticed. It’s perfectly cosmopolitan, and yet manages to mix an African flavor- in fashion, music, and food. Imagine a woman wearing a traditional African headdress and Dolce and Gabbana. That’s Joburg.
I’ll start off with those things I did which I would recommend, as I know Johannesburg is a fairly popular tourist destination. I’d recommend hitting up Oriental Plaza. It’s full of traditional Indian food and shops, and is a good place to stop and explore. We also had a picnic at the Botanical Gardens, which has a natural waterfall and hiking trails. I would then suggest the Cradle of Humankind, which is possibly the coolest museum I’ve ever gone to- with games to play and even an indoor boat ride, and is a testament to where humankind originally started. I would also hit up the Neighborgoods Market on Saturday mornings for some delicious local food, live music, and inspiring people watching (I saw three year olds hipper than I’ll ever be!). Surprisingly what I wouldn’t recommend would be the Apartheid Museum. For a museum so important to this country’s history, its exhibits are poorly up kept.
The most memorable part of my trip was visiting South Africa’s most famous township, Soweto, or South Western Townships. After a scarring experience visiting Gugulethu, a township outside of Cape Town, in a huge bus where it felt more like visiting a zoo than experiencing a lifestyle, my friends and I made sure to visit Soweto with as much respect as possible. We found a local woman, Angie, whose a retiree (or pensioner, as South Africans call them) locally from the township making some extra money by showing visitors around Soweto on foot. Set off as just my friends and her, we spent morning til evening walking the streets, meeting her neighbors, riding from district to district via mini-taxi-bus, and still seeing the tourist sights but in what I felt was a more intimate way. Its important for me to show my respect in whatever way I can. I think to sit on a tour bus of places like this make it seem as if you are afraid of the population outside the bus- that you want to see the sights, take your pictures, and climb back in as though Africa is going to eat you alive if you stay too long. But to walk next to people, to buy a meal at a local shack instead of a touristy restaurant, to sit in a mini-taxi-bus crammed next to strangers instead of taking a taxi or renting a car, that’s showing respectful curiosity. And why visit if you aren’t truly curious?
Anyhow, during the day I was able to see where the Soweto Uprisings took place, Nelson Mandela’s home, Desmond Tutu’s home, and even Winnie Mandela’s current home, of which I could hear her television on. I visited a local daycare and saw Freedom Square.
All around, the trip was amazing. Alongside seeing some of what Johannesburg has to offer, I got to stay at the home of my friend’s family, eat homemade food, and sleep in a good bed. For that, I can be nothing short of thankful.