Jewel of the Free State

July 26, 2013

According to Lonely Planet (and every single local we spoke to), Clarens is the place to go for a weekend away. However, no one could actually tell me why or what exactly to do there. But alas, we trusted, and packed ourselves into our car and headed 310 kilometres south to this tiny mountain town for two nights to get out of the city and to celebrate our upcoming anniversary. 

On a much smaller scale, it reminded us of Canmore; a very special little dot in the Canadian Rockies where we've spent many weekend getaways during our time in Alberta. 

The town sits next to Lesotho, with several mountain ranges serving as its backdrop. There is a main park in the centre of town, with quirky little shops, galleries and cafes lining all sides of the square's green space.  

Our favourite feature of Clarens: we parked our car on Friday night and did not move it again until Sunday when we were ready to make our way back to Joburg. With everything so close by, and a reputation for being very safe, our feet were the only transportation we needed. 

We ate our hearts out, hiked the nearby cliffs until we lost our breath, sampled the local brewery's specialties, enjoyed spectacular scenery, and basically just basked in Clarens for 48 hours. Bliss.

We did a leisurely hike around the cliffs near town on Saturday morning- not a soul in sight!

Exploring the town

Beer/Cider tasting at the local craft brewery

Signs around town

The Golden Gate Highlands National park is only 17km from Clarens, so we spent Sunday exploring the park before heading back to Joburg.

Newtown

July 20, 2013

In our quest of seeing as much of this city, province, country as we can, our mission for Saturday was to explore Newtown.

Newtown is located in the heart of Johannesburg, and like the areas of Braamfontein, Maboneng, and Constitution Hill, it has been undergoing a rejuvenation in recent years to clean up the area, inject it with energy, and bring out some of the artsy funk.

We started in Mary Fitzgerald Square, which was named after South Africa's first female trade unionist. The most notable feature of the square is the sheer space; it really is a giant concrete square, and when it is not hosting an event, as was the case with we visited, it is very empty.  The square is lined on all sides with carved heads- the heads were carved from old railway sleepers by local artists (there is no indication of who each carving is...?). Random, but cool.

In addition to several museums, the area has a lot of music, art and dance venues; it seems like taking in an event here (perhaps during Jozi's Joy of Jazz festival?) would be the ideal way to really experience this neighbourhood. Here are some snapshots from our first visit to Newtown:

 Mary Fitzgerald Square

 Striking a pose with Brenda Fassie (famous South African musician who died in 2004) in front of the Bassline Jazz concert venue

Interesting graffiti alongside the Jazz Walk of Fame

It's In Your Hands Now

July 18, 2013

In 2008 Nelson Mandela gave a speech in Hyde Park in London, and he apparently misread his speech to say "it's in your hands now" rather than "it's in our hands" as was written. When asked later if it was a mistake or on purpose, Mandela said he had given the world a message: "...it is time for the next generation to take responsibility".

This message inspired the creation of International Mandela Day, on July 18. The Mandela Day website states the goal of the day to be: "...to inspire people to take action to change the world for the better and, in doing so, to build a global movement for good."

The idea is to spend one minute for each of the 67 years Mandela dedicated to service and sacrifice for this country and do something good. On July 18th, people all over the world are encouraged to spend 67 minutes in their communities working towards a common goal of making the world a better place to live.

For our 67 minutes, M and L joined me with my team at work to deliver blankets and soup to a home in the township of Alexandra. The home supports children and elderly women in the community; our team has a very close relationship with this particular home and the lady who runs it. It was truly inspiring and touching to see how close she is to our team, and to hear her say that we are not guests there to observe, but we are part of her family.

With no shortage of places and people that need our help, both here and around the world, I find it easy to get paralyzed by how to make the right impact. At the end of the day though, these people will sleep a little warmer and with a little more food in their bellies, and that felt like a great place to start.

Mandela Day coincides with Nelson Mandela's birthday. Happy 95th Birthday Madiba!

Sunday Picnic

July 14, 2013

The Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens are located about 30km from the city centre of Joburg; about the right distance to escape to for a little sunny Sunday picnic! It reminds me a lot of Vancouver's Stanley Park, obviously on a much smaller scale and without the ocean, but with the manicured lawns, gorgeous gardens, and plenty of old-fashioned nature. A lovely spot to relax at the end of the weekend!

