Africa Blog

Day One

Hey viewers,

Today marks the first day of this 3 week adventure. After a solid 14 hours of movie binging, minimal reading, and endless snack consumption the Johnson family has made it safely to Johannesburg, South Africa. We were immediately greeted with warm hospitality and welcoming people. With a quick drive to the Four Seasons Hotel my family and I got a sneak peek of the town itself and all of its unique characteristics. After a quick cat nap we headed back out into the city with the tour guide-artist-park entrepreneur James. He took us to some of the hippest restaurants and art galleries. We all bought new jewelry, sculptures, and paintings. Just an FYI I am extremely jet lagged and am in dire need of a nap but am going to trudge through (given it is only 6:30 pm). We are having dinner at flame a classy restaurant within our hotel giving a perfect view of this beautiful South African city. All in all, day one was a success and we are looking forward to our second adventure tomorrow.

Day Two

Hello again,

Today was the second day in Johannesburg. Our tour took the history approach with Mr. Robin. We visited many unique places that gave us great insight to this town. We started in the township of Alexandra. This is one of the poorest places in South Africa. It was truly moving and gave us insight of how grateful we are to have the basic necessities we posses (food, running water, air conditioning, health). We briefly visited a preschool for ages 1-4, owned by our guide Mr Robin. It was a lovely little building, packed with some of the most adorable children. We were immediately greeted by hugs and they sang some nursery songs for us to show off their talents. Very. Very. Sweet. Then we moved onto the Apartheid Museum and learned all about the history of segregation in this country. It was a heartfelt museum, yet my favorite part of this destination was the last room. Within the final exhibit accompanying a giant South African flag, was the national anthem. The anthem is a mix of the same song sung in different languages, harmonies, and renditions from individual time periods, all made into one beautiful song. While listening to the recording a large group of school boys entered the room. They immediately began belting the anthem, gleaming with pride for their country. The sound echoed across the room and it was a wonderful experience to see such nationalism within this younger generation. After this stop we had lunch in one of the local towns, we were bombarded by begging(yet lovely) men and women offering to wash our car, sell us hats, bracelets, beads, necklaces, and other nicknacks. We got a kick out of this because they all had a great sense of humor and were extremely kind. We had lunch at a great local place and watched as street entertainers put on a show for us in the middle of the road. This town was a perfect contrast to Alexandra, besides its begging community, it was extremely wealthy and touristy. Next, we ended our 7 hour day (yikes) at the court house. Despite how boring it really sounds, it was quite fascinating. There were so many components the architects wanted to include in this space of justice and they never failed. They used hundreds of pieces of artwork in order to bring to life the ideas of: growth, transparency, equality, learning, reflection… etc. It was absolutely beautiful and I am glad we stopped to visit. After a quick drive home we thanked our guide for a lovely day and went to dinner. Rusty, Rene and I had high hopes of a great looking restaurant named Marble.When we approached the beautiful modern building there seemed to have been a problem. The customers were standing outside of the restaurant, drinks in hand, staring up at its location. There seemed to have been a kitchen fire! We were very lucky that we came when we did. Marble was surrounded by firetrucks and local security, and they assured that no one was injured, which was a relief. Feeling quite shocked, with the help of our great driver Timothy, we picked out a new restaurant named Pigalle and it was wonderful! Some of the best steak I’ve ever had and the ice cream was impeccable ( and those who know me, know that I am very serious about my ice cream ). Now stuffed, we headed back to the hotel feeling very sleepy after our action packed day. It is currently 10:05 pm as I am writing this and hoping that I fall asleep soon because we have a 6:30 am departure tomorrow where we will take this journey over to Namibia!