The Baz Bus left Drakensberg about mid-day. We headed west and up.
After passing through the Drakensburg mountains we were on the high plains. Again the landscape was broad acre farming reminiscent of western NSW.
Dodgy Service Station
We stopped at a service station about 100 kilometres from Johannesburg. The driver suggested that we “do not use the ATM in this place”. In some respects, I think that warnings like this are a bit over the top. However, they must be based on some experience.
When we did stop, I went into the service station to ‘use the facilities’. I did note that ‘the facilities’ had a guard. Maybe the ‘do not use the ATM’ advice was valid.
Traffic Jam
I had mention previously that the Baz Bus drivers were keen to get into Johannesburg as soon as possible. This was so that they could beat the worst of the peak hour traffic.
Well it seems that ‘peak hour traffic’ lasts much more than an hour. It seemed to take us for forever to get from the outskirts of the city to the Brown Sugar Hostel that is about 5 kilometres from the CBD.
I had booked a single room at the hostel. This turned out to be at cottage at the back of the main building. The main building is an old house, properly better described as a mansion. It is big enough to easily covered into a hostel. The place has a pool, albeit it needs a bit on maintenance.
I was told by the manager of the hostel that the house used to be owned by the Mafia. I guess that is true.
The staff advised that no evening meals were being offered “because it was Thursday”. They didn’t explain what the relevance of Thursday was with respect to cooking or not cooking meals.
They said that they could order a take away meal from a “local outlet”. I ordered chicken and vegetables. It arrived in 10 minutes. It must have been ‘very local’.
Into Maboneng
I spent the morning doing ‘administrative stuff’, including trying to sort out my annual Superannuation contribution. I am wondering why I pay any fees to the fund. They seem to as close to completely incompetent as it is possible to get.
It was late in the afternoon when I finally headed into town for ‘lunch’. I had heard about the ‘Maboneng Precinct’. It is an area near to the CBD. It is not unlike other cities – London, Sydney and Melbourne – an area near to the CBD’ that has fallen into decay and is now in the process of being ‘gentrified’. The reason for the fall into decay in Johannesburg’s case are probably a little more complex than is the case with other cities.
Using Uber
Anyway I used Uber to take me from the hostel to the Maboneng Precinct. Having to use Uber is an example of an issue with travelling in the RSA. Albeit it is a short distance from the hostel to the Precinct, I could not walk. I was forced to use an Uber taxi.
Just as an aside, the ‘taxis’ service is run from San Francisco, and for tax purposes the company is domiciled in the Netherlands. The cars used by the Uber drivers are German – Mercedes and Audis.
The thing is an excellent example of the impact of globalisation.
On my way up from Durban, I had listened to a podcast about your ‘social made reputation’. Uber was given as an example. Apparently, the drivers rate the customers in the same way that the customers rate the drivers
On the ride to the Maboneng Precinct, I asked that driver what my rating was. He told me that it was “5 out of 5”. I guess that is pretty good.
The route into town took past the Ellis Park Rugby stadium. Like many stadia nowadays, it is sponsored by Emirates Airlines.
Good Meal
The Maboneng Precinct has lots of trendy restaurants. The one I picked was very good. It also served good craft beer – Butcher’s Pale Ale.
City Tour
Next day I decided to take a hop on hop bus tour of the city. These are often a good way to acquaint yourself with a new city. In Johannesburg’s case you really do not have an option. It would be very difficult, actually impossible, to get around the sights on foot and public transport.
I took an Uber taxi to Park Station, the closest stop for the bus.
The tour took us around the CBD. The commentary was interesting. It talked about the CBD becoming “vibrant with outdoor stalls and people selling all manner of goods”. I think another view would be that the previously ‘white area’ had been overrun by the blacks’.
Tall Tower
The bus stopped at the ‘Africa Tower’. I got off the bus with a Chinese woman. We were met by a guide who works for the bus company. He explained that “it was his job to look after us as this was not a safe part of the city”.
The guide explained that the tower was part of complex that included a hotel, that used to be the best and most popular hotel in Johannesburg. However, this part of the city had changed. The hotel closed “owing a lot of tax”. The building is now used to house the Taxation Department. A bit of irony there.
The tower is the tallest building in Johannesburg and it is also the tallest building in Africa. The guide took us to the lift that whisked us to the top of the tower. The views are spectacular. To the west you can see the mounds of dirty that were extracted from the goldmines. They are huge and are actually small hills. Beyond the hills you can see Soweto.
To the north of the CBD you can see a ‘new area’. This is where large number of the businesses, including banks and professional services companies have relocated. To the east you can see Ellis Park. The guide explained that the area better the CBD and the Ellis Park “was dangerous. A lot of migrants had moved into the area and were squatting in the buildings”.
