Well yesterday we got stuck into the whole tourist caper. Early in the arvo Anrie, Anrie's sister Sanet and Sanet's boyfriend Leon took me to see the Voortrekker Monument, a building built in memory of the Voortrekkers (pioneers) to mark where they stood to make stand against the British and indigenous tribes in the mid 19th century.

The story is quite interesting - the Dutch settled South Africa in the 1600s, but only around the cape, because they were mostly only interested in it as a great place to set up a port for shipping from Europe. A couple of hundred years later the British decided they wanted the cape and came to settle there too. To avoid war the Dutch (Boer - meaning 'farmer') people decided they should move on and they pushed inland, thus becoming the Voortrekkers.
They had some battles with some African tribes, and some peace treaties, and one peace treaty with the Zulus that led to the betrayal and slaughter of the Voortrekker's leader and many of the men, women and children. And somewhere along the way diamonds and gold were discovered and so the British pushed them further away so they could claim the that too. The Boer war broke out around the turn of the 20th century, the British were the organised side building forts and the like, while the Boers were really like underground guerillas.
Before one of the great battles (not sure if it was against native Africans or British), the Boers made a vow to God that if they would win the battle that day then they would forever commemorate that day in thanks and praise. They did win, and now the "Heritage Day" is still commemorated on December 16th every year.
Inside the monument there is a small hole in the high ceiling and a large stone block laid down in the basement level. Every year on December 16 the sun shines through the hole in the ceiling and onto the words on the stone that say "For you, South Africa" (in Africaans).

After looking around and through the museum, we briefly checked out a British fort and then drove through the centre of the city over to the Union buildings which were built (by the British I think???) to run the country from. They have a nice stately design and love lovely gardens out front too. The daily early-evening thunder storm told us it was then time to head home.

During the arvo, as we drove around Church Square in the centre of town a guy started whistling to us and pointing. I asked Leon (the girls were in a separate car now) as we drove past what that was about and he said the guy was directing us where to park, after which he would ask for a fee. I said that sounded a little daft because there were parks everywhere and anyone could see them, so there's no service being offered. Leon agreed but made that point that it was worth paying still just in case you returned to your car to find it scratched.
When we arrived at the Union building there was another guy again trying to point us to park. Leon parked just before we reached the guy, but he still came over to us. I didn't catch everything he said, only heard some phrases like "it's not a demand, just a request". Noone gave him any money then, but when we returned to the car he was over to us again, this time telling us he was begging for money, saying he was already 19 years old and still being oppressed. Sanet gave him some change and Leon passed comment that he should change his sotry and we left.

On the drive home neither car was really sure of the way to go, and we ended up getting split up. Leon and I wound up driving straight past a squatter area (called Mamelodi), a slum-like place that squatters have just taken over and started to camp on, and then to build dwellings on. As we were coming away from the area I mentioned I'd like to get a video next time we happened to drive past one of these areas. Leon said I'd be fairly hard-pressed to find someone to drive me past there again! So I scored a little video of what I could.
Just after that, my phone rang and Anrie asked where we were and Leon said to tell her we were in Mamelodi. It was only when I heard Anrie's shrieks that it hit home the seriousness with which this is taken. She asked if we knew where we going and I said we absolutely did - straight out of Mamelodi!


It felt weird in my previous entry to be talking about "the blacks" in that way, so in this entry I was sure to not mention any colour term. But as an interesting experiment, what colour did you assume each of the people in the stories were? That's all to say, except that if you thought stereotypically then in this case you would be correct.

Anrie's family's residence

Yesterday morning at 6:30am I touched down in Johannesburg to the friendly faces of Antoinette and her Riaan. Outside was a comparatively miserable 18degC and overcase with drizzly rain. Apparently I've managed to hide the best of Pretorian weather so far (yes me, the weather master).

Riaan drove u to Antoinette's place where I met her sisters, watched some cricket (Australia vs South Africa - they actually have a chance of beating us in this one), ate a bit, napped a bit and generally hung around.
We went down to a large nearby shopping centre nicknamed Mordor to buy me a sim-card and check the place out. The place is quite simiilar to any Australian shopping centre and was just massive. Apparently currently or recently held the title of largest in the southern hemisphere. They pointed out to me the jewellers that was help up just a couple of weeks ago. Not a typical hold-up as we might think of it either, but men with AK47 assault rifles cam in, got what they watned and have so far got away scot free.

