Katy's Palace Bar

December 7, 2014

Katy's on a Sunday.

I love finding random off-the-beaten-track places. No kidding, right? Anyway, Joburg has no shortage of these. In December, M, G and I went to Katy's for lunch. Katy's Palace is only open to the public on the first Sunday of the month as it really is more of a function venue. For the once-a-month Sunday lunch they keep it simple by offering a buffet-style weigh-and-pay service, where they serve up roasted meat, all kinds of salads, veggies, breads, and so on. And in case that's not sufficient, there is a bar downstairs in this monstrous multi-story building: the Sir James van der Merwe. 

The space is so interesting- it is in the back of a warehouse-type shop, Amatuli, which sells every kind of African souvenir one could want. In fact, Amatuli's sells all kinds of artifacts from other parts of the world as well- India, China, Indonesia, etc. I imagine it is the kind of place that would supply safari lodges with their tribal-themed decor. 

I thought this building and these places were far too interesting not to share- enjoy! 

Arriving.

In case you missed it, the shocking turquoise Buick means you've found Katy's.

View from the top: the top panorama is of Katy's, and the bottom shot is of the downstairs bar, Sir James van der Merwe.

Double decker.

M, G and I.

Wall of Sir James van der Merwe.

Small sampling of beaded thingys. 

Beaded tribe.

The Lumineers

December 6, 2014

There was a time when most artists avoided South Africa on their tour itineraries. Thankfully, that is no longer the case. The Denver based folk-rock band, the Lumineers, made South Africa the last stop on their three-year tour. We spent an afternoon on the last weekend before the Christmas break hanging out with R and C at Emmarentia Dam watching them rock the park. 

A gorgeous sunny day for a concert.

The crowd.

Picnics, chilled vibes, good tunes and great company. Cheers to that!

Wesley rocking out.

"See, the LUMINEERS!"

The stunning cellist, Neyla Pekarek.

Nature's stadium. 

Nice photo bomb, M. 

Enjoying the scene.

Shopping in the City

November 29, 2014

The city of Johannesburg is known across the continent for being the shopping mecca of Africa. While mall-culture is alive and well in Joburg (and I certainly am no stranger to it), there is definitely much more on offer if you know where to go (or are willing to do a bit of exploring). Ferreirasdorp is an area in the Joburg CBD that I have recently become more acquainted with as I have a client in this part of town, however I still find myself struggling to scratch below the surface and see what else this area has to offer.

And so, we joined a local tour company, Past Experiences, for an "Inner City Shopping Tour". The main guide of Past Experiences, Jo, was born and raised in Joburg and is an advocate for Joburgers getting to know Joburg. Doing this walking tour with Jo was like going shopping on a Saturday morning with a friend; it was super informal and chilled, and she was happy to share her secrets with us of all the best places to go. M and I had a blast checking out places in the city we likely would never found on our own, and walked away with a few great finds to boot!

Shop #1: The famous Sui Hing Hong Chinese Market. We bought some Chinese mint tea for R18 (~$2), and I discovered that they sell all varieties of traditional Tiger Balm (so there's no longer any need to get it sent from home!).

M feigning happiness at spending the morning on a shopping tour...

Along the way to shop #2, we made a quick stop to duck into a traditional medicine shop on the corner of Commissioners Street. While South Africa has adopted many western and/or modern medicine practices over the years, traditional healers (known as sangomas), continue to be an important part of local communities and cultures.

After the medicine shop, I purchased a case of mangos from a street vendor for R100 (for 10 mangos, so about $1 per massive, juicy mango). Not exactly a steal (they retail for roughly the same amount), but since mangos are just newly in season it's tough to find nice ripe ones in the shops. The vendor wasn't keen to sell me individual mangos, so I bought the whole case and sold half of them one-by-one to other participants on the tour...entrepreneurship at its finest! Note the guy photo-bombing this shot- he is the guy I bought the mangos from, and he came over on his own accord as though he wanted to be in the photo...

...except that once we was actually "in" the photo, he made this very serious expression...?

Shop #2: Fabric shopping at Minty's. This is one of the best place in the city to buy Shweshwe fabric (traditional South Africa fabric), and it's hidden in the basement of a generic-looking department store. I bought a couple of meters of four different colours/patterns for about R40 per metre (~$4). I'm not sure what they're destined for yet, but I couldn't resist.

LOVE all the colours and patterns. 

Sculpture of "the parents" of the nation- Walter and Albertina Sisulu, located at the end of Diagonal Street.

Shop #3 was the Kohinoor World of Music record shop- located in the basement of a furniture store. We didn't buy anything here, but if you're into perusing vinyls and shopping for vintage record paraphernalia, this is the place to go in Joburg. 

At the end of the tour we passed an outdoor "museum" of sorts on Fox Street; the city is in the process of restoring the Chancellor House (home of Nelson Mandela's old law office), and in the meantime there are displays through the windows on the ground floor. I love this shot M took with the reflection of the city, the "Shadow Boxer" statue (top left) and the tour group through the glass.

Pillars of virtue outside of the Chancellor House.

