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Pictures Through The Eyes Of A #Jozi Addict

March 16, 2013 — 2 Comments

One of my favourite things to do is venture into the middle of Joburg. This time round I took a walk up Main Street from Ghandi Square to the Magistrates Court. I then took a 50 story trip to the top of the Carlton Center. The photos below are the city through my eyes.

Standard Bank Building

Standard Bank Building

Rand Club

Rand Club

Braamfontein

Braamfontein and Northcliff Hill

The City and Magaliesburg

The City and Magaliesburg

City Press Building

City Press Building

Coca-Cola Building

Coca-Cola Building

Ellis Park Stadium

Ellis Park Stadium

Ghandi Square

Ghandi Square

Magaliesburg in the distance

Magaliesburg in the distance

Building in Joburg

Building in Joburg

Market Square- The Joburg Library and City Hall can be seen

Market Square- The Joburg Library and City Hall can be seen

Markhams Building

Markhams Building

Nelson Mandela bridge with Northcliff Hill

Nelson Mandela bridge with Northcliff Hill

Ponte Tower with City

Ponte Tower with City

Soccer City

Soccer City

Joburg buildings

Joburg buildings

Hillbrow tower with city

Hillbrow tower with city

Hillbrow Tower with the Magaliesburg in the distance

Hillbrow Tower with the Magaliesburg in the distance

Turfontien Race track

Turfontien Race track

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A guide to Braamfontein, #LoveJozi #Braamieramble

September 12, 2012 — Leave a comment

Thanks to Between 10 and 5 blog for this. I can’t wait to get exploringImage

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Collectors Treasury – a #Jozi treasure

August 13, 2012 — 1 Comment

I’ve always loved second hand book stores. The smell of the books, the legacy that each of the books has left is tangible. Recently I discovered a treasure in johannesburg! The Collectors Treasury, an eight story building with over 1 million items on hand.

Google Images

This is no ordinary second hand book store, it’s the biggest in the southern hemisphere and has been running in it’s current address (244 Commissioner Street) for over 20 years now. When you arrive at a very unassuming building you’ll be greeted by a staircase that leads up to the first floor. The very first staircase is completely covered in books, a preview of what’s to come.

Google Images

Ask the owners for any book and they’ll gladly show you to the correct corner within the labyrinth of items.

My wife lost among the LP’s

There’s a very small lift, that can only fit three people max because it’s also stacked with books to the roof. Ask to be taken to the 6th floor and there you will find 500 000 LP’s.

Some of the oldest books I’ve ever seen. One of them from 1658 worth R40 000

I highly recommend visiting this treasure chest, but make sure you clear some time out of your day because you’re bound to spend more time there than what you had planned.

 

 

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#PicJozi – Jozi Walkabout

July 23, 2012 — 2 Comments

I’ve been wanting to do a Joburg walkabout for a while now. I finally booked some time out of a Saturday and did it! My friend Jay and I parked close to the Africa Museum and covered about 6km on foot. We climbed staircases, jumped down ledges and walked through alleys.

These are a few of my pics.

For anyone who’s interested we’re launching #PicJozi, a Jozi walkabout initiative where pro (DSLR) and amateur (instagramers) photographers can walk around Jozi in a group and take photos at leisure. It’s a great networking opportunity as well as discovering the city on foot with a bunch of like minded Jozi Lovers. Follow @PicJozi

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Canteen – a great Jozi restaurant

July 8, 2012 — 1 Comment

As I venture deeper into Johannesburg’s CBD I’m discovering some really great places to eat and just hang out. In the last post I mentioned Velo Cafe in Braamfontein, a quaint little art/cafe on Juta street. If you carry on over Nelson Mandela bridge from there and turn left into Market street and cary on for about 8km you’ll reach the Maboneng Precinct. Canteen is in the Maboneng Precinct in ‘Arts on Main’.

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Canteen has a very simplistic unassuming appearance. Above it is a bar/dance floor with an olden day car roosting on the roof. They have a grand menu of cordials which are served in ‘Peanut butter’ type glass jars. Definitely worth a go.

