South Africa: Johannesburg

From sunny Cape Town we flew north to Johannesburg where we had nearly another week in South Africa.

Our first stop however wasn’t actually in Johannesburg but rather two hours out to a town called Rustenburg, where friends from Livingstone had recently moved. So in our very small Hyundai Artos we sped to Rustenburg to catch up with Robyn and Arno.

Mike standing proudly next to his Hyundai Artos

With Robyn and Arno we spent the afternoon at Sun City, a theme park/ casino/ hotel. It’s difficult to explain Sun City, only to say that you actually have to see it to believe it. It’s crazy but fun.

Sun City (as the sign says)

Walking around Sun City.....

.....lots of craziness

Not really prepared for the wave pool, we headed for a nice lunch and beers in the “Traditional Village” Shebeen. 

A Shebeen is kind of the traditional African equivalent of a pub. Well
that's where they drink beer anyway!

Mike and Arno with their beers

And Robyn and I with our beers. Loving the large bottles!

Arno's "Man-size" meal

Enjoying a drink and lunch: Of the four photos the waitress
 took for me, this was the only one that didn't come out blurred!

From there we planned to visit the “Palace” and were very fortunate to be driven there in a brand new Mercedes Benz (we later realised they thought we were guests, opps!). Unfortunately we weren’t able to view the inside of the Palace as it is closed off to guests only in the afternoons, but we did get the general idea.

The entrance to the Palace. Imagine the inside!

And Robyn, Mike and Arno looking quite impressed with themselves
for getting that Mercedes transfer, hehe

Leaving Robyn and Arno in Rustenburg we headed to our accommodation in Johannesburg, getting a much needed sleep before heading out to the Cradle of Humankind the following day.

I absolutely loved the Cradle of Humankind! There are two parts to it; the first is the museum, “Maropeng”, the second the Sterkfontein Caves.

The Cradle of Humankind

The museum was very cool and interactive, basically providing the story on the creation of earth and the evolution of humankind. It also contains many of the fossils discovered and their stories, in the nearby Sterkfontein Caves.

Maropeng entrance

I took a photo of this just because I liked it!

Mike on his way to the boat ride...Yes! They have a ride!

The museum had lots of these sort of signs, quotes, messages.

Another ride! Well it was sort of a ride. The turning colours really
mess with your head as you walk through. I think Mike walked
through this at least half a dozen times; I couldn't get him out of there

As mentioned, it was a very interactive museum

Nelson Mandela's handprints

My hands were only a bit smaller than Nelson's

And my foot is about the same size as Jacob Zuma's

Skull found at Sterkfontein Caves, also referred to as "Mrs Ples"

The caves were also pretty cool, but it was more the stories that made them exciting. After all, caves are still only caves. Currently within the caves, and unfortunately unable to be viewed by the public, is the discovery of “Little Foot”; the most complete and well preserved skeleton found for its age (3.5 to 4 million years old). The skeleton is still being excavated, approximately 15 years after full excavation first started. Tedious work!

Entrance to Sterkfontein Caves

Heading into the caves

From memory, our guide tried to tell us that this formation looked
like an elephant; I couldn't see it!

Lime deposits within the cave

In the caves (with out guide)

Still in the caves...apparently they used to allow diving (for research)
 in the caves until someone got lost and couldn't find their way out

Our next (and last) tourist stop was the Apartheid Museum, which I also loved. Done much better than Robbin Island, it provides a full history of how South Africa ended up where it did, the full story of Apartheid and how it finally ended.

The entrance to the Apartheid Museum. Each ticket designates you
as white or non-white, separating you at the entrance for the first
10-15 minutes. Really well thought out

To be honest, if you have read Nelson Mandela’s book, you would already know a lot of the story, however it was good to get an understanding of how it actually all came about to begin with, and the video documentaries and photography were fantastic.

This exhibit was called "Journey's" representing those from different backgrounds
who journeyed to the "city of gold" in the years following 1886

Different faces of Mandela

We didn’t manage to get on a tour for Soweto as originally planned. Tours were expensive and getting there was difficult as we had by then given our car back (btw, we did around 450km using only 28 litres of fuel, very impressive!). Plus, we felt a bit strange about the idea of drving through a township where people still live and staring at them through a bus window, doesn’t feel right.

So instead we enjoyed our remaining days relaxing, eating good food and drinks, we saw a movie in the cinema (!) and I got my first “real” haircut since I left Australia. It was nice feeling “normal” again.     

Koi, my favourite restaurant in Johannesburg: Peking Duck Pancakes

And Mike clearly enjoying his duck :-)

Thai food, in its abundance!

I know Johannesburg regularly cops a bad rap, with a reputation for crime and just being a difficult city to get around; the later is a little bit true in my experience, as a car really does help. Nonetheless, I really like Johannesburg, there is something about it.  And again, I would highly recommend a visit for anyone who hasn't been there.

Skyline of Johannesburg from our hotel room