The Island Explorer

My daughter missed her flight to Joburg, so I was started my South African sojourn alone. Instead of locking myself inside my hotel room, I decided to take a tour of the Lesedi Village , which was one of the top day tours for visitors to Johannesburg. The others were the Apartheid Museum and Soweto tours. I decided to take this first, since I was dying to get a taste of Africa. Johannesburg was beginning to bore me, so I wanted to see some action, even though it wasn't authentic. The tour price was also quite expensive, so I decided to take the 30-minute drive up north from downtown Johannesburg to Lesedi. I expected it to be a tourist trap , since it's part of the usual tours so didn't expect that much. We were welcomed by the cast of characters of the village. They were intimidating at first, but I realized that it was all part of the "show". The place actually looked promising. There was a cafe near the entrance. I started to wander around,...

I have never been THIS excited for a trip. At the midst of the rush hour of Christmas, I managed to sneak out and head off to South Africa for one of the most spontaneous trips of my life. I boarded my Cathay Pacific plane from Manila that was enroute to Hong Kong. I decided to stay for a day in Hong Kong, before boarding an evening flight to Johannesburg. I arrived in Johannesburg early in the morning. I have my reasons for this unplanned trip. Because of the stress of the holiday season, I wasn't able to really map out where to go and what to do. And just like I usually did, I just made sure I have everything I need, passport, tickets, visa and money and hopped to another memorable journey.  As I drove to my hotel, I noticed Joburg to be very quiet. The driver told me it was because it was Christmas Day. I forgot that it was a holiday. I booked a room at the  Holiday Inn Rosebank without researching on it .  I was pleased that the hotel was located besi...