Misty Mystery Masquerade

November 28, 2014

In the continued tradition of the annual themed party, this year's year-end celebration for M's team was a formal Masquerade Ball (the title of the post is their words, not mine). We went all in, complete with custom-local-made masks, and I think this is the first time since our wedding that I've worn a formal gown. The venue at the Killarney Golf and Country Club was fully decked out in fairy lights, plenty of bling, and enough "fairy juice" to keep everyone on the dance floor. 

In character. I think I was going for a bit of A Midsummer Night's Dream thing.

Fancy hair and bad tan lines.

All dolled-up.

Loved this mask.

Strike a pose. 

...M's own interpretation of "strike a pose"...

Visiting Alex

November 22, 2014

Alex on two wheels.

We spent some time on the weekend visiting Alex. Alex is not a person. Alex is a township in Johannesburg. Its full name: Alexandra.

This wasn't our first visit to Alex. We visited Alex back in 2013 when we came here as part of a community project for Mandela Day. This wasn't our first township bike tour either. Within weeks of newly arriving in Joburg, we did a bicycle tour of Soweto. So if we've been here before, and if we've done a bike tour before, why the repeat activity? I find that Joburg is like an onion, and it's only when you peel back the layers that you start to see how much there is to it, and this isn't something that happens in one visit or one activity. It means that even if we've "done it before", it's never the same, and there's always more to see and learn.

The one thing that struck me on our first visit, and continues to stand out now, is that while Alex is one of the poorest urban areas in the country, it is a stone's throw to Sandton- home to some of the wealthiest real-estate in all of southern Africa. The township started in the early 1900's, and today it is estimated that over 500,000 people live in Alex.

Another thing that I've often heard about Alex is that it is not safe. Even amongst locals, Alex does not have a great reputation. Remember when I wrote about the hand signals locals use for the taxis? Since that post I've learned that the hand signals generally represent some sort of feature about the place you're going- for example, the "town" symbol with the index finger pointing upwards represents the tower in the centre of Joburg, while the symbol for "Orange Farm" looks like you're holding a navel orange in your palm. To go to Alex, you make your hand into the shape of a gun.

So, if it's very poor, crowded and dangerous, why go? Well, like most things, it's not that simple. There is so much more to this place, and that is what inspired us to want to revisit it. There is an energy for life that is contagious. Alex is an important piece of the Johannesburg puzzle, and I felt that ignoring it would be doing a disservice to the lively people that call this place home. While there sometimes is a bit of controversy on "township tours" in general, I wanted to add in our two cents from this experience. The company we did the tour with, Alexandra Bicycle Tours, was started by a local Alex resident, Jeff Mulaudzi. Jeff wanted to create an income for his family while at the same time sharing the place he grew up with others. He wanted a way for people to come into the township and see what it's all about; to see that in Alex the kids play in the streets, people gather at a friend's house for a braai, while others go shopping or wait for a taxi. Alex is a living and breathing community with a vibrant energy that is often only known by its own residents.

Our "tour guides" were two friendly guys that wanted us to feel welcome in their community. They did so by inviting us into their family rather than keeping us at a safe distance from the locals and taking us to "approved" places. We stopped where we wanted to stop, and the tour seemed to be constructed a bit on the fly. It was really all about spending time in the community and taking it as it came. I felt like we were "part of the picture" rather than looking in on it.

And so, enjoy my photo-essay of our morning spent touring Alex on two wheels.

Note from the Editor: Since going on this tour back in November 2014, Xenophobia attacks occurred in Alexandra in April 2015. Emmanuel Sithole, a Mozambican man who lived in Alex and worked as a street vendor, was murdered. Smithsontheotherside dedicates this post to Emmanuel, from one foreigner in South Africa to another. 

All set.

Heading off.

Saturday morning in Alex= kids everywhere!

Loving my red cruiser.

This little girl was very interested in us and hung out with me when we were visiting one of the heritage sights.

Learning about some of the community improvement activities happening in Alex and visiting an old church.

I got such a kick out of these two kids, begging M take their photo and posing like champs...

They were so pumped to see the results of M's photo shoot.

...and the pic M took of them.

Lively streets.

When I asked if I could take their photo, they immediately busted out the gangsta poses...

One of the guides was having a family gathering to celebrate his new niece, so they brought us by his house to show us what it was all about.

Traditional Potjie pot on the fire.

The guest of honour.

M and one of the guides chatting their way up the hill.

Note the absence of a pedal on M's right side. Pedals are overrated.

Sweet shop on the corner.

Visiting a local school in Alex.

Inspiration.

Happy bikers.

Biker selfie, plus M.

Possibly my favourite photo of the day: Our guide stopped to grab a cold drink from a shop, and parked his bike under this open window. The kids were so curious they leaned out the window to watch us.

Happy/curious faces.

Novelty of foreigners in the township.

Heading off the beaten track and leaving the paved road behind. The building on the left is some sort of government housing structure set amidst the corrugated tin huts of the township.

Standing room only: maneuvering our bikes down this narrow passage through the huts.

The kids love to click thumbs with foreigners- it is their equivalent to a high-five.

A bit of a creepy painting of beloved Mandela...but I like the sentiment.

"Alexandra celebrates your day!"