Halevy Heritage Hotel Bloemfontein

If I had some anxiety about coming in to Gaborone after dark without a hotel res, I have outright FEAR about Johannesburg, its reputation emanating like a bad movie to all corners of the globe. I even book a dorm bed for the night, though I'm hoping to catch an onward connection to Bloemfontein if possible. I just don’t want to get caught in Jo’Burg with no options. Fortunately these little mini-buses really haul ass so we quickly jump ...

Je suis venu ici pour voir le musee sur la guerre anglo boer, en effet les anglais ce sont battus contre les colons neerlandais (Boer), en effet avec les decouvertes des mines d or et de diamants cela devenait tres rentables d annexes les etats libres neerlandophones. Et les anglais ont gagnes la guerre avec 450 000 ...

Our next stop was South Africa's judicial capital with its business based on that fact. Many law offices and those of big companies are located here. We sent our time staying at a great B&B and visiting the Oliewenhuis Art Museum for a late meal in the garden and next a visit to the Anglo-Boer War Museum. Both were very interesting and we learned a great deal about the history of South Africa during the 1890's.

Continued from previous entry... We decided not to stay in Bloemfontein but continue all the way back to Klerksdorp so we simply drove through the city before heading north to Kroonstad. It was a very long drive but as both of us wanted to have a nice relaxed weekend with Leon it was a lot nicer getting there late Friday night than having to spend half of Saturday driving, especially as there was rugby on.

... Immigration "LPN" sees us and orders us into his office. Flashes of solitary confinement, barren interrogation rooms and bright eye-blinding lights came into my mind as I followed the immigration supervisor but alas we were led into a stuffy, crowded a-typical beaurocrats office. Once in the office I start to freak out. Are we going to be able to get into South Africa? Will we miss our bus to Namibia? How much fun can a birthday ...

After our side trip to Lesotho, we headed back to Bloemfontein for a day to make a presentation to a group of about 40 individuals from various HIV/AIDS-related health care divisions in the Free State. Not a lot of new findings, but we seem to have their buy-in.

Just checking out this travel blog thing to see if its any good. Currently writing this in a weird pseudo-waterfront Mall in Bloemfontein, South Africa. Simmultaneously appalled by it consumer-blandness and soothed by its familiar branding, both cultural and commercial.

From Amphitheatre -> Cintsa = 979 KM. Joy. Stopped over in Bloem en-route to avoid a single hellish day. NOthing much to report, came, watched INto the BLue at the cinema and stayed at a former water pumping station ...which was different. 0600 the next day, off to the beach! Mariano - I hear you, will get pics uploaded as soon as i find a USB cable!

Bloemfontein, 27 t/m 29-09-2004 On a Monday-afternoon we take a bus to Bloemfontein where we arrive late at night. The free pick-up is not going as far as we expected, so we have to take a taxi. The chauffeur is giving us a city tour with a lot of explanation. We don't even have to pay extra... that's a lot different then in Asia. Naval hill Backpackers is located on a hill and used to be an old water pump station. A very original location. The next day we walk trough ...

... must have been going on in her head. I'm not sure if this was an artistic exploration or an insight into someone's state of mind - but I enjoyed taking some arty photos! We experienced a beautiful Karoo sunset and seemingly kept driving into the middle of nowhere, although we did pass an ostrich farm. We could eventually see a small light in the distance and we were informed this was our ...