Courtyard Eastgate Johannesburg

... Juba
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11-Apr-10
14-Apr-10
Uganda
Kampala
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14-Apr-10
21-Apr-10
Rwanda and Burundi
Kigali and Bujumbura
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21-Apr-10
01- May-10
Ghana
Accra, Komasi
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01-May-10
11 ...

... the Afrikaans’ language. Although I knew it sounded like Dutch, I did not realised it was a language imposed on the blacks. When I heard blacks speaking together I just assumed they were speaking Afrikaans but in fact they are speaking Zulu. The demonstration was to protest against the Bantu Education - basically the Apartheid government all of a sudden decided that the black should be educated in Afrikaans when this was not their first language - the ...

... was fun as the rain and clouds completely closed in on us. We made it safe and sound and wet back to the car and spent the rest of the day at the hostel trying to warm up.

That night we went out to a recommended African restaurant called Mama Africa. We ordered traditional African food and listened to a live African Music band. Chad ordered a Kudu (a large antelope) steak and Stephanie ordered a stew that included Kudu and Impala (another antelope ...

... and encouraged testimonies of both victims and those who perpetrated the crimes, with the possibility for them to be acquitted (Actually less than 2K out of 7K were acquitted). This movie is about a white lawyer who left for the US, coming back to her native village to defend a Black MP in his Truth and Reconciliation hearing against white ex-policemen who tortured ...

... other 2 couples arrive just in time to be driven to Dave's home for dinner. Dave is the owner of African Aero Safaris. To avoid confusion, I'll call him Big Dave . Dana and Jeff are from San Francisco. Jeff is a computer nerd and Dana is a nurse physician. Carol and Nate are from Atlanta. Carol is a very funny Jewish lady, that hereafter will be nicknamed the "Princess" . Dave's home is beautiful, but once again a fortified place with gates, high walls, barbed wire and alarms ...

... the Aparthied Museum was very good. However, because of the whole Escom and not enough energy crisis, the power was cut to the museum just as we arrived and since it was a dark museum with very little natural light, it became impossible to see things. That night we stayed at the Airport Grand Hotel. If you are a light sleeper, I would not ...

... the mountain kingdom, to the low plains of South Africa. One particularly dramatic part of the Northern Drakensberg is the Amphitheatre portion of the range, where a near semi-circle of 1000m cliffs thrust majestically upwards from large mountainous canyon areas below. Nearby is the hostel where I stayed. The meals were overpriced so I self-catered, meaning I cooked my own food. I have been doing this much more lately, actually, as it allows one to subsist on a budget of ...

... bar just off Long St. called "Fashion TV" which pretty much sucked but still made for some great people-watching. It was very busy. From there, we followed the crowds on Long Street and ended up in a little bar called "Marvel" or something like that. It was a little slow, but they were playing good music (more American hip-hop) so we decided to hang out and see what happened. We sat in a booth with a Xhosa couple and started chatting and ...

The final stop on the African adventure was Joburg. Not much to report from here. In keeping with our african theme our final meal here was Chinese!? We left a bag behind in the restaurant and when we returned about 10 minutes later it was still there. Who said South Africa has a crime problem?

... I immediately spot a gravel B road, compared to the main tarmac roads that take you around, and with my background in big game hunting decide to take the turn off. 30 mins later with the wipers going full pelt we come across what was once a small stream fording the road. We debate taking it at speed so edge forwards to take a closer look.....oh dear...I'm slipping down the slope and can't get the car in reverse....OK then, 1st gear and floor it.....and ...