Another (much shorter) red-eye overnight while already completely jet-lagged, yet surprisingly we all arrived in Johannesburg at 5:30AM local time with relative cheer. Perhaps because the part of the trip had arrived where someone else had already made all our decisions! We were greeted right off the flight by a sweet gentleman named Victor who guided us through the airport and through customs and baggage claim. Once again the process of entering the country was swift and painless, I don’t think anyone even searched our bags. At the curb we were handed off again to our guide for the day, a lovely man named Pastor. We arrived at our hotel “The Peech” at approximately 7:30 AM and thankfully they allowed us to check in early! The hotel was located about 30 minutes from the airport in a very beautiful neighborhood - the exception was that every home had a gated entrance and was enclosed by tall fences topped with several rows of electric fence or barbed wire. Pastor explained to us that there are very violent crimes committed in the nicer neighborhoods where thieves armed with guns will enter upon your property and rob you and or shoot you in the process. Oh great. A little unnerving. Our hotel also had tight security and warned us not to walk about outside the compound after dark and especially not with handbags or backpacks because that was inviting a holdup. Despite all of this warning I have to say we felt completely safe in the hands of our driver and the hotel staff. After a rest and some lunch our driver then picked us up at 1PM for our tour. First stop was Soweto where the heart of apartheid opposition took place. He explained to us that his parents lived through the era although he was too young to have been aware of the situation. He showed us where Nelson and Winnie Mandela had lived at one time, and took us into the heart of the poorest part of town where people live in corrugated metal shacks with port a potties across the street while they await government housing. He took us to the corner where 13 year old Hector Peterson, a young school boy passionate about standing defiant to apartheid, was shot and killed by the government. Next stop was the apartheid museum which was an absolutely incredible and visceral experience into what life was like in South Africa before during and after apartheid. What was particularly riveting to me were the TVs running all through the museum with live historical footage of both the White leaders justifying apartheid and the local activists and everyday native Africans fighting against it. It was really powerful. Dinner that evening was a wonderful local restaurant called “Marble” where we enjoyed some South African Chenin Blanc that was surprisingly crisp and dry, no sweetness. We retired to our zen like compound at The Peech and got a great sleep. We truly enjoyed this stop, regardless of the supposed crime danger, the people were warm and welcoming once again.
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