I've now been out of South Africa for almost three weeks and of course people keep asking me about my experience and if I was sad to say goodbye to the country. I generally reply with the same answer, "I had an amazing year in South Africa, where I learned a lot, met some great people and saw some unbelievable places, but I am relieved to be moving on."
I recently read two articles which I think do a good job of illustrating why I feel this way:
"The hollow state"
http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21684146-two-decades-after-south-africas-transition-non-racial-democracy-its
"South Africa still awaits its golden age"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-35106236
I've said it before, but I think South Africa is at a tipping point right now and it's not heading in a good direction. I think it'll get worse before it gets better but I hope the next generation of leaders will rise up and right the ship. It's a wonderful country of contradictions and surprises; I'm rooting for them to make it happen through it all.
Monday, 28 December 2015
Tuesday, 8 December 2015
Closing up Shop
I leave town tomorrow and I'm just about ready to go. One amazing thing about living in a furnished apartment is how easy it is to shut the door and head out without trying to sell or store everything. I've slowly been purging clothes (donated to a local hospice [http://www.hospicewits.co.za/] who will come to pick up your donation; so convenient) and canceling memberships and whatnot, but one major item I do...or did own...was my car.
Selling my car, and hopefully not losing a bunch of money on it, was the biggest source of worry for me as I prepared to move. I tried to sell my car privately within my network and on autotrader.co.za, but when that didn't work I called around to dealerships to get quotes. Luckily, I also had a friend tell me about webuycars.co.za. This was the quickest, easiest process and I was able to keep my car right until my departure.
If you're looking to sell your car, you just go to the website, enter in the car specs, add a picture and ask for a quote. Almost immediately I was sent a quoted range and asked if I was happy with this, if I would set up an appointment. This quote was higher by far than any of the dealerships so I sent up an appointment for the day before I left so I could still use the car as long as I needed it.
The Webuycars rep showed up this morning, took a look around the car, checked out the paperwork, we took a test drive around the block and then he gave me an offer, staying within the range I had been quoted. We then took about five minutes where he entered in all my information in his tablet, sent me a sales agreement electronically and called his office to do an EFT to my bank account. We then waited another five minutes for the payment to show up in my account and voila - he left with the vehicle registration docs and the car. It could not have been easier.
Now the only thing left will be for me to transfer money from my bank account here into my Canadian account...I will have pay a Forex fee and I'll lose money on the conversion from Rand to Dollars but hopefully I'll still have a nice chunk of savings left when all is said and done.
Okay, now back to packing...
Selling my car, and hopefully not losing a bunch of money on it, was the biggest source of worry for me as I prepared to move. I tried to sell my car privately within my network and on autotrader.co.za, but when that didn't work I called around to dealerships to get quotes. Luckily, I also had a friend tell me about webuycars.co.za. This was the quickest, easiest process and I was able to keep my car right until my departure.
If you're looking to sell your car, you just go to the website, enter in the car specs, add a picture and ask for a quote. Almost immediately I was sent a quoted range and asked if I was happy with this, if I would set up an appointment. This quote was higher by far than any of the dealerships so I sent up an appointment for the day before I left so I could still use the car as long as I needed it.
The Webuycars rep showed up this morning, took a look around the car, checked out the paperwork, we took a test drive around the block and then he gave me an offer, staying within the range I had been quoted. We then took about five minutes where he entered in all my information in his tablet, sent me a sales agreement electronically and called his office to do an EFT to my bank account. We then waited another five minutes for the payment to show up in my account and voila - he left with the vehicle registration docs and the car. It could not have been easier.
Now the only thing left will be for me to transfer money from my bank account here into my Canadian account...I will have pay a Forex fee and I'll lose money on the conversion from Rand to Dollars but hopefully I'll still have a nice chunk of savings left when all is said and done.
Okay, now back to packing...
Friday, 4 December 2015
As I prepare to leave...
It's my last weekend in Johannesburg and I am feeling conflicted.
Of course, I will miss this city, the people I have met and unique culture I have been able to be a part of, but I am also feeling extremely excited to take the next step in my life; moving to London!
I went for dinner with a group of people this week who have just moved to Johannesburg and I was speaking with them about the exciting travel spots they want to go and the places they should see while they are here. I also took a quick scan back through my blog posts from the past year and it all made me nostalgic for the once in a lifetime experiences I have been fortunate enough to have while here. The office also said goodbye to me today at our all-staff meeting and capped it off with high-tea and drinks after work. It is finally hitting me that my year is actually coming to a close and I'm leaving. It feels a little sad.
While at the same time, not only am I very much looking forward to seeing my loved ones when I visit Canada for the holidays and for what is to come in London, but I know that this is really the right time for me to leave.
This week one of my closest friends here was robbed at gunpoint with his young family and accordingly to South African stats, crime rates have increased in Johannesburg this year over last. South Africa right now seems to be at a tipping point. The youth in the country are standing up and asking for more from their leaders, but so far they have only been met with band-aid solutions and misguided regulations. Unemployment is high, productivity and growth are low, but South Africa continues to make it difficult for foreign investors and infrastructure to enter in and build up the economy. People are getting desperate. As it stands, the ANC, won't be voted out of power, and the loyalty they receive is understandable, but my hope is that with enough pressure from young voters (if they get out and vote) who aren't as devoted to the ANC, the ruling party will start to adapt. But these are high hopes and right now its feeling more and more that things are starting to boil over. We'll see how the tides shift, but for now, I'm just grateful for the year I've had and relieved that I have a ticket to outta here in a few days.
Of course, I will miss this city, the people I have met and unique culture I have been able to be a part of, but I am also feeling extremely excited to take the next step in my life; moving to London!
I went for dinner with a group of people this week who have just moved to Johannesburg and I was speaking with them about the exciting travel spots they want to go and the places they should see while they are here. I also took a quick scan back through my blog posts from the past year and it all made me nostalgic for the once in a lifetime experiences I have been fortunate enough to have while here. The office also said goodbye to me today at our all-staff meeting and capped it off with high-tea and drinks after work. It is finally hitting me that my year is actually coming to a close and I'm leaving. It feels a little sad.
While at the same time, not only am I very much looking forward to seeing my loved ones when I visit Canada for the holidays and for what is to come in London, but I know that this is really the right time for me to leave.
This week one of my closest friends here was robbed at gunpoint with his young family and accordingly to South African stats, crime rates have increased in Johannesburg this year over last. South Africa right now seems to be at a tipping point. The youth in the country are standing up and asking for more from their leaders, but so far they have only been met with band-aid solutions and misguided regulations. Unemployment is high, productivity and growth are low, but South Africa continues to make it difficult for foreign investors and infrastructure to enter in and build up the economy. People are getting desperate. As it stands, the ANC, won't be voted out of power, and the loyalty they receive is understandable, but my hope is that with enough pressure from young voters (if they get out and vote) who aren't as devoted to the ANC, the ruling party will start to adapt. But these are high hopes and right now its feeling more and more that things are starting to boil over. We'll see how the tides shift, but for now, I'm just grateful for the year I've had and relieved that I have a ticket to outta here in a few days.
Working in SA
In building off a previous post about the talent drain in South Africa, and looking back on my year, I wanted to write about my personal experience working in the South African market.
When I first moved here, I wasn't sure exactly what to expect. I knew coming in that part of my responsibility would be to bring best practices to this young office, but the team had kicked off over a year before my arrival, so I figured some basic systems would be in place.
Pretty quickly I came to realize, it wasn't just best practices that were needed, this department was lacking any form of structure and organization. While at the same time, the growth targets were aggressive, so new initiatives were being proposed left, right and centre.
Almost as soon as I started, things began being added to my job description; campus portfolios, external program management, cleaning up legacy issues...in short, I was drowning.
But what I found most troubling in all of this, is that my local colleague's workload was being significantly decreased, not to the point that we were equals, but to the point where she had few major responsibilities.
I started seeing the inefficiencies of our local team as a whole. There is a noticeable difference in performance levels between here and our Toronto staff, which is concerning when Johannesburg has 1.5 million people more than Toronto and should have an eligible workforce from which to fill these roles. Yet, with the talent drain, it's just not the case.
Certainly, there are a few fantastic staff, who would be top performers in any market, but as a whole the group is under-performing and there is this lack of willingness to go above and beyond their job description (which as you can see, in a developing market especially, is often necessary).
This is of grave concern for any growing business in South Africa, because in order to maintain sustainable growth, there needs to be a base of South African employees who want to grow their career with the firm, but at the same time, an international standard of business needs to be met.
We're walking a fine and often frustrating line...
When I first moved here, I wasn't sure exactly what to expect. I knew coming in that part of my responsibility would be to bring best practices to this young office, but the team had kicked off over a year before my arrival, so I figured some basic systems would be in place.
Pretty quickly I came to realize, it wasn't just best practices that were needed, this department was lacking any form of structure and organization. While at the same time, the growth targets were aggressive, so new initiatives were being proposed left, right and centre.
