Johannesburg

Before leaving on Safari, everyone was to meet at the Rosebank

Holiday Inn in Johannesburg, South Africa.

My originally booked flight into Joburg had been cancelled by

the airline about a month before the trip start date, so I had to frantically

rebook my flight in. The new flight itinerary had me arriving in town

at 330AM. I was able to adjust my pickup service to get me from the

airport at the new time, and he drove me to the hotel.

The airport in Doha, Qatar is quite beautiful.

It was a short connection, so I didn't have any time

to see more or it than this while getting to my next gate.

All of my adapters worked.

I'd found them from a website called Going in Style.

The South African kit contained four adapters. 

After studying the manual, I took three of them with me

and ended up using two of the three.

I had my own room when I finally got checked in, so I spent the

time charging devices, enjoying a hot shower, and dozing a bit on

the bed while watching YouTube videos.

After switching to the room with my Intrepid roomie, I left the hotel to catch the

big red sightseeing bus. I'd booked the ticket before I left home.

An easy way to see the city. It is a hop-on, hop-off bus, which is

just what it sounds like. If there is something at a stop you want to 

explore, you just hop off and catch the bus again when it returns

as it goes around the loop.

view from the hill

Hi Momster!

My main destination was the Apartheid Museum.

The big red bus is an inexpensive way to get there.

It's rather far from the Rosebank hotels, so Ubers or cabs might

get a bit expensive.

What are you doing on my land?

You have taken all the places

Where the Eland and the other game live.

The museum does a good job of placing the history of apartheid into

context. I was young when apartheid ended, and so my memories of it are

a bit fuzzy. This was an excellent way to relearn this history and its significance.

the US had its own Apartheid in Jim Crow laws, and in some ways,

we still struggle with it presently.

Racism hasn't ended anywhere, but some things have improved by tiny steps.

I stopped for a cup of coffee and a snack before hopping back on the bus.

My coffee came with this little cookie. Slurp!

Many homes are gated in Joburg.

It was a jarring difference when we crossed into Botswana, where there aren't

any fences to speak of.

A private school.

Many people send their children to private schools like this.

Outside of the Fort.

I noticed this in lots of the places we drove through, even into Botswana.

Shelters for cars, some more basic than others. Probably to protect from the summer sun.

The other stop I hopped off was Constitution Hill.

A former apartheid prison.

The exhibits in this place are sometimes hard to take.

People where imprisoned here for simply being black.

Heartbreaking.

solitary cells.

:-(

After exploring the prison, your wristband lets you see the Fort

and you are allowed to walk along the ramparts. Well, at least half of the ramparts.

Some of it was blocked off, but you get the idea.

Before leaving this post, I want to include an addendum about the very beginning

of this trip. The giant plane I flew in to get to Doha!

Qatar Airways. And, as of this writing, one of the largest planes I'd ever been in.

She's yuge!

Qatar Airways definitely had the better food options of all the 

carriers I flew with for this trip.

The tonic water was in Arabic.

We were served two meals, plus snacks. It was a 13 hour flight.

I had pre-selected for the Jain vegetarian meals.

Quite tasty! Some sort of dal with rice and palak paneer with cauliflower.

With a veggie/bean salad and fruit for desert.

The next meal, I couldn't really identify, but it tasted good.

See you in the next post, where we will venture out into Botswana.