Jo'burg: Part One

Johannesburg Part One


I decided to title this post “Part One,” as there are very clearly two distinct Johannesburgs – one that we saw this time ‘round, the other we’ll see when we return to Jo’burg the end of October. For “Part One” we stayed in Melville, a mainly white northern suburb I would personally describe as charming meets funky…for “Part Two” we’ll be in Soweto, short for south-west township, where blacks were forced to move to in 1904, and has now become "one of the most vibrant areas in Johannesburg" says our Lonely Planet.

For the past four nights we were lodged in a very charming Bed & Breakfast called Melville’s Arch on Saint Swithins Avenue, just a hope skip and a jump away from 7th Street, where one can find old bookstores, a trendy cyber café, and loads of funky bars and restaurants that host live jazz musicians. Luckily, we were close, as walking in Jo’burg is more of a faux pas than walking in LA. Yes, our neighborhood was charming but raise your eyeline just a couple inches upward (maybe a bit more for me...) and you’ll find a horizon of barbed wire, electric fences and sharp rods pointing to the sky. Clearly, business is booming for security companies! While all that is supposed to be a sign of safety, it also serves as a constant reminder that once you exit you’re quadruple pad-locked, electric fenced estate, danger awaits. Add that to the ten warnings we got a day about walking around, getting mugged, carrying anything valuable, well actually carrying anything at all….and you can imagine our level of nervousness.

I am well aware that every city, every country, every person for that matter, has their downsides, cause that’s life. Though...I must point out that even though we were warned here and there about this and that, we never had any trouble – even while walking three hours to the botanical gardens along the highway, no trouble.  You could tell people were on their guard, but still they often responded to our touristy, cheery hello's as we walked around.

Which brings me to what we enjoyed about our stay in Jo’burg… For me, I would vote for the Jazz in the Park festival in Zoo Lake. We were lucky because it only happens once a year and we had just arrived in Jo’burg the night before. It was a fun in the sun day type of day - with amazing music, a lively crowd of people (with way better dance moves than us), and the smell of fried chicken and sausage circling the perimeter. Yum! The stage was set up just next to a small lake that harbored tiny, colorful row boats, where there was also a great restaurant called Moyo that we tried later that night with Sarah's dad.

Another highlight was spending the day with Natalie, who kindly brought us into the city center, where we got to meet a real Jo’burg celebrity! His name is TK – the head stylist of the Smarties, a group of stylists from Soweto that follow no fashion rules but their own. Apparently, they came to be known as the fashion rebels after showing up at fashion week last year with a sign that said “Fuck Fashion.” Of course, their message came straight from the heart. As TK explained, having good style doesn’t necessarily come from designer labels. It’s about self-expression, individualism, and attitude – three characteristics he himself personified in every way. When we met him, he was wearing a bright, lime green button down shirt, black slacks, white shoes, and gold square-shaped shades. We were clearly in the presence of a celebrity.

It was definitely refreshing and inspiring to hear what the Smarties are all about, especially for guys. He reminded us of how often styles change for women, whereas men can often go a decade without getting to mix things up. Clearly his lime green shirt and cool-cat personality begged to differ - “colorful on the outside, black on the inside,” as their name celebrates.

I could go on and on about our time in Jo’burg but I know this post is already long as it is. So to end, here’s a quick recap of what I learned while in the Jo’burg suburbs: The history of Tai Chi from our 65 year old B&B neighbor. People say 100% to say “sure thing,” and “robots” to say traffic lights. Usually people walk down the middle of the road instead of the sidewalk because of the (very scary) guard dogs everyone owns. You drive everywhere! South African white wine is very strong.

Thank you to Anthony and Natalie for taking us around in Jo'burg! It was great seeing you both! Hopefully we'll get to party it up in Soweto when we're back in October! Miss you Sarah! :)

Emily xx