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Our Fantabulous Trip Around the Globe
Hello from the scariest city in the world--Johannesburg! (Luckily, we're safe behind cement walls topped with electric wires and surrounded by security cameras, etc!) We're doing well, staying at a friend's place that is very safe. We're very emotionally drained from our time in Lesotho and then at Our Place (the AIDS hospice in Bloemfontein).
We finally got up the nerve to leave the house (which is quite nice, I might add). It's in an upscale, predominantly white neighbourhood, which is pretty much the exact opposite of our entire experience so far. We went into a grocery store and freaked out. So much choice! So many white people! It's bizarre to be in such a stimulating environment again (keep in mind that the most noise we're used to hearing is animal-related).
Joel is finding Joburg a bit difficult to understand--how can such a huge city have no public transport? And don't even get him started on the lack of recycling :) We both find it heatwrneching to throw bottles and paper into the garbage. And it's interesting to see the differences between whites and blacks, despite the apartheid-free state. Most of the time it's the whites that drive cars and the blacks use the minibus taxis. But, you can see that some blacks are climbing their way to success. Still, the disparities are tough to swallow. Sandton, the swankiest part of town, is separated from the black township of Alexandra by a simple highway. But, the separation between the two classes couldn't be bigger. It's an interesting city; we wish we were more comfortable exploring it.
We're off to Nelspruit on Monday. Hot air balloon safari on the 12th. Wahoo!
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