Almost as soon as I started, things began being added to my job description; campus portfolios, external program management, cleaning up legacy issues...in short, I was drowning.
But what I found most troubling in all of this, is that my local colleague's workload was being significantly decreased, not to the point that we were equals, but to the point where she had few major responsibilities.
I started seeing the inefficiencies of our local team as a whole. There is a noticeable difference in performance levels between here and our Toronto staff, which is concerning when Johannesburg has 1.5 million people more than Toronto and should have an eligible workforce from which to fill these roles. Yet, with the talent drain, it's just not the case.
Certainly, there are a few fantastic staff, who would be top performers in any market, but as a whole the group is under-performing and there is this lack of willingness to go above and beyond their job description (which as you can see, in a developing market especially, is often necessary).
This is of grave concern for any growing business in South Africa, because in order to maintain sustainable growth, there needs to be a base of South African employees who want to grow their career with the firm, but at the same time, an international standard of business needs to be met.
We're walking a fine and often frustrating line...
Sunday, 25 October 2015
Ma & Pa Come to Town
What says I love you better than travelling over 13,000 kms to visit your kid? Not much. I was super lucky to have my parents come and visit me recently. They spent a total of three weeks down here and they saw all the highlights.
I picked them up at the airport on a Saturday and after a long flight they settled in and slept off the jetlag. That night we went the best steakhouse in the city, Wombles, where they were able to try their first kudu and springbok - so yummy!! They also got to experience a Joburg power outage when the power kept going on and off at the restaurant.
We chilled the rest of the weekend, but come Monday morning we were off bright and early to Kruger National Park. I was a bit nervous about what we would see, because the only thing left on my wish list was to see some big cats and with such a huge national park, animal sightings can be hit or miss. But, maybe chalk it up to beginner's luck, we saw all of the "Big Five" (rhino, lion, buffalo, elephant and leopard) in just our two day stay, including FOUR leopard sightings. Leopards are really rare to come across so we were beyond excited. We also had an epic experience with a pride of 13 lions. We came across a mama and her three adolescent cubs laying right on the road. We got lots of close up time with them before moving on but little did we know what was wandering towards us just a couple hundred yards down; nine lions all walking down the road. A few of them stopped right beside our truck and seemed to be tasting the air around them and as they passed right beside me they would stare right at me; I was a wee bit frightened, too scared to pull my camera up in front of my face to snap a pic at that close a range. A little later on our drive we also saw a hyena family, including a couple of cubs who were only a few weeks old. They were so cute, especially for an animal that grows up to be pretty ugly; one of the "Ugly Five" (hyena, wildebeest, vulture, marabou stork, warthog).
After a long drive back into Johannesburg, we hunkered down for the night because the next morning we were flying out to Zimbabwe. After a quick flight we arrived in Victoria Falls, which was hot as ever. Ma & Pa went on a sunset cruise down the Zambezi and I walked over to the Victoria Falls Hotel where I spent the afternoon reading my book and drinking beer while overlooking the Zambezi. It was delightful. Ma & Pa eventually joined me for dinner there. The next day, we got up and headed straight for the border. We crossed over into Zambia, walking across the Victoria Falls Bridge and to the Livingstone Hotel. From there we took a quick boat ride over to the edge of Vic Falls. During this time of year, in the dry season the water levels are low enough that in one particular area of Vic Falls, the Devil's Pool, you can actually swim at the edge without having the current sweep you over. So that is exactly what we did - swam atop Vic Falls! It was epic!! After our super cool swim, we had a nice breakfast and then headed back across the border. We spent the heat of the afternoon in the hotel pool, having drinks and chatting at the swim up bar and then went out for dinner in town that night. The next day Ma & Pa went to walk along the Falls but I had a migraine so I stayed at the hotel and then once they got back we went to the airport and came back to Joburg.
When they arrived back in Joburg, they settled into a nice little lodge in the city. I picked them up the next day and we went for brunch and then shopped around in Parkhurst as well as the Rosebank Market. During the week I was also working, but Ma & Pa did a couple touristy things around the city and enjoyed the sunny weather by the pool in their lodge. In the evenings, I would come over after work and we had dinner every night, going out to a couple of my favourite restaurants in the city or eating with some of the other guests at the lodge. It was quite delightful. But then alas, the end of their three week adventure arrived and they headed back to Canada in time for Canadian Thanksgiving with the rest of the family.
All in all, it was a great time and I think I can safely say, the trip of a lifetime for these two!
Sunday, 27 September 2015
Where to Eat
Johannesburg offers unbelievable value at their restaurants. The food and alcohol in this country are incredibly cheap by international standards. It is just as affordable to eat out as it is to cook at home, so why not!?
Here is my "best of.." list from the places I've been around the city:
Best American-style BBQ - Smokehouse & Grill, Braamfontein
Best Cafe - Warm & Glad, Craighall Park
Best Steakhouse - Wombles, Parktown North (The Local Grill & Grillhouse are also solid)
Best Asian Fusion - Great Middle Eastern Food Bar, Melville
Best Italian - Tortellini D'Oro, Oaklands
Best Chain Restaurant - Vovo Telo (Koi is a close second)
Best Bistro - The Leopard, Melville
Best Braii - Chaf Pozi, Soweto
Best Brunch - The Pudding Shop, Parktown North
Best Coffee - Naked, Melrose Arch
Best Indian - Thava, Norwood
Best Take-out - Col Cacchios, multiple locations
Best Chinese - PRON, Linden
Here is my "best of.." list from the places I've been around the city:
Best American-style BBQ - Smokehouse & Grill, Braamfontein
Best Cafe - Warm & Glad, Craighall Park
Best Steakhouse - Wombles, Parktown North (The Local Grill & Grillhouse are also solid)
Best Asian Fusion - Great Middle Eastern Food Bar, Melville
Best Italian - Tortellini D'Oro, Oaklands
Best Chain Restaurant - Vovo Telo (Koi is a close second)
Best Bistro - The Leopard, Melville
Best Braii - Chaf Pozi, Soweto
Best Brunch - The Pudding Shop, Parktown North
Best Coffee - Naked, Melrose Arch
Best Indian - Thava, Norwood
Best Take-out - Col Cacchios, multiple locations
Best Chinese - PRON, Linden
Friday, 14 August 2015
Madagascar
TIA ("This is Africa") is the classic cheesy tagline for when things don't go exactly according to plan on the continent and it couldn't have been more fitting for this trip. From the start, we had to deal with airline mishaps, difficulty getting a hold of the lodge owners due to connectivity issues and then when we arrived, weather troubles. And yet, this adventure through Madagascar, couldn't have been more exciting!
Especially because we started our trip by being flown by a friend to Cape Town so we could be at his party on Friday night with a 5:45am flight back to Johannesburg in time to catch our flight out to Madagascar. By the time we arrived in the capital, Antananarivo, we were running on red bull and room service; well worth it though!
When we arrived we settled into our hostel (Madagascar Underground - a great little spot run by an Australian dude) and then set off to a nearby market. We had been warned that the area was notorious for theft and was getting worse and worse so we set off with literally nothing on us except some cash stashed in our bras. We grabbed lunch at an old train station at the end of Independence Road and picked up a couple of small items and then made our way back. We were also warned not to be out after dark so we wanted to tour around a bit of a safer area before packing it in. We went for a walk and checked out the scene but as soon as the sun started going down, it was true, some creepers came out; just guys staring, cat calling; not charming.
We were so tired and had to get up early to catch our flight up to the Northern part of the country, so we went to bed unreasonably early at about 7pm. This is when I realized, I may be getting too old to stay in hostels. The young kids partying and coming in and out of the room, leaving the door open, I was ready to give them a stern talking to about hostel etiquette.
Because Air Madagascar is a total mess, they were on strike for a few weeks, flights were constantly getting rerouted, delayed, cancelled, we ended up booking a charter to and from Maroantsetra (the closest city to the lodge we were staying at). Terribly expensive, but at least it was reliable. Our flight arrived and we were met by our guide for the week Serafhin. He ushered us onto a boat to set off to through the Indian Ocean to get to the Masoala peninsula where are lodge, called Masoala Forest Lodge, is located just outside of the National Park.
I am someone who doesn't mind being on the water and even a choppy ride I have no issues with, never been seasick, but this boat trip was pretty awful. It was pouring rain, the seas were incredibly rough and our captain kept having to reroute to avoid big swells. Our boat trip was supposed to be a one hour ride and ended up taking three hours. Needless to say, we were very happy to step onto dry land when we finally arrived.
That very damp journey through the sea would be a precursor for our stay in Masoala, where is rained every day and we never felt fully dry. But, that didn't stop us from having a great time. Rain or shine, we went hiking in the rainforest surrounding our lodge. The first night we arrived I went for a hike at night to try to find some nocturnal animals and I managed to see two types of lemurs right off the bat, as well as some birds and reptiles. The two lemurs were a woolly lemur and a mouse lemur, which is the world's smallest type of lemur, so that was an extra lucky find.
