Friday, June 13, 2025

We got up around 7, got ready, and went to breakfast. Today Reinette was making flapjacks. They were really cute and small. I also had yogurt, coffee, orange juice, and a scrambled egg. Then we got ready to go. Tammy’s dad, Tammy, and I headed to look for the African flea market that Tammy remembered from her childhood. We found where it was and parked and went in, but it was more like a mall with very few African items. We walked along quickly and then left. We drove toward Johannesburg and saw the boys’ high school where Tammy’s dad had gone and the girls’ high school where Tammy’s mom went. 

We continued into downtown Johannesburg to see where the factory was where Tammy’s dad’s family used to work. It is a very rough area now. We found our way to the highway and drove to the Apartheid Museum. It was very well done. When you bought your ticket, you were randomly selected to be either “white” or “non-white.” I was “non-white” and the other two were “white.” We had to go in separate entrances based on our race classification. 

The photographs were amazing and they had footage of leaders speaking (both for and against apartheid), news reports, and much more. We saw the size of a solitary confinement cell. We read about how many people who were arrested died in custody because they “slipped in the shower” or “hung themselves,” although most likely they had been killed by the guards. We saw a Caspir that was a tank that was used to patrol Soweto during apartheid. We watched a video of some of the anti-apartheid leaders speaking about their experience. I could have spent another hour or two exploring the museum. 

We headed to Sandton, the new “downtown” area of Johannesburg that is clean and fancy. We met Keagan, Ineike, and Dani at Doppio Zero, a nice cafe. I had lentil and carrot soup. After we ate, we walked to Nelson Mandela Square and took pictures.

Then we drove to Pantry, a fancy petrol (gas) station that sells yummy ice cream. I got butter caramel and chocolate swirl. 

We got stuck in rush hour traffic and it took us a long time to get back to the hotel. We saw John Vorster (pronounced Foster) Square, where many people were imprisoned during apartheid. The building had bars all over the windows. One of Tammy’s dad’s coworkers (who is Indian )was held there for about two months because the anniversary of June 16 was coming up and so they arrested students to prevent issues. 

We quickly stopped by the hotel and figured out what we wanted to leave at Courtney’s house until we return to Johannesburg. We drove to Courtney’s. Their neighborhood has some crazy potholes where a huge crater is missing from the road. Overall, Tammy’s parents think that the potholes are better than they used to be. Courtney’s house had a cute garden area and the inside was super beautiful and modern. We talked and played with Koa and Kyro. After Courtney put the kids to bed, we ate dinner. Everyone was there from the night before except Byron and Bonita. We had a South African braai (barbecue) with a big delicious salad with avocado, pap (a traditional dish made out of corn that reminded me a little of mashed potatoes) with a sauce on top made of onions, tomato, and spices, and several kinds of meat: chicken, pork rashers (sort of like bacon), and boerewors (sausage). We had Malva pudding for dessert. 

We said goodbye to everyone and headed back to the hotel. We packed some more. I was going to shower, but it was so cold that I decided to shower in the morning. I worked on my blog and went to bed.