This place rocks!

Another wonderful South African day! We learned so much more of the history of this country today through our tours of Gold Reef City and the Apartheid Museum.

The discovery of gold in the early 1900’s was the driving force behind the development of Johannesburg, not only providing jobs and opportunities but also contributing to the prevalent discriminatory practices that remained both common and widely acceptable into the final quarter of the 20^th century. We descended into a gold mine to a depth equal to a 70 story building and walked through the dark tunnels where gold was mined, a very uninviting and restricting environment. Did you know that it took @3 tons of rock to extract just one ounce of gold?!

After our ascent in a very crowded elevator, we spent some time in the park browsing, shopping, and enjoying the rides. Some of us took on the Tower of Terror, while others enjoyed the roller coaster and Big Wheel (Ferris wheel!). Lots of fun!

The experience in Gold Reef City was in stark contrast to the Apartheid Museum where the regrettable history of the country became disturbingly clear. “Apartheid” means “separateness” in Afrikaans and was a political system in South Africa from 1948 to the early 1990’s that separated the different peoples living here giving privileges to those of European origin. It was not only a discriminatory system that kept the darker skinned people from social, political, and financial progress but it also caused, at times, an extremely violent reaction by the population of the country. There were photographs and exhibits depicting the history of this system and several films that made the consequences of these principles impossible to doubt. I left the museum wondering what drives humans to isolate and attempt to control those who are different from themselves. How do these perpetrators justify their actions? Why does the world allow these behaviors to continue without feeling any responsibility, without including the fate of the victims in their personal circle of obligation?

We lightened the day by visiting Sandton Square, the largest shopping mall in the southern hemisphere! When we arrived at Nelson Mandela Square, we were greeted with loud music and a crowd paying tribute to Michael Jackson. There were people dressed as the pop star and lots of dancing and singing and even the Associated Press covering the event. Even though we have all read about it, it’s amazing to see the world’s reaction to his death. Before leaving, we signed a HUGE jersey representing England’s rugby team, the Lions, that was spread out on the square.

All around the mall, and the country for that matter, there is evidence of the upcoming World Cup. Billboards and print advertisements, t-shirts and jerseys, and a huge amount of construction to accommodate the anticipated influx of soccer fans in 2010. There are roads and highways being built, repaired or improved, a new monorail system and train stops, buildings and stadium! Quite exciting, really!

We had a fabulous dinner tonight at a restaurant called TRIBES. They offered some very local food, including lots of game, such as ostrich, warthog, impala, and kudu. Mmmmm…tasty! It was a wonderful evening of good conversation and new friends.

We really appreciate your comments, too, and hope you enjoy the photos and video!

Baie Danke! (Thank you in Afrikaans)

Siyanamukela! Welcome!

Today we toured Soweto, the Southwest Township, outside of Johannesburg. It is an 80 square mile area with a population of between 2 ½ million and 4 million! The discrepancy exists because the people are quite leery about giving accurate information to the government. History dies hard. It is a vibrant and busy region full of independent businesses and a wide range of economic status. At this point, all homes have running water and electricity and those of the privileged minorities also have barbed wire on top of brick walls that surround their homes. The gap between the “haves” and the “have nots” was significant. Its history includes rampant civil unrest in the early 70’s resulting in changes for all Blacks. The memory of 13 year old Hector Peterson is memorialized at the museum that bears his name as he was the first victim during the uprisings. The parallel with the civil rights era in the United States was evident.

We then headed to Lesedi Cultural Village where we were treated to the lifestyle and culture of at least five different tribes. Representatives from these tribes wore tribal dress and we learned a bit of their language that allowed us to greet and thank them for sharing their lifestyles. Several of the “hungrier” of the group sampled the fried delicacies…aka. worm-like creatures. See their reaction in the photos ! We then headed to the dance hut for a lively performance of traditional ethnic and ancestral dances. This was a peek into how meaningful and influential the culture of these people is in their daily lives and the physical strength and endurance it takes to participate.

When they asked for a strong, bold male who thought he was “man enough” to challenge one of their warriors, our very own Pete stepped up to the plate! Stay tuned for the video! We have to go to dinner!