The next day we set off to visit the secondary forest, which is called that because it was clear cut about 60 years ago by the French when Madagascar was getting its independence. You can still see old railroad ties embedded in the ground where the tracks used to run to take the logs out. The forest appears quite lush and is slowly building back its wildlife, but apparently the animals wait for a red-ruffed lemur to move in, and that is their signal to start building their home in the trees. No red-ruffed lemurs yet. We took a canoe trip down a river that runs through the forest, which gave us another cool perspective of the foliage.
The lodge we stayed in was really lovely. The owners are always around to make sure you have whatever you need, there is tasty local food all throughout your stay, the entire place is solar powered, and they have lots of glass bottles with filtered water and provide canteens to take hiking. There are books and games and sometimes even okay wifi in the main lodge where everyone staying at the lodge eats. Dinner is eaten together with all the guests and owners so it's a nice time to mingle and settle in for the night.
We explored the primary forest next, which is much more filled in than the secondary forest. This is where we had the most lemur sightings. We saw the infamous red-ruffed lemur, brown lemurs jumping between trees and were able to get very close to a sportive lemur. The hike was really fun but I'm very glad I had my hiking boots because it was muddy rough terrain. We ended up with one more chance lemur sighting when another mouse lemur was found tucked into the palm leaves that had been picked for our dinner - the lodge made us a traditional Malagasy meal (delicious!! Lots of rice, cassava and zebu). The guys who had picked the leaves spotted the lemur in there when they picked them up and they brought him to show us before returning him to a little spot in the rainforest.
One day the sun was shining for the afternoon so we went for a kayak through the sea to the end of the peninsula where we pulled up to a beach for a swim before heading back. The water was so nice and warm, even though it is winter there, so we went swimming a couple of times and laid out on the beach a bit. Then when the sun wasn't shining and we had downtime, I mostly sat in one of the hammocks and read my books, which to me, is paradise.
On our final day, we set off really early, this time the waters were much calmer so it was a quick boat ride. We also stopped at another island for a quick hike before we caught our flight. On this island we saw the leaf-tailed gecko that only lives on that particular island and we saw some brown lemurs who came down from the trees and were quite close to us. This was another really lush forest and a more challenging hike, but it was great.
Luckily, the travel out was uneventful; we took our small plane from Maronsetra to Antananarivo and then switched flights and flew back home in time for dinner.
It was a bit of an expensive trip, but honestly, it was so worth it in the end. Plus, it's much easier to get to that remote area in Madagascar from Johannesburg than anywhere else in the world so it felt like now is the perfect time to do it; I'm very glad I did.
Especially because we started our trip by being flown by a friend to Cape Town so we could be at his party on Friday night with a 5:45am flight back to Johannesburg in time to catch our flight out to Madagascar. By the time we arrived in the capital, Antananarivo, we were running on red bull and room service; well worth it though!
When we arrived we settled into our hostel (Madagascar Underground - a great little spot run by an Australian dude) and then set off to a nearby market. We had been warned that the area was notorious for theft and was getting worse and worse so we set off with literally nothing on us except some cash stashed in our bras. We grabbed lunch at an old train station at the end of Independence Road and picked up a couple of small items and then made our way back. We were also warned not to be out after dark so we wanted to tour around a bit of a safer area before packing it in. We went for a walk and checked out the scene but as soon as the sun started going down, it was true, some creepers came out; just guys staring, cat calling; not charming. We were so tired and had to get up early to catch our flight up to the Northern part of the country, so we went to bed unreasonably early at about 7pm. This is when I realized, I may be getting too old to stay in hostels. The young kids partying and coming in and out of the room, leaving the door open, I was ready to give them a stern talking to about hostel etiquette.
Because Air Madagascar is a total mess, they were on strike for a few weeks, flights were constantly getting rerouted, delayed, cancelled, we ended up booking a charter to and from Maroantsetra (the closest city to the lodge we were staying at). Terribly expensive, but at least it was reliable. Our flight arrived and we were met by our guide for the week Serafhin. He ushered us onto a boat to set off to through the Indian Ocean to get to the Masoala peninsula where are lodge, called Masoala Forest Lodge, is located just outside of the National Park.
I am someone who doesn't mind being on the water and even a choppy ride I have no issues with, never been seasick, but this boat trip was pretty awful. It was pouring rain, the seas were incredibly rough and our captain kept having to reroute to avoid big swells. Our boat trip was supposed to be a one hour ride and ended up taking three hours. Needless to say, we were very happy to step onto dry land when we finally arrived.
That very damp journey through the sea would be a precursor for our stay in Masoala, where is rained every day and we never felt fully dry. But, that didn't stop us from having a great time. Rain or shine, we went hiking in the rainforest surrounding our lodge. The first night we arrived I went for a hike at night to try to find some nocturnal animals and I managed to see two types of lemurs right off the bat, as well as some birds and reptiles. The two lemurs were a woolly lemur and a mouse lemur, which is the world's smallest type of lemur, so that was an extra lucky find.
The next day we set off to visit the secondary forest, which is called that because it was clear cut about 60 years ago by the French when Madagascar was getting its independence. You can still see old railroad ties embedded in the ground where the tracks used to run to take the logs out. The forest appears quite lush and is slowly building back its wildlife, but apparently the animals wait for a red-ruffed lemur to move in, and that is their signal to start building their home in the trees. No red-ruffed lemurs yet. We took a canoe trip down a river that runs through the forest, which gave us another cool perspective of the foliage.
The lodge we stayed in was really lovely. The owners are always around to make sure you have whatever you need, there is tasty local food all throughout your stay, the entire place is solar powered, and they have lots of glass bottles with filtered water and provide canteens to take hiking. There are books and games and sometimes even okay wifi in the main lodge where everyone staying at the lodge eats. Dinner is eaten together with all the guests and owners so it's a nice time to mingle and settle in for the night.
We explored the primary forest next, which is much more filled in than the secondary forest. This is where we had the most lemur sightings. We saw the infamous red-ruffed lemur, brown lemurs jumping between trees and were able to get very close to a sportive lemur. The hike was really fun but I'm very glad I had my hiking boots because it was muddy rough terrain. We ended up with one more chance lemur sighting when another mouse lemur was found tucked into the palm leaves that had been picked for our dinner - the lodge made us a traditional Malagasy meal (delicious!! Lots of rice, cassava and zebu). The guys who had picked the leaves spotted the lemur in there when they picked them up and they brought him to show us before returning him to a little spot in the rainforest.
One day the sun was shining for the afternoon so we went for a kayak through the sea to the end of the peninsula where we pulled up to a beach for a swim before heading back. The water was so nice and warm, even though it is winter there, so we went swimming a couple of times and laid out on the beach a bit. Then when the sun wasn't shining and we had downtime, I mostly sat in one of the hammocks and read my books, which to me, is paradise.
Luckily, the travel out was uneventful; we took our small plane from Maronsetra to Antananarivo and then switched flights and flew back home in time for dinner.
It was a bit of an expensive trip, but honestly, it was so worth it in the end. Plus, it's much easier to get to that remote area in Madagascar from Johannesburg than anywhere else in the world so it felt like now is the perfect time to do it; I'm very glad I did.
Friday, 24 July 2015
Hiking Spots
South Africa is a truly stunning country, with a wide array of landscapes and its natural beauty is something to make the most of while you're here.
I really enjoy hiking, so I've made a few day trips to go for hikes within a 2hr radius of Johannesburg and I've never been disappointed by the views yet. All of these trails are easy in terms of difficulty. I wouldn't consider myself particularly fit and I did just fine at all.
It feels like a waste of money, but when you can't safely go for a run at night or can't do hiking trails alone and you spend so much more time driving around than you're used to - you'll want to have someone to go and keep healthy and active. I've actually started enjoying hitting the gym a couple days a week - who would have imagined?!
I really enjoy hiking, so I've made a few day trips to go for hikes within a 2hr radius of Johannesburg and I've never been disappointed by the views yet. All of these trails are easy in terms of difficulty. I wouldn't consider myself particularly fit and I did just fine at all.
- Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve, Johannesburg - hiking trails right in the city, clearly marked trails, from the top of the ridge you get a nice view over the Southside of Jozi, you'll see loads of Dassies everywhere (cute fat little animals, kind of like groundhogs), downside is that there is a sewage pipe in the middle of the reserve so we did encounter a particularly stinky part of the trail at the end of our hike.
- Wonderboom Nature Reserve, Pretoria - Another well parked trail, in the heart of Pretoria, gives you nice views over the city. There is a waterfall you can go see, but it must not be anything too impressive because when I went in the winter it was dried up. There is a small fee to get into the park.
