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Johannesburg
12
Graskop
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Kruger NP
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Mozambique
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Swaziland
89
St Lucia
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Durban
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Bergville
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Cape Town
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South Africa - Bicycle Tour Adventure, Day 2
Pictures and Stories About Bicycle Adventures
Johannesburg and Soweto
(Soweto - Acronym: Southwest Townships)
By Bicycle, 9 November, 2014
Photographic Highlights of the Day
Above: America's Best Ambassador, Terry, Low-5 (Soweto, South Africa).
Above: America's Best Ambassador, Terry, Low-10 (Soweto, South Africa).
Above: Democracy Spreads (Johannesburg - New Supreme Court / Old Apartheid Prison).
Above Left: Breakfast.
Above Right: Ambiance.
Above Left: Our bike is loaded for travel (panniers, handlebar bag, tool kit).
Above Right: Our lodging in Johannesburg. Terry and I are on a test drive with the tandem.
Above: The new norm, from Africa to Asia, secured compounds. The fastest growing employment sector in Africa is Security.
Above Left: Hadeda Ibis (aka Egyptian Ibis) not to be confused with the Sacred Ibis (which has a white body and a dark tail). It did not take me long to NOT LIKE these birds as they squawk at the slightest provocation day or night. Their squawk is a cross between a crow's caw and a two year old's tantrum, it cannot be ignored.
Above Right: Flowering Tree (It is Spring in South Africa and Fall in the USA).
Above Left: This Terry and our Johannesburg Tour Guide.
Above Right: We went to the tallest building that had an observation deck, the purpose was to get an overall feeling for the layout and geography of the city. The name Africa 50 represents the 50 countries of Africa and many Africans think of the countries like Americans think of 50 states, like an United Africa.
Above Left: Johannesburg has a population of 4.5 Million, it's big. ACCK, THE SUN IS IN THE NORTH!
Above Right: Johannesburg became a major city because of its Gold and Gold Mines, the mines were here first and the city formed around the mines. The piles of dirt are mine tailing. South Africa once produced 40% of the world's annual gold production and at present (2014) it is producing about 12% of the world's annual gold production. Only a few of the original mines are open presently.
"Johannesburg was founded in 1886, following the discovery of gold. The city was initially part of the Transvaal, an independent Afrikaner, or Boer, republic that later became one of the four provinces of South Africa. Today the city is a part of Gauteng (a Sotho word meaning 'Place of Gold'), one of the nine provinces of South Africa." - Britanica.com
Above: Downtown Jozi (Johannesburg or Joburg).
Above Left: Old Apartheid Prison Tower (whose prison grounds have been converted to the South Africa Supreme Court).
Above Right: Our Guide explains and sings some Apartheid Prison Songs. Our Guide also taught us some key Zulu Language words that helped us all through our visit to southern Africa.
Above Left: The side of the Supreme Court Building has kept the old prison wall as part of the structure.
Above Right: The front of the Supreme Court Building says 'Constitutional Court' in 11 Languages. The new government of South Africa has 11 official recognized languages and they are all represented here.
The typical African can speak five (5) languages,
one of which is often an European language. - NPR
Above: Mural Art of two of the five key figures who introduced South African law changes in the pursuit of human equality in the legal system.
Above Left: The South African Flag.
Above Right: The Constitutional Court of South Africa.
The South African Flag is a symbolic color time line. Read from left to right (my interpretation),
First there was Black man and the Yellow sun on Green fertile grounds amongst White men, soon they merged amongst Red blood and Blue truth (dignified principles of humanity).
Above: The Constitutional Court is open to the public, yours truly fills the stage
Above: The Constitutional Court's Guiding Principles:
- The right to life.
- The right to vote.
- The right to housing.
- The right to healthcare.
- The right to equality.
Soweto Bike Tour
Soweto - Southwest Townships
Above Left: The Gold Mine, in the background, is a major employer. It attracts people and illegal immigrants from all over Africa. Illegal immigration is a huge problem in South Africa as its economy is among the best of all of the African nations.
Above Right: The people here mostly all work and have jobs, the issue is housing and the cost of housing.
Above Left: A typical workman's meal (a stew poured into a half loaf of bread).
Above Right: Our Guide and first stop in Soweto. The government, still, will not provide free trash service, yet the residents collect it and put it in a central location. There is a strong sense of community pride in Soweto.
Above Left: Community trash pile - There is NO trash service because the government will not officially recognize the unauthorized habitats (still).
Above Right: Corrugated aluminum or tin is used to create a place to live (sometimes derogatorily called a shanty). That's Terry and our rented tandem.
African Bar and Grill
Soweto Style
Above Left: Fermenting Pot of Various Organic Substances.
Above Right: Joburg Beer, don't Drink and Walk!.
Above Left: Yum, Cow Tongue!.
Above Right: Good company!
Soweto Bike Tour, Concluded
Above Left: Tandem.
Above Right: Roofer.
Above Left: Upscale Soweto.
Above Right: Government made homes in Soweto sit empty, not one government leader will address a reason.
Above Left: Soweto - Curious kids stop to check us.
Above Right: We found the Soweto Prankster.
Soweto, Shifting from Slums to Orlando
Above: A famous local musician who knows his roots.
Above: Nelson Mandela Home.
Above: Nelson Mandela Home.
Above: Cardinal Desmond Tutu's Home.
Fact: Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu are the only Nobel Peace Prize winners who LIVE ON THE SAME STREET.
Above: Popular Soweto Jazz Bar & Restaurant.
Soweto: Hector Pieterson Memorial
Johannesburg: A Peaceful Evening and Toast to Life
... and so ends a very eventful day in South Africa.
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