Johannesburg – Page 2

amanda July 30, 2010July 30, 2010JohannesburgCape Town, city, coconut samoosas, fourways, home, Johannesburg, moving, oriental plaza, South Africa 11 Comments

A Capetonian in Joburg: First impressions

I’ve been here nearly two weeks after our “semigration” from my home city, Cape Town. Most of it’s been spent unpacking boxes, drinking too much whisky and driving around the megalopolis trying to find decent furniture.

The GPS has taken me through Mayfair, similar to the rougher parts of Woodstock with its seedy slum feel, and a suburb called Blairgowrie, which could have been directly transplanted from Cape Town’s Plumstead.

Then there was Fourways. Fourways defies comparison, but imagine Parklands mixed with Belville, multiply by 20 and wave a Tuscan wand over it.

amanda June 28, 2010Cape Town, Experience, Johannesburg, South AfricaCape Town, Johannesburg, relocating 8 Comments

Moving to Joburg

I dreamt about horses last night. According to the dream books this is indicative of a “highly stressful time of change”. Huh, it should have been a hundred wild stallions then. This moving to Joburg business is rather taxing and I’ve run out of single malt whisky. Fuck.

Bitching and whining aside, I’m pretty excited. A whole new city! New people! New restaurants! New bars! And, since it’s not Cape Town, nobody asking me where I went to school!

amanda April 21, 2010April 21, 2010Johannesburg, South Africaconstitution hill, ferreira's mine, freedom charter, hector petersen museum, history, Johannesburg, kliptown, South Africa, soweto, tour 3 Comments

Jozi has soul (and golden hearses)

Ah, Soweto. A name that was invented via a public competition, the prize money being 10 pounds. Idiosyncratic and surprising, it’s a community of heartbreak, hope… and guys mowing the lawn on a Saturday morning.

I was astounded by how much housing there is, even in the poorer areas, and the manicured green parks that accompany it. During apartheid Soweto residents weren’t allowed trees or bushes (terrorists could hide behind them), but they’re definitely making up for it now. In Cape Town we have the dreary N2 Gateway Project buffered by 40 kilometres of shack, shacks, shacks.

amanda January 29, 2010January 29, 2010Experience, Family, Johannesburgchildren, friendship, happiness 5 Comments

Things that made me smile this month

Teaching a beautiful redhead toddler how to get all the foam out of her babycchino cup.

The same little girl asking for bits of my omelette breakfast, the sweet cherry tomatoes in particular (she obviously has good taste).

Teaching a beautiful redhead toddler how to get all the foam out of her babycchino cup.

The same little girl asking for bits of my omelette breakfast, the sweet cherry tomatoes in particular (she obviously has good taste).