Johannesburg (Joburg)

We arrived in Johanessburg right on schedule Monday morning at 5:15 am.  Having not slept in a bed since Friday night, we did the illogical thing of scheduling an all day tour of the city.  We did this to not waste our only day in Johanessburg by sleeping and secondly, to force our biological clocks to get used to the 8 hour time difference.

Seven of us had signed up for the private tour of the town.  Our guilde was, Howard, a mining engineer by training and geologist/historian/anthropologist/biologist/political analyst in practice.  As a third generation resident of Joburg, he was a fantastic guide.

We started the day with a stop at the FNB stadium, where the final game of the 2010 World Cup of soccer was played.  From that vantage point, he explained the unique geographical history of the area that has resulted in half of the worlds gold and more than half of the worlds diamonds being mined from that area.  Also very important was the historical context of the need for mining labor and the use of blacks as miners.

Next stop was Soweto, the black townships and much of the focal point of the apartheid era.  We toured the home of Nelson Mandela led by a charming young volunteer.  We saw the only street in the world with the homes of two Nobel prize winners (Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu).  Julie bought a souvineer from a man who was a lifelong neighbor of Mandela and who had played with his children in his youth.

After lunch, we visited the Aparthied Museaum.  It was a fabulous display that began with the display of early homo sapien drawings (the origin of man occurred in this area) and ended with the state of South Africa as of current day.  Inbetween was the sad development of the Aparthied system, how it was used to suppress others and the violent overthrow that resulted.

It was an unbelievable day.  It was inspiring to see this history in the setting of where it occurred.  To learn of such tragedy, triumph and the uncertainty of the future for the people of South Africa.

We got back in time for a shower (first in three days), cocktails and a nice group dinner, followed by a well earned nights sleep.

(I do have some pictured, but can't post them at the internet speeds presently available.  I will keep trying).