- Cradle of Humankind - Really picturesque landscape with tall grasses, rolling hills and lots of open space to explore. If you're out here anyways for the fresh air and a nice walk, you may as well start with walking through the caves to see where the oldest humanoid fossils in the world were found. Unfortunately, all the actual artifacts are in a museum in Pretoria and the actual dig site is barricaded, but any time you can walk through caves is always pretty cool.
- Magaliesburg Mountain Sanctuary, Rustenberg - You'll feel straight out of the movie 124 Hours, when you're here. It's all dry red rock and absolutely no markings to help you find your way. You will be provided with a crude map when you enter where there is a small fee to get into the park, but the guidance offered is weak at best. I personally was very frustrated by this and wouldn't go back to the park for that reason, we got lost and just stumbled our way around most of the day. If we didn't have a good sense of direction someone could really get turned around out there. I have to give the place credit though, the scenery is cool and we ended our hike at these natural swimming pools where we went for a cool dip and that was really nice, but seriously, finding these pools was a mission.
It feels like a waste of money, but when you can't safely go for a run at night or can't do hiking trails alone and you spend so much more time driving around than you're used to - you'll want to have someone to go and keep healthy and active. I've actually started enjoying hitting the gym a couple days a week - who would have imagined?!
Wednesday, 22 July 2015
Local Tips
I feel more and more like a local every day here and I've decided to put together a few random tips based on things I've learned while navigating life here in Jozi:
- When you first arrive in the country, get certified copies of your passport made and also get yourself a stack of passport photos. You will need these many times throughout your journey; when purchasing a car, getting travel visas, a bank account, etc.
- Also good to memorize your passport #. In South Africa, you'll be asked for your ID # on any form you fill out, literally all the time. As an expat, your passport # stands in for your South African ID #.
- Traffic in this city is hectic. It can be caused by congestion (particularly during rush hour [8-10am & 4-6pm]), road work or power outages so leave yourself extra time wherever you're going, you never know when your travel time will double.
- Be wary of the taxis (mini-buses with a yellow strip painted on the side) - these are constantly navigating from one end of the city to the other and they pick up and drop people off at any point along the way. They tend to stop suddenly, weave in and out of traffic and even push ahead on road shoulders, making their own lanes as they see fit. If you're not careful one of these guys could cause an accident for you and don't be surprised when they aren't willing to swap information for insurance, if they even stop.
- As mentioned in a previous post of mine, power outages are very common because the local infrastructure is not able to manage the strain on the system, so load shedding is implemented to alleviate the burden - check the Eskom load shedding schedule daily so you can plan accordingly; the worst is losing power in the middle of cooking dinner.
- Everything closes early in this city and many places won't open on Sundays either so be aware of the time, if you need to grab groceries to make your dinner, be sure to leave the office in time (taking into consideration traffic times also) - my grocery store stays open til 8pm, which is considered late. But if you're in a real bind, there are little Woolworths markets open 24 hrs in some Engen gas stations.
- If you swear by Advil Cold & Sinus the way I do, you will be shocked when you search amongst the various pain relief meds on the shelf and don't find it. Same goes for Imodium. But not to fear, South Africa does have these meds, but you have to get them from over the counter at the pharmacy. You don't need a prescription, you just have ask the pharmacist.
- Almost any time you park on a city street you will encounter parking attendants in bright vests. These people are not city employees, but are local entrepreneurs basically. They take it upon themselves to cover an area, helping people navigate parking in tight spots and watching the cars against break-ins while you're off shopping or eating. In exchange, you should give them a tip, I always keep 5 Rand coins in my car console for just this occasion.
- At gas stations, there is no self-service option, all the pumps are full-service. The attendants will fill your tank and generally also offer to check your oil, clean the windows or fill the tires. You should give them a tip for their services. I generally give between 5-10 Rand.
- If you are insured by Discovery and are a part of the Vitality program - make sure you sign up for a Ster-Kinekor Theatres membershp card. You get a discount on the price of movies, which are already significantly cheaper than in North America. Although, movie release dates are sometimes delayed here, the movies are a great cheap entertainment option in Joburg.
- There are no residential mailboxes. If you have a 24hr security guard at your home they may be willing to accept packages and letters that happen to show up for you, but locals don't at all find it strange not to have a mailbox. They can't understand why you would, "no one sends letters anymore." The other issue with receiving mail is that the postal system is very unreliable. Generally the mail I do receive takes about a month to arrive from Canada, if it ever arrives at all. I am still waiting on two packages that were sent months ago...not sure they'll ever turn up.
- If you need to take a cab somewhere, use the Uber app to call a car. That's the safest way to catch a ride in the city. The random cab companies in the city have been associated with crime, but Uber has become the more safe and reliable option. The only thing to be wary of now is that the cab drivers are upset with Uber taking over the market and they have started attacking Uber drivers so you shouldn't get picked up anywhere near clusters of parked cabs, such as at the main entrance to Sandton City Mall or at OR Tambo Airport arrivals; if you need an Uber from the airport, the driver will likely ask you to walk to departures to be picked up so the cab drivers aren't close by.
- Along the same vein, if you go out for drinks, you should highly consider always Ubering and not driving, even if you only have one or two drinks. The legal blood alcohol limit to drive here is quite low and especially on the weekends, you'll find yourself driving through quite a few road blocks around the city. If you blow over you will find yourself in jail and if you blew over on a weekend, you'll be in jail until Monday when the courts open - yikes!
Tuesday, 21 July 2015
Soweto
I had a couple of final tourist destinations to check off my to-do list while here Joburg and I finally ticked them off this weekend.
I went with two friends to Soweto for the afternoon on Saturday, where we stopped by the Hector Pieterson Museum, Vilakazi Street and Chaf Pozi Restaurant under Orlando Towers.
I had been to Soweto previously to go to the Soweto Derby, a big match between the two rivals teams from the Premier Football League, both based in Soweto. Following the match we went out for braii and dancing at Chaf Pozi where I some of the best dancing in my life. A trio got up to perform in the middle of the crowd, in a style called Pantsula. I could have watched them for hours, it's seriously the best.
But on this Saturday, there was no dancing, but a good look into some important historical figures. Hector Pieterson was a young man who became a symbol of the student uprising against Apartheid and unfair educational policies for black students. He was shot by police during a student protest against the mandatory use of Afrikaans in all classrooms.
Unfortunately, there was load shedding on Saturday in Orlando West, the neighbourhood we were in, so the video displays in the museum weren't working, but the photo and text displays we good and the museum gave a very real and accurate depiction of what happened during these events, much of which was hard to read. What I also found sad was to read about the societal issues that flared up during the Bantu education system and how those same issues are still very much present today.
This display board discusses the issues rising in 1976, but this could easily describe the current atmosphere of 2015. (click on the photo to enlarge)
We next head for Vilakazi street, which is the only street in the world where two Nobel Prize Winners have lived; Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu. Seems strange, I've now seen two of Mandela's very different beds; the one in his cell on Robben Island and the one in his home in Soweto.
You are able to go in and walk around the quaint Mandela home, but the Tutu home is just marked discretely with a plaque. The Mandela home really is more about Winnie Mandela than Nelson though, because for most of the time that the family lived at this location, Nelson was in exile or in prison.
To cap off our afternoon we head to Chaf Pozi under the beautifully painted Orlando Towers (old cooling towers which are covered in murals representing the area and now sit as a famous landmark for Soweto), for some delicious braii - lots of meat, pap and chakalaka; very traditional South African food and oh so yummy.
I went with two friends to Soweto for the afternoon on Saturday, where we stopped by the Hector Pieterson Museum, Vilakazi Street and Chaf Pozi Restaurant under Orlando Towers.
I had been to Soweto previously to go to the Soweto Derby, a big match between the two rivals teams from the Premier Football League, both based in Soweto. Following the match we went out for braii and dancing at Chaf Pozi where I some of the best dancing in my life. A trio got up to perform in the middle of the crowd, in a style called Pantsula. I could have watched them for hours, it's seriously the best.
But on this Saturday, there was no dancing, but a good look into some important historical figures. Hector Pieterson was a young man who became a symbol of the student uprising against Apartheid and unfair educational policies for black students. He was shot by police during a student protest against the mandatory use of Afrikaans in all classrooms.
Unfortunately, there was load shedding on Saturday in Orlando West, the neighbourhood we were in, so the video displays in the museum weren't working, but the photo and text displays we good and the museum gave a very real and accurate depiction of what happened during these events, much of which was hard to read. What I also found sad was to read about the societal issues that flared up during the Bantu education system and how those same issues are still very much present today.
This display board discusses the issues rising in 1976, but this could easily describe the current atmosphere of 2015. (click on the photo to enlarge)
We next head for Vilakazi street, which is the only street in the world where two Nobel Prize Winners have lived; Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu. Seems strange, I've now seen two of Mandela's very different beds; the one in his cell on Robben Island and the one in his home in Soweto.
 |
| Very proud to see this on the wall of Mandela's bedroom |
You are able to go in and walk around the quaint Mandela home, but the Tutu home is just marked discretely with a plaque. The Mandela home really is more about Winnie Mandela than Nelson though, because for most of the time that the family lived at this location, Nelson was in exile or in prison.
