Bodhi Bum

So where does today find me? Funny enough, Africa. A place that I never really had a whole lot of interest in going. Mostly because I never thought of actually buying a plane ticket to come here when there were so many other places I wanted to explore. I always knew that Africa would be a place to explore, but it definitely wasn't high on my list. But when the company wants you to go somewhere, you nod and say yes and hop on the next plane.

So I got sent down here from the UK by my company on a work assignment. Not quite the African adventure of dreams; riding camelback across the dunes tracking lions, camping in the desert... But South Africa is not really quite what I was expecting from Africa in general coming here. I was expecting to step off the plane into blinding heat, little skinny kids running around, and Sally Struthers accosting me for donations. Ok, so maybe not Sally, but the heat and the fat bellied kids, sure. What I got from SA was a cross between Beverly Hills and Ethiopia. Living side by side, literally. On the same street.



So this is Johannesburg, the most dangerous city in the world, or so they say. Good ol' Joburg, or Jozi, as the locals call it, is a strange, strange place where the company tells you that if you step three feet beyond the protected border of their downtown office, you will get your throat silit for your laptop, and hey, just for the sheer fun of it. Last Wednesday a group of outstanding Soweto citizens decided to make their way into Joburg and try to gently remove the safety deposit box from a couple of "cash in transit" security guards. Next thing all hell breaks loose at one of the busiest intersections in downtown Joburg (only a few blocks from my office), and the 15 guys decide to shoot their way out through a crowd of innocent bystanders. 1 baby shot dead on the back of her mother, and seven in hospital with gun wounds. Just another day in Joburg.

But despite all that, it's an interesting place which is starting to grow on me. Like anywhere, the danger is mostly in the (paranoid) mind of the beholder. As long as you're careful, don't take stupid chances, (and have your hotel Mercedies pick you up anywhere at anytime, at your beck and call), you'll be fine.



I originally was sent here for two weeks, and now that's become just over ten. So my quick little trip to Africa has now become just another full time job. So the English cottage, "Box Tree Cottage", that Mike rented and I had big plans for is now with Mike to enjoy, and I'm back living in hotels for the next two months. Just goes to show you can't make plans when you can't guarantee what you'll be doing from one day to the next in this job. But at least I can do a little more travelling around whenever I have a free second here in Joburg, and see a little more of the real Africa that i haven't quite managed to find yet.

Till Part 2. (when I can fix my bloody camera with my missing software back in the UK, and get the rest of my pics off and posted). Till then...

Bodhi