Category Archives: History & Culture

Soweto by Bike

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As you may or may not know, Soweto is a township in Johannesburg and is an acronym for SOuth WEstern TOwnships. During apartheid non-whites were forcefully removed from whites-only areas and townships were created in order to house those who had been evicted. Even though apartheid was abolished more than 20 years ago, the townships live on. In many cases, townships aren’t really places that most non-residents will venture into, however Soweto is one very notable exception. For the past several years, Soweto has been a stop on the typical sightseeing tours of Joburg due to its many historical attractions.

Lebo's BackpackersLebo’s Backpackers

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Troyeville Walk With Ancient Secrets

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We recently joined Ishvara Dhyan of Ancient Secrets for his guided walk of Troyeville. I had been wanting to do one of these walks for some time as Ishvara’s focus is on cultural and historical aspects of various inner-city neighborhoods in Johannesburg. As a relative newcomer to Joburg, I know very little about most of these places but the more I read, the more fascinated I become with the diversity found here.

Troyeville HotelTroyeville Hotel

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A Bit of Gemütlichkeit In Jozi

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Gemütlichkeit is a German word that can be a bit difficult to translate. It is often described as a feeling of friendliness, comfort and coziness and we recently got to experience this right here in Jozi.

On May 24, 2014, the German International School in Joburg held its 107th annual Schulbasar (School basar) and we were lucky to be invited to tag along with some German friends of ours.

SchulbasarSchulbasar Entrance

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A Long Weekend at Malealea Lodge in Lesotho

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In my prior post about Lesotho (pronounced Le-SOO-too), I showed you just a preview of this magnificient country and now I want to tell you more about the place where we stayed, Malealea Lodge. The lodge is located in a remote part of western Lesotho and when arriving, you will feel like you have been transported back in time, way back. The people live mostly as they always have here. They grow their own food, raise their own livestock and live in traditional Basotho huts without running water or electricity. These people are do not have much in terms of material possessions however the smiles and greetings you receive from everyone you pass are bountiful.

View from Malealea LodgeView from Malealea Lodge

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Lesotho-En Route to the Kingdom in the Sky

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I have been writing a lot of food-centric posts lately so I wanted to switch gears a bit and tell you about our trip to the Kingdom of Lesotho back over the Easter holidays (yes I am a bit behind on my blogging!). Lesotho is a small independant country completely surrounded by South Africa. It is commonly referred to as the Kingdom in the Sky as its lowest point is 1400m and it is the only country that is entirely over 1000m.

Ever since moving to South Africa, I have heard over and over how we must visit Lesotho. It is so often praised for the sheer beauty of her land and the genuine warmth of her people that I knew I wanted to visit as soon as possible. With a long 4 day weekend for Easter, we thought this would be the perfect opportunity for a quick first visit.

Road to Peka Bridge Border CrossingRoad to Peka Bridge Border Crossing. Last 16 km to the border is gravel but a good road

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