More Jozi adventures with new friends

The theme of the weekend has been more adventures in the Jo’burg Area with new friends. On Saturday Jossie had to attend a student review on campus, so the girls and I had a morning of playing in Springbok Park, over near the UP campus. This park is beautifully landscaped, with lots of big trees and go-away birds (grey louries), and a lovely artificial creek. There’s one play structure there, of which we availed ourselves.
Afterwards, it was time to go to the laundry for the weeks washing, and back home to dry it. At naptime we received a call from a friend of our dear Aunt Sally and Uncle Bill, who’s in Jo’burg to work on a sorely needed power plant. He invited us down for dinner near his hotel in Sandton, which is a newly developed area just north of Jo’burg. At the end of Apartheid, Sandton became the sink for the white flight out of Jo’burg proper, so it’s a fabulously well-to-do (thanks KV) area, and seat of the Jo’burg Stock Exchange (JSE). We met with Mr. Jack Miller and strolled down to Nelson Mandela Square, next to Sandton City, a fantastic megamall (even by our ‘Merican standards), which is six stories tall, one of which is dedicated solely to ATMs, we are told. There’s a giant statue of Madiba himself there (about 7 m or 20 feet), and the feeling that people of every race are welcome there (provided they have gobs and gobs and gobs of cash).

We had dinner at a nice seafood restaurant on the square, outside, which featured a seafood platter with tasty crustaceans of many lands. Mr. Miller shared lots of great stories and perspectives on his trips to SA, and on life back in the ‘States. Here are some of the photos he took for us to share with y’all.

On Sunday, we had some more Jozi adventures with Bertrum, one of the profs in architectureland. We picked him up in the ‘benz and set a course for Rosebank. In Rosebank, we descended upon another mall stroke craft market (ZA’ns don’t say slash) with an amazing array of arts and crafts, antiques and jonque. Very cool to see the more traditional African masks and sculptures intermixed with recycled wire/bead art as well as a variety of other modern arts. (sorry no pix) There was a small combo of Zulu balafon players playing in front of a purple dragon bounce castle. After a hearty bouncing session we retreated to the food area for some samoosas and lamb curry. Yum!!!

We ambled about a bit more, investigating another part with a strictly African craft market, and did a little haggling for some beadwork. Then, we braved the MALL! This aspect of South African life is quite like the US, with these large consumatoriums loaded with all manner of goods. Really, we just passed through on our way back to the car with Violet ready to pass out from all the excitement (and ice cream).

Then on to Zoo Lake Park,which may have been near the zoo, but not in the zoo. The park was stuffed with Sunday braai’ing families, kids playing on the playgrounds, pickup soccer and cricket, and all the hawkers selling stuff. Interesting combinations of things, like hats and tin wall hangings, or soccer balls and inflatable giraffes. We were encouraged by many of them to support the small businessman (themselves), so it became a day of TWO ICE CREAMS (actually one icecream, and one sucker, as they call Popsicles here). We also got a ball to work on the girls’ gross motor skills.

We ended the day with a walk around the lake, where folks oared about in colorful rented rowboats. Then a drive through more new parts of Jo’burg, and back home on the N1 to get Bertrum home for his hot date.