December 4/5: Tourist time and red eye to Nairobi

Clive

Saturday was our last day in South Africa, and our driver, Clive, served as our tour guide. On the docket: the Apartheid museum and Soweto, the scene of much of the violent uprising to end a segregated South Africa.

Side note: I started my regiment of Malaria pills on Friday. We’ve all been sharing experiences with these pills, ranging from non-exist to horrific. I didn’t share with the group the worst side effect I had, which were some pretty colorful dreams Friday night, involving the pope and some wicked bee stings. I had heard this was common, but that’s just plain creepy.

Downtown Joburg

We started the day with a tour of Johannesburg. It’s amazing how the neighborhoods can range from affluent to slums in the blink of an eye. Much of the white population lives in beautiful, sprawling compounds surrounded by ten-foot fences topped with volts of electricity. 

But turn a corner and you’re in vastly different downtown Joburg. Throngs of people crowd the streets and sidewalks play host to stands selling everything from toilet paper to fruits and vegetables to beauty salons. It was crowded and run down. Clive told us that many of the high rises are empty, and those that were occupied by families collected very little rent.

I can’t rave enough about the Apartheid museum. Many liken it to the Holocaust museum, and I can see the similarities, because it’s a very emotional experience. I was alive when Apartheid gripped this country. In fact, I was old enough to understand what was going on. Men and women just a few years older than me were standing up to a brutal regime; imprisoned, tortured or killed. And I was busy worrying about the Sadie Hawkins dance. It’s not like I could have joined in the fight, but it certainly put life into perspective.

For almost a decade, many lost families members and wondered where they would sleep at night. It’s pretty powerful ending to see the Bill of Rights and ballots from the first free election in 1994. It’s worth noting that their Bill of Rights includes freedom from discrimination based on handicap or sexual orientation.

Small shanty town outside Soweto

We had lunch one of the oldest restaurants in Soweto, Waldi’s. It was buffet style and reminded me very much of my favorite soul food place in D.C. The food was fantastic, and large, boisterous families surrounded us.  We shopped at a market downtown Soweto before we left. Buckle up Mason and Teichroew families… There will be a theme in my Christmas gift-giving this year.

During the rest of our tour of Soweto, some kids followed us down the street, asking for sweets or dollars, and singing their national anthem. It’s hard to turn away from a shoeless child hugging your legs, even if they are just adorable little shysters.

I’m thankful for the couple of hours break to rest and pack. We had a late check out of the hotel and leave for the airport at 9 p.m. Our flight left Johannesburg for Nairobi at 12:50 a.m. I’m not sure if I’ve discussed “highs and lows” yet. Emily suggested we do this every night, beginning on one of our first in the country. For me, it’s a throw back to the Kappa Kappa Gamma days, and it’s a fantastic way to discuss the events of the day. Each of us went through our daily highs and lows at the airport, which helped mark the end of one day ad the beginning of the next, even though we weren’t heading into a night of sleep.

I slept about 20 minutes on the plane. Wonderful.

We landed in Kenya just as the sun was rising. I wish we had more time to see Nairobi, so that my only impression of it wasn’t just the airport. They say they are in the middle of major re-construction, but the conditions were just plain unsafe. They have torn down the interior of many retail shops, but left the rubble, including broken glass, right next to gates. At one point, I saw a child playing in conditions like this:

Our second flight was much longer than we thought it would be; just over five hours. Everyone was excited about it: 

Oh well.. Fast forward seven or eight hours, and I couldn’t be happier. Sitting by the pool at our hotel in Ghana, in the sun, with free wifi. Ahhhh…..