Hi everyone, I know that some of you probably think I am dead by now, but I'm fine, it's just hard to get to a computer sometimes. Anyway, my first few days in South Africa have been weird...I arrived in S.A. and was picked up by a youth hostel. The place was very friendly, and there seemed to be a gang of locals who lived there. I first met a group of 3 fun people from Denver, and a young brit doing volunteer work. The first night I got there was Friday night, and I hadn't had much sleep the night before as I was up late talking about moths with Tony the moth man in Malawi, and then drove Christi to the airport at 4am. But none of that seemed to matter, because I went bar hopping with the locals and the Denvers and we stayed out until like 4am. Saturday was relaxed, went to the mall and set up my cell phone, and ran some errands. Then Saturday night out again to go dancing. Johannesburg is weird. All of the white people seem to have BMW's or mercedes and blonde hair and are dressed like britney spears. For the most part, the neighborhoods are still racially segregated. Many of the white neighborhoods look like downtown Palo Alto, only more posh, and with a combination of 10-15 foot walls, barbed wire, electrified razor wire, and security alarms/guards surrounding each house. Most of the black neighborhoods look like the outskirts of Managua. How Nelson Mandela prevented a massive civil war here is completely beyond me!! Most white people in Joburg are terrified and they don't go outside. They travel from gated home to gated work, in secured cars, and basically live like isolated caged animals. Anyway, so on Sunday, I went on a trip to Soweto, and saw the museums and Nelson Mandela's house, and all of the main historical landmarks. I really enjoyed the museum, and I cried almost the whole time walking through it. The end of apartheid seems to have been just as beneficial to white people as to blacks. Anyway, now I am in Hazyview collecting bugs, and I plan to do a trip to Krueger National Park tomorrow. South Africa is really one of the most tourist-friendly countries in the world. There are hostels and buses everywhere, and they are nice, clean and friendly places for the most part. I plan to work my way around the coast by bus all the way to Cape Town. I plan to stop in Durban, Swaziland, and several other port cities, and possibly do some water-related activites. Hope all is well with all of you, Love, Sarah
- posted by Sarah @ 2:48 AM