Week 12, South Africa: Jo'burg, evolution and LEGOs

Sorry for the delay. I got caught up in the excitement of week 13 before I had a chance to recap week 12.

The experiences

I started out the week with my departure from India. I had a flight after midnight so I roamed the terminal buying things from duty free and as mentioned in my last post getting my palm read. When I arrived in Paris (on my way to Johannesburg) I realized I couldn't easily get to another terminal. I had 17 hours to kill and not much to work with, especially considering the hair cutting place I wanted to go to no longer existed. I hung out and ate 3 mini chocolate croissants, two hunks of delicious cheese and 2 glasses of red wine, among other things, and napped and read. In general I am not someone to worry about leaving alone to her own devices for hours on end; I always find a way to enjoy myself. I really didn't like Paris the first time I visited so I'm hoping this time I really enjoy it. If this little side trip in the airport is any indication, I think I will. Not only did the French teacher in middle school tell me I had a good accent but I seemed to fool many of the sales personnel which was encouraging except I couldn't understand them beyond a "Hi, How are you doing." Clearly I chose to study German instead of French.

Arriving in Jo'burg I realized an immediate difference. In India people would be nice and offer to help or pass you by. Here they help but demand money. I was totally unprepared for the up-front nature of people (which is pretty funny since most people think I'm up-front, to quote my favorite team lead (Chris) "you just put it all out there, never have to wonder what you're thinking")

I booked a hostel for the few days leading up to my safari and was pretty lucky to stumble upon an old Mafioso mansion that does a lot of group travel. So it was enormous but given the turn in temperature (it's Fall in South Africa which means high temperatures in the 70s and occasional rain) and the ever present international news scares about Africa, it was pretty slow. I had a whole dorm to myself till my last day when a woman from Utah joined me. I liked being there as it felt much more homelike than most places. The staff were the same way. It was less about providing a service and more about helping (describing the difference apparently eludes me too).

I settled in to the 30+ temperature difference and caught the few sights I'd picked out in advance. I booked a driver to take me to the Cradle of Humankind. The Cradle itself is enormous and the site of some of the oldest fossils on the globe. I climbed into the cave where "little foot" and "Mrs. Ples" were discovered. Some of the oldest and most intact archaeological discoveries can be found here where humanity originated. They are pretty conscious of creationists and I even caught this Carl Sagan quote referencing the constant and questioning nature of science. Overall it's tough to refute something when you're staring at the evidence. 

"The elephant cavern," like many formations in the cave, is named for its shape It's a lot like looking at the clouds. They see the virgin Mary, the three wise men, etc.

Continuous work in the Cradle region.

Still what I think of when I hear "little foot"

The next part of that tour (10 minutes down the road) had us going through a museum of sorts on the history of geological earth and then more anthropologically through human history with lessons on what we humans have done to the planet. Both these sites are part of the field trips kids take here--I got to walk around with a few different school groups while I was there. At the end we got to see/touch the hand prints of Nelson Mandela, the imprints of Desmond Tutu's foot or Kofi Annan's foot. The overall message is we make the choices that determine the future.

I had some extra time to kill so I went through the shops, got lunch and most importantly a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. This is my favorite white wine. I was slightly disappointed in New Zealand as that is supposed to be the land of S.B. but South Africa is making up for it. It's the perfect balance of dry and fruity. Love It and wish I could find these wineries in America.

After learning so much I decided to do another kid like thing. Beth mentioned how much one of her colleagues and his family liked seeing the Lego art exhibit in Cape Town. When I looked it up it had made the move to Johannesburg so I got a taxi to take me to the mall and wait while I went through it. The artist was a corporate attorney in New York and I really recommend seeing the exhibit if you get a chance (The Art of the Brick). He does some very interesting things with those little blocks (originals and recreations of the classics).

Swimmer 

The Scream

I then grabbed a cab to another area of Jo'burg where my safari would depart on Sunday. This neighborhood was nice enough that no one batted an eye when I said I was going out for a walk.

I learned an interesting lesson this week. I always knew not to pay attention to hearsay for safe travel or reputations of a country but when residents or recent visitors mention something, you have to take it to heart. If I wasn't sure about the safety of an area, I emailed my hostel. For instance, in Cape Town I wanted to know if I could take the bus from the transit terminal to the hostel, they told me to definitely take a cab. In Jo'burg you really don't want to go anywhere without a trustworthy cab. It is dangerous even if you have your wits about you. Although most of the stories I heard from the hostel in Jo'burg were ridiculous and always involved someone offering to help at an ATM--in case you didn't know this, you should not need help at an ATM, ever. That being said, I did have an ATM timeout on me and charge my card the money, but no one can help with that at the machine. All my hostels in South Africa have ATMs inside the secured premises.

It was a light week spent mostly in reflection on the first third of the trip and thinking about my grandma Pearl (listening to See You Again a lot) I'd thought about posting a reflection piece for each third of the journey but haven't quite figured out how to go about it yet. But thinking through it certainly was a great exercise even if I don't publish it.

  

The lessons

• Only pay attention to people who know a country when taking travel advice.
• If you need help at an ATM, you should not be at an ATM.

The last thing you see before walking out to the caves at the Cradle of Humankind.

 Interesting

•  For both the flight to Paris and the flight to Johannesburg I was excited and prepared to watch all the new movies but when it came to it I only got one in on each flight before I passed out.
• I got to sit on the second story of an A380 on the way to Johannesburg!

I think my favorite color is purple now. I bought the same nail polish in the airport as I picked for my 30th birthday.

The coolest airline pillow I have EVER seen.