Jo-Burg, South Africa (Little America)
In the morning we finished our first class breakfast, prepared by Bagthimami and Priya before loading our chariot, a green Mazda MPV. Because our huge backpacks would not fit into the van, we were given duffel bags that would allow all of our luggage to fit into one vehicle. Our journey into South Africa would take us around twelve hours. There was only one road that would take us south.
Along the way we witnessed people on the sides of the road waiting for someone, anyone that would lend them a ride. Other sites include buses that we would every once in a while speed passed. The buses were filled beyond capacity and their luggage was stacked five feet, sometimes higher beyond the roof top. Driving such a long distance required us to fill our gas tank at almost every chance we got. We stopped at countless stations that had run out of “petrol,” leaving us to move onto the next station. On top of not knowing whether the station had petrol for us to fill with, Sanj Man would have to pay for our gas with straight cash. The economic situation of Zimbabwe required that cash be used for everything.
Unfortunately, the official exchange rate of the country was one US dollar to somewhere around one hundred thousand Zimbabwe dollars. The unofficial exchange rate was more along the lines of one US dollar to four hundred thousand Zimbabwe dollars! Either way when it was time to pay for the gas, two bricks of Zimbabwe dollars were pulled from a bag in the back of the van, each brick had a height of about seven inches!!
Crossing into South Africa from Zimbabwe was definitely an experience to say the least. One word that can be used to summarize the situation best would be…TENSE. As Americans, and more specifically Texans, the situation at this border crossing seemed to parallel the current situation found at the Texas and Mexico border. The only difference is that we were the Mexicans. The entire area seemed to appear out of the desert. With the assistance of Sanj Man, we cleared the border crossing as smoothly as can be expected.
As we approached an area of greater population density, the difference between Zimbabwe and South Africa was blatantly apparent. The closer we got to civilization, the more in shock we were as the sparse streets of Zimbabwe turned into what appeared to be a Little America. The two way road that took us through Zimbabwe turned into a six lane divided highway that led us into a road system mirroring roads we have come to know from the US.
On our way into Jo-Burg we stopped in a city just north of our destination, Pretoria. In Pretoria we enjoyed dinner at a restaurant where Sanj Man is a silent owner. After dinner we made our way to downtown Johannesburg where we found our hotel and settled in for the night.
With the sun shining on the South African lands, our speculations from the night before were proven. Surrounding us in all directions were extremely modern buildings that could easily rival those of America. Not only were they modern, but they looked as if they were brand new. Although we knew that not all of South Africa could be this way, it sure felt like it.
The next day was spent touring Jo-Burg. Sites included the downtown area, Nelson Mandela Square, and parliament. The downtown area was just like any other downtown area during the late morning hours of a weekday. Nelson Mandela square was an area surrounding by a high class shopping mall. While in the area we ate breakfast a place called Mugg & Bean before taking our picture with Mr. Mandela himself. We then headed in the direction of Pretoria’s parliament buildings. The buildings were located at the top of a hill and had a great view of the surrounding area as well as very well manicured landscaping. As the late afternoon approached we decided to catch a few drinks in an area near a college campus. The rest of that night was spent visiting a mall with a uniquely designed roof that resembled a circus tent structure. Dinner that night dinner was at an Italian restaurant called Chiao Baby.
The next two nights in Jo-Burg were spent at two local casinos, Monte Casino and Emperor’s Casino. While at Emperor’s Casino we were able to catch a “Vegas” style show complete with feathered dancers and the like. Some of us even managed to scoop quite a few free drinks from the complimentary service in the high roller’s gambling room. In case you’re wondering the high roller was The Sanj Man and the name of his game roulette! The only big winner that night was Kinesh, he made out with the equivalent of approximately $500 US in South African Rands!
Although Johannesburg is considered one of the most unsafe places in the world, if not the most dangerous, we did not encounter any unpleasant experiences. However, we didn’t exactly steer ourselves down any back alley’s or venture into the unknown.