Later in the afternoon I was whisked away to Anrie's family's house where I'm staying for a few nights. I'm really enjoying staying here so far, the family are loads of fun and good sports and full of great advice too.

Last night Anrie organised a "big party" for me at a bar nearby. I think the quote was "if everyong invited comes and they all bring friends then it will be big". There were probably about 20 people there during the night, including Bryce, a good mate from Brisbane who's over here with work.
I thoroughly enjoyed the conversations that night, getting a totally foriegn perspective on a fairly foreign problem. It started with people asking me how I'm finding Pretoria so far and how it compares with where I'm from.
The countryside and climate are quite comfortable and fairly familiar. One of the first things I noticed was that all of hte houses in all of the suburbs have large security fences as a minimum, most with barbed wire or spikes on top, and many with big security company signs out frong (though they all have security systems, hooked in with the companies and the police). It seems a shame to me that everyone lives in the restricted way; housing developments full of small duplexes that all look the same are attractive to many people here for the extra reason of being inside a security enclosure.
Anyway, this type of discussion led on to talking about "the blacks", and society as it is now. The number of blacks outnumber whites by about 8 to 1, and for the last 12 years the government has been seen (at least by the whites) to be the polar opposite to the appartheit government before that. It was really intersting to speak to these whites whom in their lifetime have seen so much oppression one way and now are feeling it the other way. They were telling me about university courses where a certain number of blacks must be enrolled and passed every year (there are 250-260 out of one guy's 280 person medical course), and the bias in the court system that would allow a white to shoot a white in self defence, but not a black, and about how unsafe they feel in general (especially the girls - can't even drive on their own after dark, and had been held up at knife point). The conversation was punctuated with "we must be sounding very racist, but we're really not", and some of them told me of thier experiences with very generous blacks who have even helped them in dangerous times. I put across some examples of the Aborignal plight in Australia for comparison and contrast, but it seems like a mostly different situation. Yes, a thoroughly interesting conversation, and one where I did my best to take an objective outsider's position.

Anyway, the people I've met have all been wonderfully generous and friendly, and I even got up and sang karaoke at the end of last night, so by all accounts I'm loving South Africa thus far!

Anrie's Family's residence, Pretoria

Well four entries for one day is unusal, but it's worth taking note that right now I love the world.

On the bus from the hotel to the airport I got chatting with a family from Esk who are on their was back home from Africa. They were really friendly and gave some great advice (do an evening cruise on the Zambeze River, and the walk up the Victoria Falls, give toy Aus sourveniers to the poor locals, etc) and were good company until I lost them just now.

Also, when I went to check in I wsa jovially friendly with the guy behind the counter, and was little surprised to see him pick up the phone and make a call just after I put my luggage on the scales. When he hung up he asked if I was travelling alone and explained it was busy flight. We discussed why that might be and soon the phone rang and after he hung up he told me he'd scored me a great seat and proceeded to write out a note. He handed me the piece of paper which told me to not be surprised, that I was being upgraded to Business Class, something about the people next to me being split up, and the rest was unfathomable. I knew not to mess around, I thanked him, took the boarding pass and skedaddled.

And now, just as I'm writing this a Scotsman has just sat down next to me and ordered a pint. He's come back from a month in New Zealand with grand tales of promise for us boys over there.

So if you'll excuse me I'll just join him in a Guinness.

"Champion's Sports Bar", Hong Kong Airport

I topped off my evening in HK with a stroll along the Avenue of Stars, a lovely dinner at the Serenade (?) restuarant overlooking the harbour and HK Island (marianted beef shins, and then steamed bean curd with bamboo pith and ham, accompanied by a Chile Cab Sav) and a small wander along the harbour after dark. Now let's just hope my suitcase is within allowable weight with my hiking boots in as well as Em's camera and Aus gifts for the Saffas.

Here are some amusing names of HK businesses:

• Greatfaith Shipping
• "Kiss My Kids" Educational Tools
• Gaylord Indian Restaurant

"The Salisbury" YMCA lobby

Well my time in HK is drawing to a close, and I must say that I wish it wasn't just yet. I compared HK to Singapore in my head when booking the Cathay Pacific flight - thinking I'd like to try HK for something new. The gamble has payed off, and not only in the sense that I saved money on the flight. I've enjoyed HK, and would like to come back here some time.

