It's June, and that means it's winter here in the Southern Hemisphere. My first visit anywhere south of the Equator.

Arrived Johannesburg @ 7AM today to a sunny, cold and windy African morning of 2 degrees Celsius (that's 36 degrees for you Fahrenheit folks). What a difference to warm, summery London the past 2 days.

It was a 12-hour nonstop flight from London. Jo'burg is only 1 hour/time zone ahead of London. It was a way-too-long north to south flight during which I slept very little and instead watched 3 movies on the inflight entertainment system.

From the moment I arrived @ the airport and during the ride to the Meridian Guest House, it was apparent South Africa is very much a 1st world country. It was as though I boarded the plane in London, flew 12 hours, and arrived at a destination that could very well be another English-speaking European country.

The Meridian Guest House (or what we'd call a bed & breakfast) is in the Jo'burg suburb of Edenvale. What I'd previously read about this high-crime city is true: Every single house in this middle-class neighborhood is situated behind high walls, topped by electric wire and high-tech security system. In addition, most homes have a private security man who lives on property 24/7, usually in a little guard's post just inside the front steel gate to the property -- the same post doubles as his sleeping quarters. Such is the case at the Meridian Guest House. It's a beautiful home with lovely grounds, yet like all other homes in Jo'burg, it's a fortress to keep out the violent crime for which this city has become notorious.

Safety in Numbers

Staying only 1 nite in Jo'burg en route to Zimbabwe, I have the afternoon to see the sights. The only sight on my must-see list is the township of Soweto. I'm able to join an organized tour group which picks me up from the fortress at the Meridian mid-day and tours the streets of Jo'burg then Soweto in the comfort of a mini-bus (doors locked at all times, of course). I'm joined by 3 tourists from Denmark and a group of 6 British rugby fans who are in town for the Lions-Springboks test match.

The tour goes thru the good, the bad & the ugly parts of Jo'burg then concludes with a tour of the township of Soweto (which is short for its formal name of Southwestern Township).

When first planning this South African trip, I had little interest in seeing Soweto. Yet the more I read and learned about it, the more I became curious. Virtually every tour company in the city offers Soweto tours. Finally, it was a South African acquaintance who told me it's well worth visiting Soweto. She said it's an integral and pivotal part of her country's history and would help me understand how far the majority black population has come in South Africa.

It was an exciting, educational and eye-opening first day on the African continent.