Last day in Pretoria

Well it's my last full day in Pretoria and today is a full day of SA culture. Alexa and I are going on a guided tour of the Apartheid Museum and a trip to the township of Soweto.... for the first time, I forgot to put my memory card back into my camera after downloading pics, so I don't have any from the museum.


This is our guide Moses. He was quit a character and made the whole experience something to remember...


He showed us all sides of Soweto... from the richest rich to the poorest poor. Everything from mansions that could be in any of the most wealthy suburbs in Chicago, to tin shacks that house 8-10 people. We saw it all... including some national landmarks.

As part of the Soweto tour, we went to one of the poorest parts, a squatter's camp.


Lawrence, our guide in the township... he was very nice and full of information.



This area is a very tight community and they have established the tours so that people can see what's really going on there. He would answer any question we had and showed us pretty much anything we wanted.

I am reluctant to post pictures from here because I don't have time to write a proper description and don't want to show them without explanation. The people allowed us to see and photograph anything and everything we wanted, including a tour inside one of the shacks where an old man was living... his shack had queen size bedd in the main room, and that was about it... all that would fit that is. Suffice it so say, the people here don't have another choice for a place to live, despite the fact that they do NOT have electricity, running water, or any amenities we all take for granted. It was not a sad visit though, because the people seem to have a spirit in them that raises them above the adversity they now face...

It was the first day of spring here, and the children were running around playing and enjoying the start of a new season. As is customary, they were throwing water on each other... despite the fact that it is a scarce resource where up to 50 people share a single tap that we would have on the side of our house for the garden.



I'll try to put together a proper explanation and post it, but it might be best if I tell you in person... just ask.

This kid was so cute, I couldn't resist...


In Soweto, we also saw the house where Winnie Mandela still lives, along with houses where Nelson Mandela and Reverend Desmond Tutu lived. It is the only place in the world where two Nobel Peace Prize winners live on the same street... We also saw the place where Hector Peiterson was killed; he was the first of hundreds of children who were killed in a student protest that gave rise to the the overthrow of Apartheid.



It was a long hard day of culture, both me and Alexa really enjoyed it and probably won't forget it for along time.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Pretoria, South Africa