Constitution Hill

July 13, 2013 (Part 2)

Constitution Hill is a very real example of the changing South Africa, and of the new rising up from the old. 

The historical site of Johannesburg's notorious Old Fort prison complex dates back to 1892. In this place, thousands of people, including Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Ganghi, were brutally punished and held here before South Africa become a democratic country. South Africa's new Constitutional Court was built out of the remains of the Old Fort, and is now where rulings occur on both constitutional and human rights matters. 

It also operates as a bit of a museum/historic tour, providing yet another window into South Africa's past. We did a little self-guided walking/photo tour of the complex. Views from the hill are dominated by the 269m Telkom Tower (tower with the pink ball on it in the pictures below). 

Admiring the view on the hill

Exploring the grounds and sights of Constitution Hill

Lunch at the Neighbourgoods Market, follow by drinks at the Great Dane (Springbok shots anyone?)

From Here to There

July 13, 2013 (Part 1)

If you ask someone about the public transportation system in Johannesburg, they will likely tell you there isn't one. The city has a modern rapid rail system connecting Johannesburg to the capital city approximately 70km away (as well as to the airport), but for everyday, around town transit, everyone will tell you the city is in desperate need of a solution. Yet somehow, millions of people get where they need to go everyday, without a car. How is that possible? The answer is simple: a taxi. Now erase the image from your mind of a 4-door car with a "taxi" sign on the roof that provides a metered fair for one passenger/group of passengers all heading to the same place. Replace that picture with a 15-seater mini bus where people are constantly getting on and off at various locations. It's not far off from the type of local transportation one might experience in rural Africa (or many other less developed nations for that matter). The amazing thing is that this system functions, and very well, in the cosmopolitan and developed city of Johannesburg. 

I am fascinated by this system; the fact that there are no specific routes, no marked stops, and very limited information available on how to actually use this system, yet millions do, everyday. It operates by a series of hand signals, and when a taxi goes by they "hoot" and if they are going where you are indicating you want to go (enter hand signal), and there is room on board, they stop to collect you. 

G was able to find a bit of a pamphlet online that breaks down the symbols and which ones to use to get where.

 Heading into town- CBD please! (and yes, that's S back in Joburg for one day/night en-route home to the UK!)

 "Shot left" and we're out!

18 Holes

July 11, 2013

Golfing while your wife works? Sure, why not?!

We knew that M would want something to do during the days while I was working (and he was waiting to be able to do the same), so with some severe arm twisting (as you can imagine), he decided that golf would fit the bill quite nicely.

Since he's not much of a blogger, and I wanted to make sure to capture all the aspects of our combined experience here, I decided to embark on my first ever blog interview. Here are the results...

Me: What are the main differences between North American and South African golf courses?

M: Aside from the obvious difference that they are open 12 months of the year? Okay, It's sometimes hard to find the next hole; it is not always very clear where you're supposed to go. I may or may not have shot from the 18th hole towards the 17th fairway once... They also always ask if you want a caddy- they are readily available at the start of the course.

There is a lot of maintenance going on at the courses here. Generally they are in good repair, but like anywhere, some are much better than others.

Me: is the game/your game any different here?

M: Well, I'm not playing any better here than I did in Canada, even though I play and go to the driving range a lot more. As for the game, the ball goes further in the winter since it's so dry (but usually for me that just means further to the right...). Also, the distances are all in meters, versus yards, which makes it a lot harder to figure out what club to use.

Me: How much does it cost, on average, to play a round of 18-holes of golf in South Africa?

M: Mmm, about 150 rand (in Canadian: $15). Amazingly cheap, compared to home.

Me: How often do you play?

M: Uhh...twice per week if my wife lets me have the car...

Me: How many courses are there in the city of Johannesburg?

M: No idea (laughs), a lot.

Me: Like over 500? 200?

M: Maybe over 100? I need to google it...

Me: Do you often golf with people, or solo?

M: Usually with people, but sometimes by myself. The people are pretty friendly and often ask why the heck we moved to South Africa!

Me: Do you tell them it's so you can golf all the time?

M: Yup, definitely.