A divided Johannesburg to wrestle with
Thursday, July 31st, 2008
If you think apartheid ended somewhere around 1990 as I did, Johannesburg will come as quite a shock. Segregation between the black rundown downtown-area and poor townships and the white luxurious northern neighbourhoods is almost perfect. The dividing lines are invisible yet razorsharp. I stayed with three amazing guys – thanks R&L&S! – with whom I stayed a whole month! This is a city I wrestled with to understand. And still do. But it’s fascinating and tantalizing.
Joubert Park, downtown. I’m positively the only white guy around. Not safe.
Disturbing sight at the Apartheid museum.
Bentley’s for sale at Hyde Park Mall. All visitors white. All servants, security personnel, parking attendants and waiters black. Classifying Johannesburg as 2nd world makes no sense: it’s 1st and 3rd world.
Great autumn/winter colors of Zoo Lake.
Isolation cells for black people at Constitution Hill.
View on downtown from “Top of Africa”.
A penthouse without a view?
More Johannesburg pictures.
If you think apartheid ended somewhere around 1990 as I did, Johannesburg will come as quite a shock. Segregation between the black rundown downtown-area and poor townships and the white luxurious northern neighbourhoods is almost perfect. The dividing lines are invisible yet razorsharp. I stayed with three amazing guys – thanks R&L&S! – with whom I stayed a whole month! This is a city I wrestled with to understand. And still do. But it’s fascinating and tantalizing.
Joubert Park, downtown. I’m positively the only white guy around. Not safe.
Disturbing sight at the Apartheid museum.
Bentley’s for sale at Hyde Park Mall. All visitors white. All servants, security personnel, parking attendants and waiters black. Classifying Johannesburg as 2nd world makes no sense: it’s 1st and 3rd world.
Great autumn/winter colors of Zoo Lake.
Isolation cells for black people at Constitution Hill.
View on downtown from “Top of Africa”.
A penthouse without a view?
More Johannesburg pictures.
hours of travel (including my first nighttrain)… 