To cap off our afternoon we head to Chaf Pozi under the beautifully painted Orlando Towers (old cooling towers which are covered in murals representing the area and now sit as a famous landmark for Soweto), for some delicious braii - lots of meat, pap and chakalaka; very traditional South African food and oh so yummy.
Tuesday, 14 July 2015
The Talent Issue
As someone who works in the field of recruiting, the issue of finding talent in South Africa is something I encounter on a daily basis.
South Africa is a country rich in resources, with some of the best infrastructure and one of the highest GDPs in Africa, and yet, unemployment is sitting at a staggering 25% (unofficially this stat is said to be as high as 40%).
It's gotten to the point that some of the beggars on the street corners in Sandton are not asking for change but are holding out their resume, asking for a job.
There is a huge population of South Africans looking for gainful employment, but the issue with this workforce is that they aren't necessarily employable.
As more and more international organizations bring their business to the continent, often their largest untapped market, they tend to touch down in Johannesburg, which appears as a relatively developed and stable hub for them to service Southern Africa (the main hubs being Joburg, Nairobi and Lagos).
This sounds like good news, a growing economy, a young workforce ready to fill those positions locally, but herein lies the rub, race still plays a role in the daily life of South Africa.
It's key to remember here that it was only 20 years ago that Apartheid fell and non-white South Africans were given the liberties they should always have been afforded. And while great strides have been made to bring equality for all, there are still lasting effects of that era which can be seen today.
Black South Africans, while the largest population in the country, remain the most marginalized, many living in townships where schools are not up to standard, teachers are not effective and dropout rates (due to various external barriers also) are unacceptable. South Africa's math and science scores were ranked very last in a study comparing 144 countries' student test scores. On the flip side, every white South African I have met attended a private school.
In order to try to bring equality into the workforce, the ANC (South Africa's ruling party since 1994) came up with a plan to ensure non-white South Africans were being hired as a way to tackle the staggering unemployment levels, which are heavily skewed towards Black South Africans, the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) policy was put in place.
B-BBEE regulation measures any enterprise based in South Africa with more than 50 employees, on a set of criteria, including percentage of black ownership, employees, vendors used, skills development offered, etc. Based on this criteria, each organization is given a score (1 being the best) and if you have a poor score, it is very difficult to do business in South Africa. As an example, one liquor company was threatened to have their government-issued liquor license taken away if they did not improve their score - that's a dealbreaker.
Essentially what has happened, is the government is trying to battle the symptoms without understanding the root cause. The government has implemented this policy to force companies into hiring non-white South Africans, but they aren't properly educating their students to build them into candidates that meet that standards of the organizations in the market.
Are there smart, talented, highly-skilled non-white South Africans? ABSOLUTELY! But many of these candidates are still behind in terms of resume & cv writing, interview preparation, and presentation skills (don't get me wrong, South Africa as a whole needs improvement in these areas, but the student's from privileged backgrounds certainly have a leg-up). The high-achieving candidates who have learned these skills are highly sought after and it becomes extremely competitive to hire them locally. Or they decide to take advantage of international opportunities, and as an expat myself, I can't blame them!
We work tirelessly to combat these issues and hire non-white South Africans into our firm, not just for our B-BBEE score, but also because having a diverse staff brings great value, unique perspectives and a positive culture. But it's tough, we can only take a candidate so far with resume writing workshops and interview prep sessions. Without the foundation of a solid education, these candidates will not have the skills needed for the job.
At one point, the solution seemed to be bringing in foreign workers to help train the local staff and work off an apprenticeship model to get new hires upskilled quickly, hence why I am here, but under more strict regulations from the government, it is now becoming more and more difficult to get work visas for South Africa.
Unfortunately, unless some major educational reform (teacher assessments, math and science curriculum improvements, etc.) is put in place soon, I see this talent drain being the biggest pitfall of the South African economy.
South Africa is a country rich in resources, with some of the best infrastructure and one of the highest GDPs in Africa, and yet, unemployment is sitting at a staggering 25% (unofficially this stat is said to be as high as 40%).
It's gotten to the point that some of the beggars on the street corners in Sandton are not asking for change but are holding out their resume, asking for a job.
There is a huge population of South Africans looking for gainful employment, but the issue with this workforce is that they aren't necessarily employable.
As more and more international organizations bring their business to the continent, often their largest untapped market, they tend to touch down in Johannesburg, which appears as a relatively developed and stable hub for them to service Southern Africa (the main hubs being Joburg, Nairobi and Lagos).
This sounds like good news, a growing economy, a young workforce ready to fill those positions locally, but herein lies the rub, race still plays a role in the daily life of South Africa.
It's key to remember here that it was only 20 years ago that Apartheid fell and non-white South Africans were given the liberties they should always have been afforded. And while great strides have been made to bring equality for all, there are still lasting effects of that era which can be seen today.
Black South Africans, while the largest population in the country, remain the most marginalized, many living in townships where schools are not up to standard, teachers are not effective and dropout rates (due to various external barriers also) are unacceptable. South Africa's math and science scores were ranked very last in a study comparing 144 countries' student test scores. On the flip side, every white South African I have met attended a private school.
In order to try to bring equality into the workforce, the ANC (South Africa's ruling party since 1994) came up with a plan to ensure non-white South Africans were being hired as a way to tackle the staggering unemployment levels, which are heavily skewed towards Black South Africans, the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) policy was put in place.
B-BBEE regulation measures any enterprise based in South Africa with more than 50 employees, on a set of criteria, including percentage of black ownership, employees, vendors used, skills development offered, etc. Based on this criteria, each organization is given a score (1 being the best) and if you have a poor score, it is very difficult to do business in South Africa. As an example, one liquor company was threatened to have their government-issued liquor license taken away if they did not improve their score - that's a dealbreaker.
Essentially what has happened, is the government is trying to battle the symptoms without understanding the root cause. The government has implemented this policy to force companies into hiring non-white South Africans, but they aren't properly educating their students to build them into candidates that meet that standards of the organizations in the market.
Are there smart, talented, highly-skilled non-white South Africans? ABSOLUTELY! But many of these candidates are still behind in terms of resume & cv writing, interview preparation, and presentation skills (don't get me wrong, South Africa as a whole needs improvement in these areas, but the student's from privileged backgrounds certainly have a leg-up). The high-achieving candidates who have learned these skills are highly sought after and it becomes extremely competitive to hire them locally. Or they decide to take advantage of international opportunities, and as an expat myself, I can't blame them!
We work tirelessly to combat these issues and hire non-white South Africans into our firm, not just for our B-BBEE score, but also because having a diverse staff brings great value, unique perspectives and a positive culture. But it's tough, we can only take a candidate so far with resume writing workshops and interview prep sessions. Without the foundation of a solid education, these candidates will not have the skills needed for the job.
At one point, the solution seemed to be bringing in foreign workers to help train the local staff and work off an apprenticeship model to get new hires upskilled quickly, hence why I am here, but under more strict regulations from the government, it is now becoming more and more difficult to get work visas for South Africa.
Unfortunately, unless some major educational reform (teacher assessments, math and science curriculum improvements, etc.) is put in place soon, I see this talent drain being the biggest pitfall of the South African economy.
Sunday, 28 June 2015
African Winter
I am currently sitting in bed with a sweater on, under three blankets, with a heat bag on my feet.
It feels like I am camping; that way you can't quite escape the cold even inside your tent, in your sleeping bag.
The weather outside is like a Canadian Autumn, and I love that type of weather; sun during the day, clear skies, sweater weather. But in Canada, when the sun goes down and you're inside for the night, you can turn on the heat to keep yourself warm.
Not the case in South Africa.
Most of the houses don't have any heating (or air conditioning) and the windows and doors have no weather proofing. Everyone is dependent on space heaters and just bundling up.
I don't quite comprehend why none of these houses have proper heat given winter strikes every year, but I guess it's an expense South Africans feel like they can avoid and they just power through for the two or three months of winter.
As crazy as it sounds, I'll take Canadian winter over South African winter if it means I can have a warm house and beautiful snow. But maybe I'm just feeling nostalgic, or going through a brain freeze...
It feels like I am camping; that way you can't quite escape the cold even inside your tent, in your sleeping bag.
The weather outside is like a Canadian Autumn, and I love that type of weather; sun during the day, clear skies, sweater weather. But in Canada, when the sun goes down and you're inside for the night, you can turn on the heat to keep yourself warm.
Not the case in South Africa.
Most of the houses don't have any heating (or air conditioning) and the windows and doors have no weather proofing. Everyone is dependent on space heaters and just bundling up.
I don't quite comprehend why none of these houses have proper heat given winter strikes every year, but I guess it's an expense South Africans feel like they can avoid and they just power through for the two or three months of winter.
