Joburg

Tuesday evening, today I had my tour of the Apartheid Museum and the Soweto area of greater Jo'burg (Johannesburg). I was scheduled about two hours to go thru the museum, and at noon when the two hours were up I had just reached the half way point.  Went out and found the guide and got another hour, so I really rushed thru the second half of the museum.  One of the best parts was were four men discussed the strategy and process of how both sides the African National Congress and the Apartheid government finally got the process negotiated.  Both sides really wanted the blood shed to end, and both sides truely recognized the strengths and weaknesses of the other side.  Besides Mandella realized that the whites had to be given all the human rights of a democracy, and the Apartheid President DeKlerk realized that a peaceful government had to accept all people living in the country as citizens with all the powers and responsibilities of citizenship.  Then too the process was shrewdly accomplished on a people to people-person to person basis.  Besides Mandella was a good polititian, and the truth and reconciliation process was instrumental in putting the past behind both sides.  Great museum, even with various sections being reprogrammed and closed during the interm.Then we went to Soweto, ate at a African restaurant typical black African foods.  Some were familiar to other nationalities food types, some were unfamiliar to me.  It was pretty good.  We drove around the township, the afluent areas were as modern, clean, prosperous as Clive and Wdsm.  That blew my stereotypes of Soweto, then there were middle class areas, and public housing neighborhoods, and the tin shacks many illegal immigrants and extremely poor S. Africans built for themselves on any unoccupied piece of ground.  No piped in water, a public outdoor water tap was put in by the government, until public housing became available.  Portapotties were provided later.  No distinct roads, but twisted paths between the shacks...  Clothes hanging out to dry, goats for milk and meat, eating weeds and the lack of garbage pickup was obvious with refuge all over the place.  How people can live like that seems impossible, but they are.  I saw the faces of some of the people, and really felt the helplessness, lack of hopefulness.  Saw Mandela's home, and ate next door to Bishop Tutu's former home, which he still ownes, but lives almost constantly in Cape Town.  Oh! My last day in Moditlo the guides after much determination found 'my' zebra's.  About three or four of them, mostly behind brush and bushes, but I saw them.  The wild dogs made their appearance again, another animal that makes my skin crawl.  Ugg!!!   Well tomarrow I fly to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, be there two days, then fly back to the Jo'burg airport, remaining their five or so hours, before I fly overnight to Egypt.  Can't believe I'm so far into my round the world trip, it's going so fast.  Give Lexi a Happy Birthday kiss for me.  More tomarrow nite.