My husband Ian and I have always wanted to travel, but unfortunately life and raising children in general made it impossible at the time. Now our three lovely daughters have grown up and we have the opportunity to do what we would have love to have done with our girls. Making a decision to travel on a shoe string was not easy but what an amazing experience it has been. We have seen, smelled, eaten and are living life to the fullest. The roller coaster ride is scary and euphoric, highs and lows all in one happy bundle. We decided to come to South Africa for a few reason's the first our Dollar goes further because of the exchange rate, it is the country of my birth and my mother still resides here. I wanted to experience the changes that have taken place since the fall of Apartheid as I never did agree with the previous Government, my husband has never seen South Africa and showing your loved one the country of your birth is very special and sad all at the same time. We arrived at Oliver Thambo in October 2009, the airport is modern and clean, the greetings that are on the walls and banners were nice to see as South Africa is a country of eleven official languages and words that one would hear often were depicted. Taking a airport taxi from Johannesburg to Pretoria North was safe and the taxi driver gave us a rate of five hundred and fifty rand, we arrived at my mom's unannounced and our journey in South Africa had started. Our first four months we got to know the Gauteng area which used to be the Transvaal when I was a child. Going to the Union Buildings and seeing the gardens was lovely however I have to say that the paranoia of the new government has surprised me, one used to be able to go up the stairs of the Union buildings however now everything is closed off to the people. To be honest the security is ludicrous as if Government has a fear of some kind I understand that in todays envioment it is necessary however it is taken to extremes. The infrastructure is fantastic thanks to the country being awarded the FIFA World cup hosting, roads, rail and stadiums are all being built or restructured. The communications tower in Pretoria is decorated with a big soccer ball which can be seen from virtually every point of the city of Pretoria. As the hi-way curves coming into Pretoria the University of South Africa stands on a hill to the right and the Voortekker Monument is on a hill to the left, just behind the Monument stands they Air Force Memorial. Going through the streets of the city has been interesting and the places I used to hang out as a young teen have changed, Sunny side for example is very dirty and not safe at all, this used to be the place to go.
The city is very dirty and plenty of buildings seem to be derelict, seeing things as an adult has been enlightening for example when we were children the only history we were taught at school was the Great Trek and year after year we were taken to the Voortrekker monument to see how wonderful our forefathers were, I have to be honest I love history but I hated going to that stupid monument now years later my husband Ian wanted to experience it and going there brought me away with a whole other perspective. The people of that time had tons of courage and to travel that extent of miles in a country where there are lion, leopard and other wild cats and dog wandering around could not have been easy, I also noticed that the monument depicts more than we as children were allowed to see and is more candid to what the nation as a whole achieved, they also have wild life on the premises and some native huts with an explanation on the native cultures and way of life that one can go into. The architecture of the building is lovely and on December 16th known as the day of the vow a dome at the top is opened to let the sun shine directly on a plaque in the basement of the monument that has the words Ons vir jou Suid Afrika in Afrikaans (Us for you South Africa). Driving through the suburb of Voortrekker Hoogte (Voortrekker Heights) which used to be the pride of South Africa and is basically the major Army and Air Force Base was a big disappointment, I used to love going through the area lets be honest what woman does not like a man in uniform however the streets are full of pot holes, the base unkept dirty and basically falling apart. There is no Military pride what so ever and that upsets me very much, the Military Grave Yard is over grown these are the men and woman that gave their lives for the country. Maraba Stad which is just on the out skirts of Pretoria Central is dirty and a mess but interesting if you have ever been to New York City and seen the taxi's or to Mexico city and seen and heard the noise of the horns and traffic you will understand what I am talking about. Most South African whites would never venture into this area but we had the opportunity when my mom took Jacob and his children there (Jacob is a adopted family member and has been in the family for years and treated as a son by my mother, his aunt was the lady that helped raise me when I was a child and I call her mom Lenie my sisters children who she also helped raise call her Ouma Lenie (Grandma Lenie). There are parks and restaurants in and around Pretoria that are lovely and the suburbs are nice and neat with plenty of malls. There is so much to talk about and show. We are going to take you from coast to coast as we have traveled and travel the country by train, bus and car.
No comments:
Post a Comment