As crazy as it sounds, I'll take Canadian winter over South African winter if it means I can have a warm house and beautiful snow. But maybe I'm just feeling nostalgic, or going through a brain freeze...
Wednesday, 24 June 2015
Giardia
Quick followup to the previous post.
Last night I started feeling a little yucky again, but hoped it was nothing. Woke up this morning with the abdominal pain and other uncomfortable afflictions I was experiencing before. Called the doc and she sent me a prescription for another course of antibiotics. It's a bit of a more intense antibiotic which she tries to avoid prescribing because it can cause lots of nausea, but this is one of the few cited as being effective for Giardia, so hopefully it'll do the trick.
The first antibiotic I was on is a a good general antibiotic called Ciprofloxacin, but a word to the wise, if you think you have Giardiasis, go straight for the Metronidazole!
Bleck!
Last night I started feeling a little yucky again, but hoped it was nothing. Woke up this morning with the abdominal pain and other uncomfortable afflictions I was experiencing before. Called the doc and she sent me a prescription for another course of antibiotics. It's a bit of a more intense antibiotic which she tries to avoid prescribing because it can cause lots of nausea, but this is one of the few cited as being effective for Giardia, so hopefully it'll do the trick.
The first antibiotic I was on is a a good general antibiotic called Ciprofloxacin, but a word to the wise, if you think you have Giardiasis, go straight for the Metronidazole!
Bleck!
Sunday, 21 June 2015
Healthcare
Well, with all the traveling I've been doing, I suppose it was bound to happen...I caught a parasite somewhere along the way.
On Saturday I started feeling really terrible. I was out with some friends and I needed to go home because I had so much discomfort in my abdomen. Sadly, it meant I missed out on going to a documentary I had purchased a ticket to see. I stayed home and continued to feel like garbage all through the weekend and into the start of the work week, so I stayed home, hoping it would pass.
It didn't.
The next day was a public holiday so I suffered through more pain and discomfort until I could see my doctor the next morning. I went in and she examined me and asked me to provide her with a few bodily fluid samples. We needed to wait for those to come back to get any sort of results so I was sent home with a doctor's note for missing the week of work and a list of rehydration powders for me to pick up so I wouldn't get too dehydrated. I wasn't eating much because it didn't sit well so I was also really hungry. In short, I was a mess.
I finally got the test results back on Thursday evening and although they were inconclusive, my doctor decided to prescribe me some antibiotics because she was pretty sure it was some kind of bug and these would do the trick. I had also been doing some Googling (of course, as every sick person does, for better or worse) and it was clear from all my systems, that Giardia was the likely culprit; a pretty common parasite picked up while traveling.
I've been taking the antibiotics since Friday and I am happy to say that I am feeling immensely better and I'm almost back to 100%. I finish the meds tomorrow and I'll also be back at work.
Although it was a shitty week (literally...), I am lucky I have a really caring doctor. She personally checked in on me a few times and got the care as quickly as possible, the tests were quick and easy and everything is covered by my medical aid here.
I have heard lots of good things about the healthcare system here in South Africa and how great the service and care is here and I can now attest to that, but I have to back up Canada on this one. I receive the same level of service and care when I am in Canada. The difference, I receive this care in South Africa because I have an employer who provides me with a good benefits plan (Discovery Insurance). I receive this care in Canada because I am a human being. It makes me sad that there are a lot of people across South Africa who are unemployed (the unemployment rate is at 40% right now) and they do not have the same access to care in their own home country that I am receiving as a temporary resident. I'm sure there was someone else in Joburg who was rocking a parasite last week just like me and it makes me sad to think they might not be feeling better just yet like I am or they might be footing a bill that they can't afford.
On Saturday I started feeling really terrible. I was out with some friends and I needed to go home because I had so much discomfort in my abdomen. Sadly, it meant I missed out on going to a documentary I had purchased a ticket to see. I stayed home and continued to feel like garbage all through the weekend and into the start of the work week, so I stayed home, hoping it would pass.
It didn't.
The next day was a public holiday so I suffered through more pain and discomfort until I could see my doctor the next morning. I went in and she examined me and asked me to provide her with a few bodily fluid samples. We needed to wait for those to come back to get any sort of results so I was sent home with a doctor's note for missing the week of work and a list of rehydration powders for me to pick up so I wouldn't get too dehydrated. I wasn't eating much because it didn't sit well so I was also really hungry. In short, I was a mess.
I finally got the test results back on Thursday evening and although they were inconclusive, my doctor decided to prescribe me some antibiotics because she was pretty sure it was some kind of bug and these would do the trick. I had also been doing some Googling (of course, as every sick person does, for better or worse) and it was clear from all my systems, that Giardia was the likely culprit; a pretty common parasite picked up while traveling.
I've been taking the antibiotics since Friday and I am happy to say that I am feeling immensely better and I'm almost back to 100%. I finish the meds tomorrow and I'll also be back at work.
Although it was a shitty week (literally...), I am lucky I have a really caring doctor. She personally checked in on me a few times and got the care as quickly as possible, the tests were quick and easy and everything is covered by my medical aid here.
I have heard lots of good things about the healthcare system here in South Africa and how great the service and care is here and I can now attest to that, but I have to back up Canada on this one. I receive the same level of service and care when I am in Canada. The difference, I receive this care in South Africa because I have an employer who provides me with a good benefits plan (Discovery Insurance). I receive this care in Canada because I am a human being. It makes me sad that there are a lot of people across South Africa who are unemployed (the unemployment rate is at 40% right now) and they do not have the same access to care in their own home country that I am receiving as a temporary resident. I'm sure there was someone else in Joburg who was rocking a parasite last week just like me and it makes me sad to think they might not be feeling better just yet like I am or they might be footing a bill that they can't afford.
Thursday, 18 June 2015
Safety Reminder
Before moving to Johannesburg, I had heard all the stories about robberies, smash and grabs and general crime in the city. When I moved everyone gave me the safety tips for living in the city:
But two weeks ago one of my colleagues was on her way home from the airport when someone followed her into her apartment complex and held her and her husband at gun point in their home. Luckily no one was harmed and the intruder just took a bunch of their electronics and left.
But that freaked me out.
It was like all of a sudden, I remembered, that scary things can happen in this city where there are lots of guns and lots of impoverished communities. That's not a good mix. The night I heard about this, I locked both the padlocks on my apartment door.
Although, I have to make sure I keep following my safety precautions and not forget that things can be dangerous and its always better safe than sorry, I am also reminding myself that I meet wonderful, friendly people every day and there is a lot of good I get to see in the city.
- keep your car doors locked
- store your purse in the trunk when you're driving
- don't walk by yourself at night
- if its late and the streets are empty, don't sit at red lights
But two weeks ago one of my colleagues was on her way home from the airport when someone followed her into her apartment complex and held her and her husband at gun point in their home. Luckily no one was harmed and the intruder just took a bunch of their electronics and left.
But that freaked me out.
It was like all of a sudden, I remembered, that scary things can happen in this city where there are lots of guns and lots of impoverished communities. That's not a good mix. The night I heard about this, I locked both the padlocks on my apartment door.
Although, I have to make sure I keep following my safety precautions and not forget that things can be dangerous and its always better safe than sorry, I am also reminding myself that I meet wonderful, friendly people every day and there is a lot of good I get to see in the city.
Thursday, 11 June 2015
Hola, Spain!
I am very lucky to have a job that allows me to travel. It can sometimes be exhausting, but it's a privilege I am very appreciate of, especially when the destination I am being sent is Spain.
I traveled through a big chunk of Europe when I graduated from university but I didn't make it over to Spain at that time so I was really excited to get the chance to see it now.
My meetings were scheduled over two days in Madrid but I flew into Barcelona for the weekend before going to Madrid.
Barcelona is a really lovely city, between the Gaudi architecture, beautiful parks and beaches on the Mediterranean, you can't really go wrong. I stayed in a hostel near La Sagrada Famila so I was able to capture many glimpses of this 150 year old work in progress. I also spent a lot of time just walking the streets of the city, taking it all in (and stopping periodically for a frappaccino at Starbucks, because I couldn't help myself - it was hot and there are no Starbucks in South Africa!).
It's a good thing I did pop into Starbucks though because I ended up seeing a woman steal someone's purse right off the back of her chair and I was able to alert the girl who chased the woman down and got back her purse. Thank goodness because her passport was in there! I actually was so naive that I didn't even recognize at first what the woman was actually doing, I guess it seemed unbelievable to me that she was doing so right there in the open, but she was. The sad part is that its so common to have thieves and pickpockets in Spain that the girl just yelled at the thief but then walked away and there weren't any real consequences. Word to the wise traveling in Spain: keep a hand on your purse at all times. A colleague also had her wallet stolen from her in a busy square of Madrid, right out of her bag without her noticing.