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The menu has few enough dishes to choose from so that you don’t sit around all day trying to decide. I recommend the Beer battered Hake and Chips with curry sauce!

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Go and give it a bash.

Canteen  (Arts on Main) sits between the olive trees and art galleries. It’s open from Tuesday to Sunday during the day, and in the evenings from Thursday to Saturday. Call (011) 334 5947 or email: canteen.245@iafrica.com.

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Velo Cafe- Inner City #Jozi

June 17, 2012 — 4 Comments

This is the first of many posts to come that will detail some of the great places that I’ve discovered in down town Johannesburg. I’ve only recently started venturing deeper into the city and have fallen in love with Johannesburg all over again. It’s the city of my birth and the place I’ve lived my whole life. I’m finding Johannesburg ever more interesting as I uncover some of the best kept secrets.

Yesterday before the Springbok rugby game at Ellis Park I decided to go down town to the Neighbourgoods Market. Here’s the thing, most people who go to the Neighbourgoods Market don’t venture further than the market itself or Kitcheners (one of the oldest pubs in Johannesburg).

If you’re adventurous and wonder just a block up Juta street you’ll find Velo. It’s a quaint little coffee shop come art gallery run and owned by two high school friends, Nick and Stefania. What I loved most about it was the simplicity although I could tell that a lot of thought had been put into the way Velo looked and operated. It’s all about culture, coffee and friends.

What makes it unique is the art that’s for sale, collector’s edition menus and of coarse the evident passion that Stefania and Nick have for Velo.

I highly recommend visiting Velo, and when you’re there most definitely have a double shot cappuccino and Green Machine sandwich.

You can find them at 85 Juta Street Braamfontein. Visit their Facebook and Twitter page as well.

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Maboneng, changing my perception.

June 15, 2012 — Leave a comment

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You may or may not have heard of the Maboneng precinct in down town Johannesburg. I visited the popular ‘Arts on Main’ this past weekend and was extremely surprised by what I saw. In the years gone by the only reason I’d ever go to down town Johannesburg was to watch a Rugby match at Ellis Park. I’d grown up with the perception that if I go down town I would most certainly die.

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Recently myself and Misty have been venturing into town out of curiosity. We started off of the Neighbourgoods Market and then Guild Hall Pub on Market street and now Maboneng. Maboneng offers a market, bioscope, theatre,  coffee chops, restaurants, hotel, art studios and apartments. But who would have known? I highly recommend visiting their website here and going for a visit. There’s something special about down town Johannesburg.

I’m really angry that I only discovered it now. I’m also frustrated that I’ve had the incorrect perception about down town Johannesburg for all these years.

I’m ready to discover more…

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An amazing experience at Buffalo Ridge Bush Lodge, Madikwe- Thanks to @Cerebra.

May 28, 2012 — Leave a comment

I was recently spoilt with a 2 night stay at the 5 star Buffalo Ridge Bush Lodge in Madikwe. All of this thanks to an extremely generous prize that I won at Cerebra (my place of work).

7 and a half hours are spent on game drives everyday. You’re woken up at 5:30am for a 6am game drive that lasts 4 and half hours. Then it’s lunch, nap time and then another 3 hour game drive from 4-7pm.

The food alone is enough to make you think you’re in heaven, you never stop eating.

I promised everyone that I’d post a few pictures:

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I’ve seen it for myself- #StopRhinoPoaching

May 28, 2012 — Leave a comment

My wife and I were fortunate enough to spend 2 nights at the 5 star Buffalo Ridge Bush Lodge in Madikwe this weekend (25th-27th May). Madikwe lies on the border of South Africa and Botswana, about 25KM from Gaborone.

On Saturday there were reports of gunfire in the park. Everyone jumped to the conclusion that poachers had made their way in. The conclusion was sadly true. Two black rhino, a mother and calf, had been poached.

You only ever hear about these stories. When you’re shown just how horrific and heartless it is face-to-face your urgency for the cause increases drastically. I cannot begin to say just how much it affects you when you look upon a defaced rhino calf and mother lying next to one another. All this because of a rumor (scientifically disproved) about a rhino horn’s ‘healing powers’.

I took the below images.