So… I had a very pleasant conversation with the Iraqi ambassador tonight at dinner. He was suggesting a very good restaurant in Thailand…J

Meanwhile…we ended up doing a bit of shopping while we grabbed a bite to eat in Rosebank where we did some haggling with the local artisans. Most of us made it back to the bus in time…then we saw the Big 5 making another “Home Alone” run to get to the bus, albeit a few minutes late. Truth is, we have all been guilty at some point but have vowed to be better from now on. We think it might be upsetting Johan and Louie, our driver…they are NOT Jean Christophe! J

Check out some photos from yesterday and some from today, too. It’s all good! Enjoy…because we all are!

Hamba Kahle! Go well!

We left Vernon at 4:00 AM and met a bit earlier and I can tell you that there are lots of parking spaces in the A+P parking lot at that time! Our flight to London left at bit late making the time to meet our connecting flight very limited. We started off the second leg of our journey with a “Home Alone” type race through Heathrow Airport to catch our flight to Jo‘Burg. Through the efforts of Chris, a very helpful and personable steward on our British Airways flight to London, they held the flight to Johannesburg for us. We even had our own personal sign-holder directing us to our gate! Good thing - we would have not been able to get another flight for another 24 hours if we had missed it! Life is good! It’s really quite amazing when you think of how far we flew and how much ground we covered! We began our flight over Africa cruising at between 33,000 and 37,000 feet at almost 600 mph. when we crossed the northern coast by Algiers followed by a pass over the Sahara Desert. Beneath us were places with very intriguing names! We passed Kinshasa and Luanda to our west. After crossing the equator into the southern hemisphere we passed over cities with names such as Dar Es Salaam, Lusaka, Menongue, and Katanga to the east. Lumbumbaski, Bakwanga, Bulawayo, Walvisbaai, and Gaborone are names that really give our vowels a workout! Windhoek and Kwekwe are just a couple of examples of the Dutch influence in this region. We also saw the Kalahari Desert to the west of our destination….and we saw our first African sunrise, too! Finally, after a very long flight from London, we arrived in South Africa! Yea!

What trip is complete without a little luggage trauma! However, British Airways promises to deliver them tomorrow morning…we are forever hopeful. Hakuna matata! J

We arrived at the hotel and made arrangements to visit the Lion Park! Great idea - really! There were not only lions but hyenas, cheetahs, giraffes, ostriches and emu, wild dogs, meerkats, antelope, and wildebeest, as well. We took a game drive and even had lions jumping up on the open air truck. It’s a little daunting to be the animal in the cage! Then, the piece de resistance came when we were able to go into an enclosure and interact with some baby lions! What can I say?! The pictures will tell the story!

At this point, we have not had any real sleep since Monday night and it is now 10:00 PM on Wednesday night in Johannesburg. So good night, my friends! We will post more pictures tomorrow when my brain is functioning on more memory!

And…Happy Birthday to John! What an awesome way to celebrate your 45^th year!

Billy put together a little video of our flights...enjoy!!

We've arrived at the airport - Newark - checked in and are waiting to board!

Jen says that is is proper flight etiquette NOT to eat Cool Ranch Doritos before a long flight...especially if sitting next to her!

Keep your fingers crossed that we make our connection to Jo'Burg!

Later - Hakuna Matata!

Well, we're off on our adventure in @7 hours! Just to make sure that a certain Parisian is very clear on one issue - we will miss you terribly! :( Of course, you could always meet us in Jozi, you know! :) It 's going to take some work breaking in a new guide!

...and to all of our past travelers - we will miss you all, as well! Please keep up with us as we explore South Africa. Leave us some comments, too! You will be with us in spirit! :)

Stay tuned!

:)

Well, we have less than 29 hours until we depart, but who's counting?! :) These are our luggage tags and the sentiment expressed is what I hope for the trip - No Worries! But, if there is a little diversion in our schedule, I also hope these words of flexibility will prevail! Life's too short to not take advantage of unplanned opportunities!