One of the best parts of spending my weekend in Barcelona though was going stand up paddle boarding in the Mediterranean. I have wanted to try it for so long and I really enjoyed it! It can be so relaxing to just paddle around in the sunshine and it's great practice for your balance; I feel in a couple of times. haha
I did a walking tour of the old city, which is always once of my favourite ways to get to know a new city and I learned a lot of interesting history while taking in the city. A very bizarre thing I learned about Catalonia, the region in which Barcelona lies (whom are also trying to get independence from Spain), is their affinity for strange traditions involving poo. One tradition they hold (although there are others!) is to have in their nativity scenes at Christmas, a little shepherd who is taking a poo behind a tree. I'm not even kidding. They put up a huge nativity scene in the main square of the city every year and without fail there is a shepherd hidden in the background taking a dump behind a tree. So OF COURSE I had to buy a little shitting shepherd of my own. Dad - you're welcome in advance for sprucing up your nativity scene.
I took the train from Barca into Madrid on Sunday night and a friend of mine who lives there picked me up at the train station and we were for dinner on the rooftop of a building and did a walk around some of the main sites in Madrid, like the royal palace, city hall, etc. It was quite lovely and I was impressed by how beautiful and clean Madrid is. On the last day of my meetings in Madrid our whole group had lunch in the beautiful Parque del Retiro. A charming end to a short European stay.
I traveled through a big chunk of Europe when I graduated from university but I didn't make it over to Spain at that time so I was really excited to get the chance to see it now.
My meetings were scheduled over two days in Madrid but I flew into Barcelona for the weekend before going to Madrid.
Barcelona is a really lovely city, between the Gaudi architecture, beautiful parks and beaches on the Mediterranean, you can't really go wrong. I stayed in a hostel near La Sagrada Famila so I was able to capture many glimpses of this 150 year old work in progress. I also spent a lot of time just walking the streets of the city, taking it all in (and stopping periodically for a frappaccino at Starbucks, because I couldn't help myself - it was hot and there are no Starbucks in South Africa!).
It's a good thing I did pop into Starbucks though because I ended up seeing a woman steal someone's purse right off the back of her chair and I was able to alert the girl who chased the woman down and got back her purse. Thank goodness because her passport was in there! I actually was so naive that I didn't even recognize at first what the woman was actually doing, I guess it seemed unbelievable to me that she was doing so right there in the open, but she was. The sad part is that its so common to have thieves and pickpockets in Spain that the girl just yelled at the thief but then walked away and there weren't any real consequences. Word to the wise traveling in Spain: keep a hand on your purse at all times. A colleague also had her wallet stolen from her in a busy square of Madrid, right out of her bag without her noticing.
One of the best parts of spending my weekend in Barcelona though was going stand up paddle boarding in the Mediterranean. I have wanted to try it for so long and I really enjoyed it! It can be so relaxing to just paddle around in the sunshine and it's great practice for your balance; I feel in a couple of times. haha
I did a walking tour of the old city, which is always once of my favourite ways to get to know a new city and I learned a lot of interesting history while taking in the city. A very bizarre thing I learned about Catalonia, the region in which Barcelona lies (whom are also trying to get independence from Spain), is their affinity for strange traditions involving poo. One tradition they hold (although there are others!) is to have in their nativity scenes at Christmas, a little shepherd who is taking a poo behind a tree. I'm not even kidding. They put up a huge nativity scene in the main square of the city every year and without fail there is a shepherd hidden in the background taking a dump behind a tree. So OF COURSE I had to buy a little shitting shepherd of my own. Dad - you're welcome in advance for sprucing up your nativity scene.
I took the train from Barca into Madrid on Sunday night and a friend of mine who lives there picked me up at the train station and we were for dinner on the rooftop of a building and did a walk around some of the main sites in Madrid, like the royal palace, city hall, etc. It was quite lovely and I was impressed by how beautiful and clean Madrid is. On the last day of my meetings in Madrid our whole group had lunch in the beautiful Parque del Retiro. A charming end to a short European stay.
Kalk Bay
About three weeks ago, I was sent back to Cape Town for a work event and my friend and I decided to take advantage of being sent out that way, to spend a relaxing weekend in Kalk Bay.
Kalk Bay is about a 30 minute drive from downtown Cape Town so it was perfect. We were able to enjoy the relaxation of the small town with its super hippie vibes, little shops and lovely views, but also had an easy drive into Cape Town when we wanted.
There was a cute little restaurant I really enjoyed called Lekker (which in South Africa, is slang for "good"). We also walked along the trail on the coast from Kalk Bay to the nearby surfer town of Muizenberg. I could have sat there for hours just people watching, seeing all the different surfers and paddle boarders along the beach and out in the water. We stopped for lunch at a restaurant called Tiger's Milk, which was also really good and had a nice view of the beach, before walking the same path back to Kalk Bay. We had good luck with food actually, because we also had a great dinner in Cape Town one night at Kloof Street House.
I'm not much of a shopper, but we spent one day checking out different shopping hotspots in Cape Town and each of us ended up with some artwork and clothing, so it was a successful mission. We shopped around The Old Biscuit Mill, which is an old factory yard that's been renovated into lots of shops and restaurants with vendor stalls on the weekend also. While we were in that area we also wandered the streets a bit and stumbled into a private artist's studio who had some really cool and affordable pieces so this is where the artwork came from! Then we headed over to the Watershed down at the Waterfront which is a huge warehouse loaded with vendor stalls selling crafts, art and clothing.
So all in all, it was a really nice weekend just to relax, eat well and take in these views.
Tuesday, 19 May 2015
Fourways Market
If you want to live like a local in Johannesburg, you better be spending your weekends at the markets.
One of my favourite things about Jozi is the market culture. Every weekend there are multiple markets that take place on either Saturday or Sunday. Each market is in a different part of the city and has its own vibe. What all of the markets have in common is that they have great food stalls, alcohol for sale and some local craft shops - perfect hang outs for a sunny day in the city.
I previously blogged about visiting Neighbourgoods Market, located downtown, which is the most trendy and well known of the markets. I've now been to all of the other big markets as well; Arts/Market on Main, Bryanston Organic Market, The Sheds@1Fox, Fourways Farmer's Market. I've also been to 44 Stanley a few times, which isn't a market but is a cool little cluster of independent shops - different to the typical mega malls you find all over the city.
All of these places are definitely worth checking out, but I do have a favourite. Fourways has become my favourite market in the city because it has great live music, open every Sunday, and you can actually get a seat! It's a perfect place to grab some lunch and a bottle of wine and just hunker down to enjoy the music and meet new people. Literally every time I have gone, I've come away with some new people to hang with in the city. Speaking of which, I've got a rafting trip to plan with some Germans girls - see ya!
One of my favourite things about Jozi is the market culture. Every weekend there are multiple markets that take place on either Saturday or Sunday. Each market is in a different part of the city and has its own vibe. What all of the markets have in common is that they have great food stalls, alcohol for sale and some local craft shops - perfect hang outs for a sunny day in the city.
I previously blogged about visiting Neighbourgoods Market, located downtown, which is the most trendy and well known of the markets. I've now been to all of the other big markets as well; Arts/Market on Main, Bryanston Organic Market, The Sheds@1Fox, Fourways Farmer's Market. I've also been to 44 Stanley a few times, which isn't a market but is a cool little cluster of independent shops - different to the typical mega malls you find all over the city.
All of these places are definitely worth checking out, but I do have a favourite. Fourways has become my favourite market in the city because it has great live music, open every Sunday, and you can actually get a seat! It's a perfect place to grab some lunch and a bottle of wine and just hunker down to enjoy the music and meet new people. Literally every time I have gone, I've come away with some new people to hang with in the city. Speaking of which, I've got a rafting trip to plan with some Germans girls - see ya!
Wednesday, 13 May 2015
Rwanda
My trip to Rwanda was in one word, epic!
I was very fortunate to be traveling to Rwanda with my friend, who lived there for three years. This meant I got more of the local experience (bucket showers included) and that really is the best way to see a country.
I landed in Kigali on Friday around lunch time and was picked up by my friend, who had arrived a day earlier, and her local buddy. The three of us went for lunch and then back to his place to settle in, where we would be staying while in town. When we arrived I got to meet our second roomie for the week, my friend lived we these guys when she was a resident. These guys are such total sweethearts and made us feel right at home. Then we popped over to see another buddy and former co-worker and her two children. They were such a delight - everyone I met in Rwanda was so open and welcoming. We capped off our night with dinner and drinks at a great restaurant where I was able to meet two more amazing ladies who we stayed out with drinking into the night. I feel like I met and saw the whole of Kigali on day one - amazing!
