A few months ago my boyfriend's employer sent him to South Africa for an assignment. Obvi, that's a pretty big deal so of course I invited myself he invited me to join. We love tagging on a vacation to the heels of a work trip, and it makes financial sense when you get to expense your flight and/or hotel. We were thrilled to go to Africa, as neither of us had been before. My first reaction to Johannesburg was, "Awesome! Isn't it really dangerous?" We did some Googling and discovered it used to have a high crime rate but it's decreased as their economy has strengthened in the past decade.
We weren't able to take the same flight (or airline) so my boyfriend got to Joburg (as the locals call it) a day before me. (I had a fun little layover in Frankfurt on my way!) Joburg has a light rail system, the Gautrain Rapid Rail, but my awesome boyfriend sent a car from the hotel to pick me up since we were unsure if it would be safe for me to navigate the system alone with my luggage in tow. (I might as well wear a sign that says "lost tourist!")
When I got through customs at OR Tambo International Airport, I headed to the ground transportation area and was pushed into a sea of people. Most were drivers or guides holding signs. I was lucky to find my name on a sign quickly! My driver was extremely hospitable and kind. He walked me to his car (a plush Benze) in the garage and we were off to the hotel, the Radisson Blu in Standton, a suburan area of the city. The most impressive part of our stay at the Radisson was the service. The staff was like my driver- always smiling and quick to offer help. Besides the door to our room, I never touched one my entire stay. It was glorious.
The first part of the trip was very low-key for me. My boyfriend went to work the first three days we were there while I stayed in bed and watched movies and read. This was a first for me since I'm usually like Dora the Explorer when I'm in a new place. I felt safe in our immediate neighborhood block but wasn't comfortable enough to venture off on my own.
Also, it was really cold. It was mid-August when we visited, so we went from triple-digit temps here in Texas to highs in the fifties which made it feel extra cold! One day it snowed, which was a perfect excuse for me to stay in bed. This was a really big deal, because Joburg residents see snow in their city about once every two decades. I made it out of my cozy room to the hotel restaraunt for lunch, and later that night to the hotel bar. It was fun to chat with the South Africans about snow! My boyfriend got a kick out of explaining the concept of sledding to his South African counterparts while he was at work that day.
The most fun I had in Joburg proper was a visit to an authentic South African restaurant called Lekgotla with my boyfriend and his co-worker. I don't know how authentic it really was, but I ate some gazelle tartare, which seemed African to me (solely based on the fact that I've never seen that item on a menu in North America, South America, Australia, or Europe, unless it was in another language I can't read). Some savvier travelers might refer to this place as a tourist trap. If drum circles, dancers, face painting, and over-the-top decor make this a tourist trip, then I must be a fan of tourist traps because I looooved this place! I'm exagerating. I have low tolerance for gimicks and in my humble opinion I think it was just African-themed enough to make me feel like I was in Africa. I mean, there was a reason I spent thirty-six hours traveling to get there.
The snow and my boyfriend's work assignement ended by our fourth day there, so that was when the fun started, a.k.a. the "cation" part of the "worcation". I'm a big fan of bus tours when I have a short time to cover a lot of ground, so we booked a bus to see the sights in Jo'burg! If you're going to Joburg, be prepared to drive on the left side of the road (something my American brain cannot accept) at high speeds. I'd rather have a seasoned pro take the wheel than me (or my boyfriend, because that would definitely result in a fight and/or tears, both of which we want to avoid while on vaca).
Our next stop was the apartheid museum. In my Pollyanna world, racial segregation is a thing of the past (like, fifty years in the past). My boyfriend and I were shocked to learn that apartheid was not repealed until 1990, meaning when I was going to kindergarten, my counterparts in South Africa were doing the same thing, but in a segregated school. That's just... wow.
Seeing Joburg, Soweto, and the museum was exhausting in every way so that night we rested. The next day was our last full day in South Africa so we decided to do something ah-MAY-zing and visit an elephant sanctuary outside of the city in an area called Hartbeesport Dam. It was pricey, but worth it, and it was nice to be in the country. If we had done a better job of planning the trip, we would have spent our last couple of nights at a safari/resort hotel in this area, but with only five days' notification before our departure, this option was overlooked. Maybe next time.
The sanctuary is tucked away in a beautiful, wooded area surrounded by indiginous bush and at the time we visited was home to five elephants. These special guys are there to be rehabilitated and (hopefully) released into the wild. Most of them come from zoos or circuses that were unable to keep them. The trainers were incredibly knowlegable and we learned more than I ever thought I'd know about elephant anatomy and mating habits lifestyle.
The up-close-and-personal experience was incredible. Elephants are such social, elegant, peaceful creatures. I liked them, and I think they licked liked me back!
That's Temba. She's very affectionate.
Elephant snot and dirt. What a lovely souvenier! This is going to sound unbearably cheesy but I don't care. I left the sanctuary feeling euphoric. I'm not an animal lover in any way, shape, or form, but there's something about rescues. Dog, cats, elephants... It doesn't seem to matter. Those elephants are grateful to be there and to be taken care of by such caring people and it was a joy to spend time interacting with them.
The next day my boyfriend and I made our (separate) ways back home. I'm so glad to have had the chance to experience Africa, although it's a huge and diverse continent and we only covered a tiny part of it. It's diversity and history were eye-opening.
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