Football City Stadium
After checking out the Africa Tower, I reboarded the bus. It took me south and then west out of the city. We passed the Football City stadium which was built for the Football (soccer) World Cup in 2010. The final was played in this stadium.
Next stop was the Gold Reef Casino. This was where I took a detour on a small bus to Soweto.
Soweto
This bus had a guide. He was a bit of a character. He explained that he was “born and raised in Soweto and was very proud to live there”.
It was a relatively short drive from the Casino to the start of the Soweto Township. The road was wide and very busy. The bus stopped at the sign signifying the start of the township.
The guide explained that “there are over 50 separate districts with the Township”. He also said that the conditions in the districts vary. He pointed to the house nearby. “Many of these houses cost over Rand 1 million (over AUD 100,000). These houses have electricity, water and sewage. Most have satellite dishes and garages.
As we continued, we passed another area where the guide pointed out some ‘barrack’ style buildings. Apparently these were where the miner workers were housed when Soweto was first established. The black workers were brought to Johannesburg from other areas without their families. They lived in these barracks.
They ae now used by poorer people, mainly immigrants from countries like Zimbabwe. The conditions in these buildings are dire. There is no running water or electricity. There are very rudimentary ‘shared’ toilets.
Our next stop was the Hector Pieterson Memorial. This commemorates one the most infamous events of the Apartheid period. Check out the Wikipedia link.
Significant Houses
Not far from the Memorial, “is the street where two Noble Peace Prize winners lived”. We got off the bus and walked past Nelson Mandela’s house and the house where Desmond Tutu lived.
The Casino
After leaving Soweto, the mini bus took us back to Casino. I decided to have lunch there. Eating and drinking are the only reasons I go to a Casino.
The Apartheid Museum
Not far from the casino is the Apartheid Museum. Places like this are important. I went to museum in Santiago in Peru which commemorates the atrocities committed by the Military Junta in that country.
Albeit that the Apartheid Museum is good, it does not have the impact of the museum in Santiago.
Mining Walk
I reboarded the bus and headed back into the city. The next hop off point was an area known as the ‘Mining Walk’. It is in part of the CBD that is still occupied by large companies. The ‘mining’ aspect of the place is basically and replicate of ‘shaft tower’ and an old train that transported miners underground.
Wik University
The bus passed the Wik University. I thought about getting off, but it was getting late.
Trendy Pub
A couple of young bloke on the bus told me that they were getting off at the next stop “because it was a good area to find a place to eat”.
I decided to join them. The place we stopped at was very lively. It was full of young people. The blokes told me that they worked for a telecommunications company. One was from Johannesburg and the other was from Dubai. We shared a couple pizzas as we drank some craft beers. The blokes had some interesting things to say about Johannesburg and South Africa in general.
The local pointed out that “you looked around you would think that you were in any first world city – London, Sydney or Berlin”. There lots of young people of different races (but predominantly white) enjoying a drink in the late afternoon sun. Everything was relaxed.
However, the local pointed out that “if you were walk more than two blocks in any direction from where we were, it would be almost certain that you would be robbed and possibly mugged”.
Uber Again
After the meal and the beers, I ordered an Uber taxi back to the Hostel.
Moving Hostels
I decided that the Brown Sugar Hostel was too boring. I had seen a place in the Maboneng Precinct that looked pretty good. I made a reservation on their web site.
In the morning I ordered another Uber taxis and headed to the new hostel. It is called Curocity and it’s really good.
I decided to have lunch in the restaurant over the road from the hostel. It is an interesting place. It serves Argentinian food – i.e. streaks. I am not a big meat eater, but I enjoy the occasional steak.
The meal was good. Over a post meal craft beer, I had a chat with the owner. He told me that he had left Argentina over fifteen years ago and had lived and worked in several countries including the USA and Mexico. He had come to the RSA and had decided to stay.
A bit About Maboneng
He told me that the redevelopment of the Maboneng Precinct was primarily being done by one company. It is owned by a Jewish bloke in his thirties. He is buying up the derelict building and refurnishing them. The building where the restaurant is housed is an example. The Argentinian told me that the Jewish guy “had to sort out the security in the precinct himself”. This involved employing security guards. “It is not possible to trust the police”.
Early to bed
I had an early night. The next day I was heading to Kruger National Park.
Flickr Link
Maboneng Link
http://www.southafrica.net/za/en/articles/entry/article-maboneng-precinct
Soweto Link
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soweto
Hector Pieterson Link
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hector_Pieterson
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