South Africa: Johannesburg

As I mentioned in my previous post, this marks my second trip to South Africa. My first work trip here was for three weeks in early 2012. I stayed in Johannesburg for work during the week and spent my weekends on safari in Kruger National Park and exploring Cape Town (more to come on those trips in later back-posts). The current work trip is a little different as I am only in JoBurg for one and a half weeks before heading to Tel Aviv. That being said, I wanted to give myself a little time to rest and explore the city.

Note: the "we" I reference going forward in this post includes myself and two of my co-workers, Amy (Dallas) and Nattaya (Bangkok).

The first weekend we arrived, we toured the Apartheid Museum. I have not been affected by a museum like this since the United States Memorial Holocaust Museum in DC. Growing up, I did not learn about Apartheid in school. We learned about Segregation in the U.S. and the Holocaust but Apartheid seemed to be left out of the curriculum. The museum gives a comprehensive overview of the tragic history of South Africa using all forms of media - print, pictures, videos, recordings, etc. The effects of Apartheid are still visibly apparent in today's South Africa and the museum helps give an understanding of the people and sensitivies still in place today. It is definitely not a place to be missed when going to JoBurg!

Entrance to the Apartheid museum.

The next Saturday was spent eating, drinking and shopping. First, we went to Neighbourgoods Market in Braamfontein, an area of downtown. The market is a spin-off of the original, which started in Cape Town, and is located in a renovated parking garage. It features local vendors selling food, drink and clothing in boutique-style pop-up shops. The market is typically frequented by a younger, hipster crowd, however there were quite a few tourists walking around as well. 

Entrance to the market.

My first stop was a table selling local wine where I paid 20R (~$2) for a glass of their Sauvignon Blanc to sip on while walking around to decide what to eat for lunch. It proved to be a pretty easy decision when I saw the huge paella pans filled with steaming seafood and saffron rice. For 50R (~$5), I munched on a small bowl filled with delicious mussels, prawns and calamari. After the satisfying lunch, we headed upstairs to see what else the market had to offer besides the pesto and olive bar, Thai, sushi, crepes and cupcakes on the first floor. On the second floor, we found more cakes, Argentine meat (cooked by real Argentines unlike the Thai and sushi offered downstairs) and more tables filled with wine. I also spotted an area selling Moscow Mules (vodka, ginger beer and lime for those who do not know) and could not resist trying a South African version of the classic cocktail. Although it was served in a plastic cup, rather than the traditional copper mug, it still had all of the lovely tastes you would expect from a proper Mule - delicious!

Paella collage.

Next stop? Back downstairs for a cupcake! There were too many flavors to choose from - bacon 'n beer, red velvet, double chocolate and lemon meringue, to name a few. I went with the double chocolate and lemon meringue but decided to save them for later. Sadly, the lemon meringue was engulfed with ants when I accidentally left it out on the kitchen counter in my hotel room overnight. The chocolate cupcake ended up going to my driver as an extra token of appreciation for taking us around the city all day. I guess I will have to return to JoBurg soon just to review the local cupcake scene.

Rochelle's Cupcakes

Before leaving the market, I had to check out the local boutique pop-up shops to see if I could score a unique piece of clothing. The area was very small and featured mostly designers from Cape Town, as well as a corner with vintage goodies. I did not make a purchase, however, we spent quite some time chatting with the owner of the vintage store. The shop is called Asseblief, Afrikaans for "please" - as in "oh, please!" She is starting to put all of her pieces on a website and will even ship internationally. Check out the vintage on her facebook page located here https://www.facebook.com/Asseblief?ref=ts&fref=ts until she creates the shopping website. 

Group shot.

After leaving the market, we made a quick pit stop at the African Craft Market of Rosebank for souvenirs. The market sells handcarved wooden masks and animals, stones, jewelry and art, among many other things. I purchased a small piece of art on canvas (bright, abstract buildings - what I always buy when traveling for those who have been to my apartment).

 

The day ended in Mandela Square, home of the 6-meter statue of the famous icon himself. A few cocktails were had at a small cafe, then we ate an authentic African dinner at one of the local restaurants bordering the square. The perfect end to a day about JoBurg.

 

Up next: Israel! I am typing this post from the airport in Frankfurt while on a layover to Tel Aviv, where I will be spending the next 8 days working and sightseeing.