Sawubona! (Hello in the Zulu language)
Day 3: Okay so I had typed out a huge blog post and then accidentally closed the app and it deleted. From now on I will write it in my notes app which saves automatically to avoid this intense rage from losing half an hours worth of writing. Sigh.
Well! It was an absolutely
amazing day. Lungi our guide picked us up from our backpackers and drove us to his home in Soweto (the slum area). It was about 45 minutes south west of the city. That’s also where the name SOWETO comes from… SOuth WEstern TOwnships. :)
Anyway his house was very small but very well maintained. During the Apartheid they were only allowed to rent the property so none of it was maintained well and they had no water or electricity. But since 1994 they were allowed to buy their properties and maintain them their selves so they are gradually getting better. Still very small and rundown though, but they have running water and power. Aaanyway.
So we got on our bikes and started riding around! It was so much better than just driving around because all of the locals would say hello and wave to us. It’s 99% black people living in Soweto so they know we are tourists. There are only 4 white people out of 5 million… Haha
The kids were so cute too they would try and run alongside the bikes and beat us and always say hello and wave. :) i was quite surprised at how friendly everyone was because at first i figured they must just think we are tourists gawking at their poverty, but I think riding on the bikes helped us seem more just like travellers wanting to see their town. They were all very proud to live there.
After riding around the different suburbs for a while we pulled into a random dusty backyard and were informed it was infact a backyard bar! It was just about 6 or so old men sitting around under a tree yabbering in Zulu and drinking beer. Very cool. And we got to try Joburg Beer! The bar owner took out this milk carton looking thing and shook it up and opened it and put it in this African pot and said, “the bar owner must drink first so you know it’s not poisoned!” and showed us how you have to squat on the ground and hold the pot with two hands and take a sip. So I went first and did as mentioned and took a sip. It was actually quite yummy! It had a mild beer taste mixed with a kind of sweet milk. I can’t wait to put up the photos when I get home :) anyway we hung out with these men underthe tree for a while; they were all so friendly and asking us questions. Then the owner took us inside to show us his house and meet his mother. Like our guides, the house was very small and rundown. His mother’s english name was Hilda but her African name was something with clicks in it, haha! She was so cute! She was eating her lunch and continued to talk with her mouth full behind her toothless smile. “hello babies!” she exclaimed. She was so happy to see us. It was awesome. She asked us all the same questions about our lives and told us to go far in our career and marry men. Haha we then said goodbye and to our man friends under the tree too and got back on our bikes.
After much more riding and sights and history learned (and a brief malfunction of our guides bicycle) we pulled into this outdoor museum area where thousands of school children had once protested against being forced to learn everything in Afrikaans. I was confused by this at first but apparently Afikaans is a very new language and the children knew if they only knew Afrikaans they couldnt travel abroad to find better jobs. So yeah the government shot a lot of children and it was a big historic moment but they ended up winning their fight.
After that we crossed the road and went to the NUMBER ONE restaurant. We were told we had to try the Kota burger or “kota pounder” as Lungi called it! Haha. Apparently they couldnt say quarter so it became quarter and they are tradition in Soweto. It is literally a quarter of a loaf of bread hollowed a little, with fries, sauce, egg, two types of sausage, and another tiny square of bread to hold it together. It was hard to eat but really yummy!
Was so full after it.
After that we went to see Nelson Mandela’s home that he grew up in. This area was quite touristy which was weird. Theeeen we got on our bikes and went back to Lungi’s for a few beers before heading backto yhe hostel! Wheeeew!
Big day. Steph got burnt, I got a sick tan.
We were so tired and went to sleep at like 7 so I am still incredibly jet lagged and woke up at 2am this morning. Okay tonight i must just buy lots of caffienated drink and not nap. Ahhh. Want to sleep past 2am!!
Okay well right now while I am writing this i am on the plane to Livingstone, Zambia. Sooo hopefully there will be wifi somewhere so i can upload this!
Xoxoxoxo
