Jo'burg

Gotta' get used to a 9-hour time difference and catch up a bit on my sleep, but I am soldiering through the day with some great things to do and see.

Wonderful al fresco breakfast at our posh hotel and then our guide, Khuliso, picked us up in his Corolla. He assessed the situation and wisely asked his wife to deliver their 13-passenger van instead. Worth the wait as we departed in the luxury mobile. Our first stop was the Apartheid Museum. It is hard to grasp the political upheavals that have occurred during our lifetime and that Apartheid did not end until the early 1990's. One of the pamphlets we got says "Apartheid is exactly where it belongs - in a museum." My favorite was a quote from Nelson Mandela, "Deep down in every human heart, there is mercy and generosity." This from a person imprisoned most of his adult life because of his political and humanitarian beliefs.

Our next stop was the Southwestern Township, Soweto for short. It was one of two areas available for black residents living in Johannesburg during Apartheid. Khuliso promised us the good, the bad, and the ugly. First the good - a newer part of the township with substantial brick homes owned by more prosperous residents. The bad we saw only from a distance - areas ruled by gangs and nowhere for us to safely visit. Finally the ugly which were literally corrugated tin shacks minus running water and electricity. Some progress was noted with water spigots available at the ends of the streets and electricity for those enterprising enough to tap power from the city poles. One of the best sights was all the children coming home in their school uniforms.

We toured Nelson Mandela's house in Soweto. Setting the record straight, his name was Rolihlahla Mandela but he was given the name Nelson when he went to school because the teachers there could not pronounce his first name. Same thing happened to my Swedish grandfather when he emigrated to Canada and the customs agent decided his last name should be Walden.

We concluded our Soweto tour with a buffet lunch featuring South African food. I am good with all but exotic meats (for me anything beyond the very ordinary) so I passed on the tripe and sausage even after Khuliso said it was beef. Did enjoy all the vegetables and the spicy chutney I had. Also the entertainment by some men from Zimbabwe (large numbers have emigrated to South Africa) and the numerous street vendors, acrobats and singers. Everyone's trying to make a living.

As evening falls, the four of us are having a complimentary foot massage at our hotel that is quite a treat. I think Johannesburg is a city progressing.