Shopping

This weekend was all about craft markets. Sunday we drove down to Jo'burg and spent the afternoon at an African craft market at the Rosebank Mall. Typical of most malls here, navigating the mall is not easy. And the maps don't usually help. Fortunately, we were with a friend who had been to the market and knew where to go. I wasn't really expecting to buy anything even though I've been obsessed over buying a nice large bowl to display fruit ever since Punk knocked my Mexican ceramic bowl off the countertop in Chicago and destroyed it. The roof-top market is quite popular with locals, so it doesn't feel like you're in a tourist trap even though many stalls carry similar items--such as wooden bowls and soapstone bowls. But I just wasn't feeling these bowls. :-) After some browsing around though, we came upon the most beautiful hand-painted table runners, place mats and pillow covers. So we bought a table runner and matching place mats! I'm now obsessing over going back for a pillow cover or two! 

After all the rigorous shopping...which also included buying spices and halloumi cheese (which is quite popular here most often served fried), we stopped for lunch at little outdoor cafe. The food was great and the location in the mall made for great people watching. 

Despite the fact that today is a holiday if you work for the US government, Andrew worked. So I spent the day with a new friend Omer (one of Andrew's colleagues). We went to another market about an hour northwest of Pretoria called the Chameleon Market near Hartbeespoort Dam, one of the few sizable bodies of water around here. This market had some similar products that we found in Rosebank, but the shopping was less than enjoyable. I'm not sure if was the location or the day of the week, but it was obvious the sellers were desperate for sales. I didn't buy anything, but Omer persisted and bought some beautiful Maasai wooden figurines with colorful beads. And surprise surprise, now I'm obsessing about those too! 

After the stressful shopping experience, we inquired about places to eat and how to see the dam. A shopkeeper gave us directions to a place called Leopard Lodge, promising commanding views of the valley. Within 15 minutes were there and the scenery did not disappoint. The landscape is absolutely beautiful with steep cliffs and lush greenery surrounding the dam. I plan to go back to this place with Andrew and visitors. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was so peaceful. We felt like were on vacation and so far away from civilization. 

The lodge sits near the base of these cliffs.

The dam in the distance.

It's the rainy season, so the grass is green!

Felix is the resident cat. He was so friendly...but made me miss my Punky Do!

Lion Reserve

Sunday we spent the day at the Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve, which is just about 40 minutes from our house. In fact, from some areas of the reserve you can see downtown Jo'Burg in the distance. The park sits on about 4000 acres of rolling grasslands. Inside the reserve is also a cave where they mined limestone from about 1898-1902 at which time miners abruptly left after the British defeated the Dutch settlers. Over the years that followed, the mine entrance was reclaimed by heavy scrub brush and trees and was unknown to local villagers until an unsuspecting cow found the entrance and fell into the cave in 1991.

After touring the cave, we drove through the park to watch the feeding of the lions, cheetahs and wild dogs. At the lion feeding, we were fortunate to find a parking spot right next to the lions as they waited for their feeding. It was interesting to watch the two males stand and look expectantly in the distance for their food to arrive. We were curious to know how the feeding would work. Would lunch be live animals or a carcass? At 1 pm we got our answer when a truck rolled out of the bush with a huge carcass...the two males in hot pursuit. Once they pulled the meat off the truck, two females and another male descended on it for lunch!

The cheetah feeding started out promising, but of the four cheetahs present only one stayed to eat the meat. We surmised that the other ones weren't happy with what was offered!

After the drive, we ended up at the visitor's center where we were able to pet white lion cubs. They were napping and so cute, but it was a bit sad because the lion cubs are bred there and then sold to zoos throughout the world. After learning that, we all felt less enthused about our visit. But overall, it was an enjoyable day...and so close to home!

The house that's now a home

I promise not to post any more pictures of our house. But now that we have things up on the walls as well as pictures of family and friends scattered about, it feels a lot more like home. 

Rain

Sunday we went to Jo'Burg to have lunch with friends and hang out. I really like Jo'Burg a lot. It has a similar vibe to LA in that you don't immediately see what makes it a great city. You have to know where you're going and get to the individual neighborhoods. So it was great having friends take us around.

First we went downtown to this new arts district where there are a number of renovated warehouses. Then we went to the Parkhurst neighborhood for lunch. While there, afternoon thunderstorms rolled in and trapped us in the restaurant for about two hours. It is the rainy season here after all. But the rain was just torrential...though nice to watch from inside the cafe. The big thing about South African thunderstorms is their intensity. I thought I knew strong thunderstorms from growing up in St. Louis. But the ones here are very intense, loud and usually quite fast moving. But the one on Sunday last longer than usual...according to locals. I doubt these pictures capture it, but I think you can see that the street became a river!

Anyway, what took us only 30 minutes to drive down to Jo'Burg from Pretoria, took 90 minutes on the way home in the rain.

Playing Tourists

After two weeks here in Pretoria, I'm finally settling into somewhat of a routine. I've found a fantastic yoga studio, got my health insurance and feel a lot more comfortable driving on the left!

So yesterday (Saturday) after paying our cable bill the old fashioned way (you have to go into a store), we took an opportunity to visit a local park called Groenkloof Nature Reserve. It's only a 5 minute drive from our house. We opted for a short hike since we arrived at the reserve completely unprepared for a midday hike in full sun with no sunscreen, hats or water. I have no idea what we were thinking, but all turned out okay...including some great shots of wildlife.

After surviving our hike relatively un-burned and a little parched, we drove to downtown Pretoria, also known as the CBD (central business district) to see the Union Buildings. While not allowed inside these parliamentary buildings, you are allowed to walk around the beautifully manicured gardens.

Enjoy a few pictures of our adventures yesterday!

I love the zoom on our camera.

Andrew in his natural habitat.."I just have this one email to send."

There were 3 of these antelopes (not sure what kind) right along the path. It was a bit unnerving since they were quite large, but as we walked by...they edged away. 

View of CBD from the Union Buildings.

The road in the background going up hill leads to our house. At the bottom of the hill on the left (more or less) is Andrew's office.