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This is what a rhino is supposed to look like (also taken by myself on the same day ironically)

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So what is the plan? I don’t want to be another slacktivist merely blogging about something that needs to change. It’s going to take a lot of money to fight the big money invested into rhino poaching. Stop Rhino Poaching has some great ideas on how to fight it in your own capacity as well. Here are three things that I’m going to start doing:

  1. As much as possible debunk the myth that rhino horn has healing properties
  2. Volunteer a little bit of my time to helping rangers track poachers during holidays (even if it’s carrying their supplies)
  3. Give a little bit of money to the cause when I can

Here’s to saving a species.

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Why I Think Joburg Rocks

January 15, 2012 — 144 Comments

Soccer City- Google images

Contrary to common belief, there are some people who actually love Joburg. I am one of those people. This blog post was birthed from a few engagements I have had over time with friends who live in Cape Town and Durban. Every once in a while when I have posted something to Facebook or Twitter about what a beautiful day it is in Joburg, someone from the coast replies and says “all you need is the ocean, Cape Town rocks”. Cape Tonians think there is a silent stigma that accompanies people who live in Joburg. They believe we are suffering here and that all we do is wish upon Table Mountain. Allow me to paint a picture of why I think Joburg rocks.

Northern Suburbs – Google images

Firstly, Johannesburg really is beautiful. In summer everything is green, the Jacaranda’s are in full bloom and the rain cleanses the sky for crisp clear days. Take a trip to the Kyalami Castle and have a look at the amazing views of Sandton, the Joburg Skyline and Magaliesburg. You also won’t see that true African sunset anywhere else.

Kyalami Castle – Google images

Joburg also has a plethora of amazing restaurants. Greenside and Parkhurst ,for one, have that Cape Town Longstreet vibe with all the ‘arty’ places to indulge your image. The nightlife is amazing anywhere in Sandton or Newtown. If you’re really that bored, Montecasino, which hosts the SA Open tennis tournament, will serve you well. If you’re feeling a little more ‘hipster’ then you’ll have to visit the Neighbourgoods Market and Maboneng Precinct.

Neighbourgoods Market – http://www.neighbourgoodsmarket.co.za

Self Taken Photo: Nelson Mandela Square

Montecasino – Google images

Working in Joburg is great, especially in the Sandton area. Although traffic is hard-core in most parts, the rewards for hard work are worth it. Infrastructure here is brilliant. The Gautrian for one, and the sports stadiums- Soccer City, Ellis Park, Orlando Stadium and Loftus. The newly upgraded highways make a huge difference. It really is a world-class city!

Self Taken Photo: The Lions win the 2011 Currie Cup

Gautrain – Google images

Orlando Towers – Google images

One of the beauties about Joburg is that it’s very close to the African bush. Even an hour’s drive will get you to the Magaliesburg (quite visible from my office). It hosts great game lodges, the world famous Cradle of Human Kind and the Hartebeespoort Dam, which has a small town feel to it. If you feel like driving 2 and half hours you might as well visit Sun City!

Magaliesburg- Google images

This is also what makes Joburg great: its placement. You can get to almost anywhere by car in a reasonable time, namely:

- Vaal river (Vredefort Dome) in 1hr 30min

- Sun City 2hr 30min

- Waterburg 3hr

- Most Game lodges 2-3 hr

- Kruger National Park 4hr

- Drakensburg 3hr

- Zimbabwe 5hr

- Mozambique 5hr

- Botswana 5hr

- Durban 6hr

Union Buildings – Google images

With a huge smorgasbord of things to do and see, here are a few things I can recommend:

- Orlando Towers and Soweto

- Parliament buildings

- The Apartheid museum

- Voortrekker Monument

- Gold Reef City

- Joburg Zoo

- Joburg Art Gallery

- Constitution Hill

- Newtown Market

Newtown – Google images

So yes, Joburg may not have an ocean, but I believe it makes up for it in every other way. This truly is a great city to live in. It will take a lot to remove me from here. I’m not saying that Joburg is better than Cape Town, I’m saying that I would rather live here than anywhere else. Some people just love Joburg more!

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