Our stay in South Africa had come to an end, but the best was yet to come! Victoria Falls here we come!
The Africtravelers
Along the way we witnessed people on the sides of the road waiting for someone, anyone that would lend them a ride. Other sites include buses that we would every once in a while speed passed. The buses were filled beyond capacity and their luggage was stacked five feet, sometimes higher beyond the roof top. Driving such a long distance required us to fill our gas tank at almost every chance we got. We stopped at countless stations that had run out of “petrol,” leaving us to move onto the next station. On top of not knowing whether the station had petrol for us to fill with, Sanj Man would have to pay for our gas with straight cash. The economic situation of Zimbabwe required that cash be used for everything.
Unfortunately, the official exchange rate of the country was one US dollar to somewhere around one hundred thousand Zimbabwe dollars. The unofficial exchange rate was more along the lines of one US dollar to four hundred thousand Zimbabwe dollars! Either way when it was time to pay for the gas, two bricks of Zimbabwe dollars were pulled from a bag in the back of the van, each brick had a height of about seven inches!!
Crossing into South Africa from Zimbabwe was definitely an experience to say the least. One word that can be used to summarize the situation best would be…TENSE. As Americans, and more specifically Texans, the situation at this border crossing seemed to parallel the current situation found at the Texas and Mexico border. The only difference is that we were the Mexicans. The entire area seemed to appear out of the desert. With the assistance of Sanj Man, we cleared the border crossing as smoothly as can be expected.
As we approached an area of greater population density, the difference between Zimbabwe and South Africa was blatantly apparent. The closer we got to civilization, the more in shock we were as the sparse streets of Zimbabwe turned into what appeared to be a Little America. The two way road that took us through Zimbabwe turned into a six lane divided highway that led us into a road system mirroring roads we have come to know from the US.
On our way into Jo-Burg we stopped in a city just north of our destination, Pretoria. In Pretoria we enjoyed dinner at a restaurant where Sanj Man is a silent owner. After dinner we made our way to downtown Johannesburg where we found our hotel and settled in for the night.
With the sun shining on the South African lands, our speculations from the night before were proven. Surrounding us in all directions were extremely modern buildings that could easily rival those of America. Not only were they modern, but they looked as if they were brand new. Although we knew that not all of South Africa could be this way, it sure felt like it.
The next day was spent touring Jo-Burg. Sites included the downtown area, Nelson Mandela Square, and parliament. The downtown area was just like any other downtown area during the late morning hours of a weekday. Nelson Mandela square was an area surrounding by a high class shopping mall. While in the area we ate breakfast a place called Mugg & Bean before taking our picture with Mr. Mandela himself. We then headed in the direction of Pretoria’s parliament buildings. The buildings were located at the top of a hill and had a great view of the surrounding area as well as very well manicured landscaping. As the late afternoon approached we decided to catch a few drinks in an area near a college campus. The rest of that night was spent visiting a mall with a uniquely designed roof that resembled a circus tent structure. Dinner that night dinner was at an Italian restaurant called Chiao Baby.
The next two nights in Jo-Burg were spent at two local casinos, Monte Casino and Emperor’s Casino. While at Emperor’s Casino we were able to catch a “Vegas” style show complete with feathered dancers and the like. Some of us even managed to scoop quite a few free drinks from the complimentary service in the high roller’s gambling room. In case you’re wondering the high roller was The Sanj Man and the name of his game roulette! The only big winner that night was Kinesh, he made out with the equivalent of approximately $500 US in South African Rands!
Although Johannesburg is considered one of the most unsafe places in the world, if not the most dangerous, we did not encounter any unpleasant experiences. However, we didn’t exactly steer ourselves down any back alley’s or venture into the unknown.
Our stay in South Africa had come to an end, but the best was yet to come! Victoria Falls here we come!
The Africtravelers
posted by Unknown at
8:08 PM
