Everyone I have ever talked to about South Africa has warned me that Johannesburg is a scary place. Crime ridden and for sure I'd get mugged. I was so nervous for the 7 hour layover that we had in Johannesburg. I was preparing to be robbed. I even bought one of those body pocket thingies to hide my passport, money, and memory cards.
Overreacted? Maybe. Yes.
We had a few layovers in Johannesburg, but on our longest one (7 hours) we hired a guide to pick us up at the airport and take us on a tour of the city. Our guide had lived in Johannesburg his whole life, spoke English, and was a fireman/paramedic before he quite his job and started his own touring company. We loved him. And we loved Johannesburg.
He took us to Sowetto - the biggest township in Johannesburg, home of Nelson Mandela, and rich with history of the apartheid movement. And then he drove us around downtown Johannesburg (where I was still certain we would be mugged).
In reality, I never really felt unsafe. We didn't walk around, taking pictures like obvious tourists, but we did get to see a lot and I still have all my money, my passport, and my camera. Success.
Most of these pictures are from a moving vehicle. It was raining and the combination of lack of time, rain, and fear of getting mugged meant lots of time in the car.
1 comment:
Those pictures are pretty amazing for being in a moving car! My goodness, you are talented.
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