The next morning we were up early for the drive to Nyagatare. It was a stunning three hour drive through the countryside up North. With all of the lush greenery and rolling hills, Rwanda could not be more beautiful. We made sure to stop along the way for amanzadi, hefty donuts, that are pretty common in different parts of Africa and oh so good. After arriving in Nyagatare, we were greeted by an old colleague of our little crew and headed up to Buguma where they used to live together. We visited the house they lived in, the school they worked at and the bar they owned! It was really neat to see all the places they had been telling me about and also to see them reliving those days. Then it was time for us to make the trek (over some pretty terrible dirt roads) back to Nyagatare for a traditional Rwandan meal. We had ubugali which is made from cassava flour and water, whipped into a sticky starch. We had some goat stew, root veggies and chapati, a flatbread. Wasn't a huge fan of the ubugali (served with peanut sauce), but the rest was very good. We made our way back to Kigali, unfortunately part of the way in the dark, which was a bit worrying because so many bikes and pedestrians walk on the roads and there are no streetlights to help see them. But we survived and once we got back into town we went out for a nice dinner with a crew of expats who were being hosted at a new restaurant opening - more good food!
The next morning we went to see the local market which was chaos but I was able to get some nice fabric which I'll have made into a skirt as well as a small traditional painting that they still use cow dung to make; I couldn't resist. After that madness it was time to relax so we headed to the Hotel des Milles Collines (famously known as Hotel Rwanda). We spent the day relaxing by pool, which was lovely but also felt a bit surreal to be enjoying a swim in this pool that people had to famously drink the water out of to stay alive when being sheltered during the genocide. My friend was leaving that day to fly back to Joburg so we parted ways and I took a bus up to Musanze for the night. When I got off the bus, I was fortunate enough that I had been the only muzungu (white person) because my guide was able to spot me right away and took me to the hotel. I got very used to hearing the word muzungu as I traveled about, especially in the more rural areas, because the children don't see many white people and they get very excited and call out muzungu and wave when they see you. At one point I made the mistake of giving one child a high five and got swarmed by a group of school children wanting me to touch their hand too. Anyways, the next morning my guide picked me up and took me to the starting point for my trek to go see mountain gorillas. I was put into a little group of tourists with a local guide, who brought us into the Parc National des Volcans. It only took us about 30 minutes to get to the point inside the park where a family of gorillas was hanging out; lucky us. Ironically, the family was named the Hirwa Group, which means "lucky group". The family has one silverback, a few females, some adolescent males, a pair of 4 year old twins (which is very rare for gorillas - only seven documented cases to survive since the 60s) as well as 6 month and 4 month old babies. It was absolutely unreal to be so close to these powerful and stunning animals. They pretty much just went about their day, hanging out, eating, playing with each other and walking around, while we watched from a couple metres away. A few of the gorillas were playing together just right in front of us, which is a little scary when they are beating their chests, biting each other and rolling around, but they had no interest in us, just wanted to play together. Just before we left we went to take one last look at the silverback who was doing his own thing in another area. As we were standing there all of a sudden we could hear some of the other gorillas coming closer. One of the female gorillas started running down towards our group and I was on the edge so I turned in to get tighter to the others and out of her way when I felt a pound on my back like a kidney shot (although lighter than what I recall receiving from my brothers back in the day). The others in my group just looked at me incredulous and said, "you just got hit by a gorilla!" It was wild. She was obviously just being cheeky though because she could have really hurt me and she just hit me as she ran by, not using much force. So that was the end of my gorillas experience and although it was expensive, it was well worth it! I ended up hanging out afterwards with my two guides. We went for lunch, headed up to a nice garden and lookout point above the city and I decided to stay in Musanze for the night, getting a lift with my guide back to Kigali the next morning.
I had one final day in Kigali so I hung out a bit with the boys. We walked over to the Genocide Museum/Memorial. It was at times hard to see the graphic images, artifacts collected from mass graves, and to read the descriptions of horrific events, but it was a well-done exhibit. There was a second floor exhibit dedicated solely to the impact of the genocide on children, but just walking up the stairs made me start to cry so my friend very graciously said, "We don't have to go through that part." Which is kind of ridiculous, that I was tearing up just at the thought of children during the genocide as I was standing with someone who bravely survived the genocide as a child. I know he is too kind to have been thinking this, but if I was him, I would have been like, "Bitch, please. If I can walk to Tanzania in 1994, you can walk through this exhibit."
Eventually I had to head to the airport and say goodbye to Rwanda, which had been so good to me. I met fantastic people, was touched by a gorilla, had yummy food, saw incredible views, even the weather was amazing for me the whole time and we are in the rainy season - so lucky!
Rwanda, I will be back to see you again, I'm sure.
I was very fortunate to be traveling to Rwanda with my friend, who lived there for three years. This meant I got more of the local experience (bucket showers included) and that really is the best way to see a country.
I landed in Kigali on Friday around lunch time and was picked up by my friend, who had arrived a day earlier, and her local buddy. The three of us went for lunch and then back to his place to settle in, where we would be staying while in town. When we arrived I got to meet our second roomie for the week, my friend lived we these guys when she was a resident. These guys are such total sweethearts and made us feel right at home. Then we popped over to see another buddy and former co-worker and her two children. They were such a delight - everyone I met in Rwanda was so open and welcoming. We capped off our night with dinner and drinks at a great restaurant where I was able to meet two more amazing ladies who we stayed out with drinking into the night. I feel like I met and saw the whole of Kigali on day one - amazing!
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| The crew's old house in Buguma |
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| On the way to Nyagatare |
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| "Muzungu!!" |
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| Standing in front of wild mountain gorillas |
Eventually I had to head to the airport and say goodbye to Rwanda, which had been so good to me. I met fantastic people, was touched by a gorilla, had yummy food, saw incredible views, even the weather was amazing for me the whole time and we are in the rainy season - so lucky!
Rwanda, I will be back to see you again, I'm sure.
Sunday, 3 May 2015
Bots & Zim Tour
Ever heard of someone missing their flight while sitting at the boarding gate? You have now!
I learned the hard way that South African Airways has a policy of not calling the names of missing passengers as a final boarding call. I was sitting at the gate, where you get onto a shuttle bus which takes you out to the plane, when they called first boarding. The sign about the gate listed the flight number and said "Priority" so I sat down to wait out the first batch of passengers and while sitting started talking to a couple from Australia. After a little bit I still hadn't heard final boarding called or my name called so I asked them, "Are you on this flight too?" Although they and all the other people at the busy gate were heading to Victoria Falls, they were getting there on a different flight. for some reason, they were just chilling at the wrong gate. So I ran up to the desk and said that I needed to get on the flight (15 minutes before takeoff) but the SAA rep told me I was too late. I pleaded for her to take me out to the plane, there was still time, I had been sitting right there - but no luck. I was told I needed to go and rebook my flight, the next of which was the same time the following day. SO FRUSTRATING!
I went through the process of rebooking my flight, paying the ticket price again and headed back home to sulk so I could return again the next day. Luckily, I was able to get a hold of the tour company I was supposed to meet up with the next day and everything on that end was fine.
I flew to Victoria Falls a day late and still had time to go down and walk along the falls. It was beautiful and with the sunshine of the afternoon there was a double rainbow over the falls - gorgeous!
A couple of us who were joining the Nomad Tour through Botswana had sundowners overlooking the Zambezi River and then had dinner as a group before settling in for the night, ready to set off the next morning. It was a good group of 10 of us (6 of us were camping and formed a nice little crew) and I enjoyed getting to know everyone new. Specifically there were a few people who also live in Gauteng, South Africa so we'll keep in touch which is awesome.
We head on our truck from Vic Falls up to Chobe National Park in Botswana and had a packed day. We went on an afternoon game drive and saw loads of animals up close. And then went straight to a boat and cruised down the river seeing more animals in the water and watched the sunset on our way back. This day was definitely the highlight of my tour.
The next day we traveled up through Botswana and into Namibia. We didn't really do anything in Namibia, just relaxed at our campsite on the river and prepared to head back into Botswana the next day. We went this route so that we could access Botswana's Okavango Delta from the North where there were the highest water levels.
In the delta, we went out on Mokoro boats (traditionally canoes carved out of local trees) which are manned by polers who push the canoe using long poles again made from a specific tree in the area. The delta is full of tall grasses and lily pads; it's really peaceful to float along. Although, at the same time you know you're just in a small canoe traveling through waterways created by hippos who could be anywhere in the water. The polers seemed to have a pretty good idea about where the hippos hang out at different times of the day though so it was safe - we even got out in one spot to go for a swim. We also popped by one of the deeper pools of water where the hippos were hanging out. We cut through the grasses and sat along the edge of the pool and just watched the hippos chilling out. It was pretty cool to be so close to them. Unfortunately, we didn't see any other big animals in the delta, even though the Big 5 do live in there, but I guess just not where we were. Kind of a letdown!
There was some confusion from the tour company about the itinerary and our booking which was a little worrying at first because we thought we might miss our flight home, but then it ended up being a blessing in disguise because Nomad Tours decided to charter a flight from our remote area of the delta over to Maun, where we were flying from. People usually pay for these scenic flights and we got it for free! Super cool views over the delta and neat to be in a small four-seater plane (including the pilot).
All in all - a great trip! Now next week onto Rwanda for another exciting trip!
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