It was an awesome trip. We had incredibly wonderful hosts, and work-wise I learnt so much. I know that we probably saw only the posh/good bits of the city, but hey, I am not complaining. We were in Sandton, the business district, and it was really nice and modern indeed. Nelson Mandela Square was next to the hotel, and on the day trip out to Soweto, we passed by Houghton (where all the rich folks live), and stopped outside Mandela's home for a quick photo. I saw jacaranda trees for the first time- such a lovely shade of purple!
The only time I felt slightly nervous was when we passed through Hillbrow, an inner city residential neighbourhood known for its high levels of population density, unemployment, poverty and crime. People were out everywhere, hanging by their cars and blasting loud music out in the street. Not one single white person was seen in this neighbourhood. The stark difference between the rich and poor was so apparent- especially when you visit Hillbrow after seeing Houghton.
The visit to Soweto was very educational- giving us a glimpse of the history of the struggle against apartheid. The name 'Soweto' is an abbreviation for South Western Townships, and it began as a product of segregationist planning.
The stained glass windows inside the Regina Mundi Church-
can you see the image of Nelson Mandela?
can you see the image of Nelson Mandela?
We had dinner at the Sakhumzi restaurant on the famous Vilakazi Street- which is the only street in the world to have once had two Nobel Prize winners as residents- Nelson Mandela and Reverend Desmond Tutu. Dining at the restaurant was a pretty interesting experience. We saw posh cars being driven up and down the road (in fact I think they went down the road and then came back up)- the owners had their car windows down, loud music blasting away; some with wine glass in hand as they drove! That was a rather strange display of wealth....
More to come in the next post!