Maybe it's the escape form 'normal life', maybe it's the surprise at my almost lavish accom (with comfortingly familiar 70's church song-elevator music played throughout), or the cool people I met on the tour (a multi-religion teacher from Sydney on a 12 month sabatical), or the amusing hooks the shop sellers use ("Hey, remember me?!" playing on the 'they all look the same' syndrome), or the intersting sotries behind some of the stranger sights ("feng-shui fake guns on business buildings, and hotels with holes built in them so the lucky dragon/s are able to bring up riches from the ocean. No kidding!).

Hong Kong is also faily multi-cultural, with Chinese, HK and other asians together. Even the once really poor, now able to employ others Tankanese (?) boat people (we saw at Aberdeen) have their own language and culture and just live in the harbour out of hte way on their own. At one stage these guys paid tax in eggs and fish, now they buy air-cons and TVs and employ people from mainland China to go out to sea to do their fishing!

I do regret not being here for a proper night. The sun is starting to set now, but I'm on my way to the airport in less than 2 hrs, and I didn't get in until nearly 11pm last night. (If only I'd known about the Ned Kelly bar - free jazz band from 9pm - 1am). (I've also missed out on the Space Museum, Imax shows and Arts museum which are all closed on Tuesdays!). So yeah, some time in the future I'd like to return and spend a few days here... and do the tour that includes dinner at the revolving restaurant followed by a cruise on the harbour with unlimited drinks.


The steps behind the Cultural Centre, overlooking Victoria Harbour

Once again I'm kicking off my travel journal writing while sitting on my own over a meal and a beer.

Yesterday I left Brisbane, full of expectation and low on sleep. I packed two carry-on bags, mostly full of travel related purchases that I guessed applied for the GST refund. Turns out the refund is only valid for receipts totalling over $300, which left out all of my purchases bar my hiking boots and video camera, and I'd left my video camera receipt at home. So, I simply accepted the $30 I did receive as a bonus and left it at that. While lining up for the refund I made amiable conversation with the girl infront of me, and image our surprise when we found ourselves seated next to eachother on the plane! It made my first solo longhaul that much nicer to be able to talk with someone vaguely familiar.

So, on to HK. There seem to be five main areas to the country of Hong Kong: Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, Lantau Island, Sai Kung and the New Territories. The new airport is out in Lantau Island, I'm staying in Kowloon and the tour I did was of Hong Kong Island.

What I first noticed on the bus trip in (apart from the 'large city' feel) was that the country side was made up of rocky outcrops. HK is quite mountainous all over, the steep rock coming right out of the water makes 260 islands across the coutnry. I really noticed it early on the bus trip from the airport, some big rocky hills sticking up right next to (and between) freeway on-ramps.

The next thing I noticed about HK greater (what I've just now dubbed HK Island and Kowloon) is how glitzy it is. The large buildings on HK Island have massive neon pictures on them and really look quite spectacular to a first timer. In some places I think it is a bit over the top, but for the most part I found it nice, even enticing.

My accomodation was at "The Salisbury" YMCA, which I was dubious about befoer arriving there. It is however quite well situated (right next to "The Peninsula" - one of the world's top 10 hotels apparently, and merely one block from the harbour), and the suite I was upgraded to (what luck!) was clean, homely and well equipped.

This morning I did a half day tour of HK island, which included seeing the Aberdeen boat people, the Dynasty jewellers, the Stanley Markets and Victoria Peak. I foolishly allowed myself to be ripped of by the sanpan driver (at Aberdeen) for anice fan for Anrie (my own mis-hearing and then price were the cause). The rest of the tour is quite well documented thanks to my lovely video camera. It was a great tour all round, and I'd love to do a night time tour to complement it.

Since the tour I've been wandering the streets of Kowloon looking for a steal on a digital camera for Emma (youngest sister). Trouble is I can get pretty good prices, but nothing fantastic like I did in Singapore. As silly as it sounds, I think part of the reason is my new jacket; I think most shop owners assume I'm well off and won't give such a rich prick absolute bargains. Oh well, the downside of looking good ey.

Well this place that I've just eaten at is disappointingly like a cheap Western joint. I'm going to try something nicer for dinner... just as long as I make my airport transfer.

"Ashley 33" Bar and Restaurant, Kowloon