Finally, pictures of the b&b

Don't let the thatched roofs fool you.  The rooms are fantastic and I have a HUGE walk-in shower.

This is the view at breakfast (cue: birds chirping)

This is the river after some rain.  Nothing like the first night of the flood though.  That time the entire lawn was flooded in minutes.

Apartheid Museum

So the weather this past weekend was *absolutely* gorgeous.  On Saturday I went to the Apartheid Museum.  Below is a link to my pictures -- with some good descriptions.  I was almost in tears at a couple of points in the museum.  One of those points is in the pictures -- you'll be able to guess which one.

I was talking with the driver on the way home from work on Monday and he was telling me what it was like for him.. He said that he spent 2 weeks in detention for barely missing curfew one night.  Even today the sight of a man in a military uniform makes the hair on his neck stand up.....

A woman in the office (originally from Cape Town) was talking about the protests she participated in.  She said there was one march in particular where everyone painted themselves a bright color (she was purple) and the police were yelling at everyone demanding to know what race they really were, because they couldn't tell through the paint. 

Hard to believe that was not that long ago.

Apartheid Museum  

Eating breakfast on the banks of the river with all kinds of exotic birds chirping away.... Must go to the grocery store today to stock the fridge with water and other essentials. Feeling the after-effects of a a lovely South African pinotage :). Can't wait to start thinking about visiting wineries in Cape Town!

There's just no need

for an Afrikaans pseudo-Musak version of "Total Eclipse of the Heart."    Just sayin'

8,800 Miles later....

Wow I can't remember when I wanted (or needed) a shower more than I did on Tuesday.. Yuck.  The LHR-JNB flight was delayed and was soooo long.  Painful actually.  One electronic device after another lost power… Everytime I woke up, it seemed like we still had 9 hours to go. 

I was in the immigration line with the Belgian National Cricket team….not a bad start at all J 

Despite the delay my driver was there waiting for me. Thank Goodness because I couldn’t have driven myself .  Exhausted doesn’t adequately describe what I was feeling at that point-- I felt like I was in a trance.  I later rebounded when the US business day started.

The driver was saying that they do tours so I could visit the Soweto township, etc.  Then when I got to the office and was meeting everyone they mentioned that for their holiday party they are going to Soweto for a community service project (like Habitat for Humanity) - so instead of the booze cruise in Boston I will be painting a house in Soweto. Cool!

The buildings (at least in the suburbs we drove through from the airport) look like buildings in Florida (not South Beach glam, but the everyday sort) . A lot of stucco, and *everything* is gated due to crime. The B&B where I am staying is absolutely gorgeous and I am moving to a bigger room with a kitchenette in a couple of days.  I am having difficulties transferring from camera to PC but hope to fix that soon. 

Over dinner it started to rain.  Then the heavens opened up. In about 5 minutes, the little "stream" that flows by the b&b became a raging river-- everyone grabbed an umbrella and went outside to watch it.  The water came up over the bank about 7 feet in 15 minutes.  Then it went back down in about the same time when the rain stopped.  Everyone was enthralled -- after my white water rafting experience in Maine a few years back, I have a healthy respect for water.

Ah...London. You know you belong in a city when you break into a huge grin just walking through the airport. It's been 10 years since I lived here but I feel like I never left. I went to my old neighborhood, had breakfast at my favorite spot, and walked around a lot.  It was pretty cold and I am really tired so I headed back to Heathrow around 3.  Flat Stanley enjoyed the London Eye and Big Ben.

I was rearranging all the carry-ons back at the airport and a man near me collapsed -- it seems he had a heart attack.  First Responders were there almost immediately but it didn't look good.  : (  They were still doing CPR after I left some time later. 

Need to find something to eat and most importantly, avoid all of the temptations at Heathrow Duty Free!  All of my favorites, lined up one after another : )

I'm off! After 2 crazy weeks in NYC, too many loads of laundry to count, and a visit with Dad, I'm heading off to Jo-berg, via London. Sooo disappointed to have to spend a day in London. I have a guest coming with me, none other than Flat Stanley! It will be nice to have company on the trip :). Lil' Red is safely stored away...wish I had her with me to drive around, but they do drive on the "wrong" side of the road so it's for the best.