Friday, April 6, 2018

African Post: Pretoria, South Africa

To use a little Texas slang, am fixin' to dance to a different drummer.... 
a hand carved, animal skin covered drum with an African beat. 

Flying out April 4th to the land of ALL our ancestors.  Something primordial beats within, coming down thru the ages from our common roots in the Africa of yore.  

The natives say, "You can leave Africa, but Africa will never leave you". I experienced it once before in 2001 with my son Alan. We went on a safari in Botswana. The land and cultures are very primitive yet you feel it touching your soul, no matter how cosmopolitan or educated you like to think you are.

Am anxious to see if the experience, the feeling, is the same in civilized areas of South Africa as it was in the bush of Botswana. 

Arriving in South Africa after 20 hours of traveling can be exhausting, so arrived a day early in order to rest, get over the jet lag and walk about some. 

Arrived at the hotel breakfast bar an hour before they opened, my internal clock is jet lagging. 

Started the day wandering in the nearby commercial shopping district where I am staying in Pretoria. Doing nothing more than capture images, take photos of curious items... rested in an outdoor cafe, watching for faces with character or.. something. Here is what I found today in Pretoria South Africa on a sunny Friday.


The morning sun illuminates the pedestrian bridge



The gate keeper opens the doors




Good Morning Africa, building for the future is what the newspaper said.



Some donkeys never leave the water



X means trading has yet to commence




Working Nine to Five...




So much to do, so little time...



Not today, not on my watch!



Determination coming in, stand aside.



Pushing, pushing... but he's looking at Hot!



A fun attitude with a capital A



Mama, Don't let your shoes get wet



Waiting for dinner can be a killer...


This photo is actually of a painting inside a gallery, taken from outside, with the reflection of an outdoor cafe behind me in the storefront glass.  Makes a really cool visual metaphor.


Tomorrow we start the motorcycle tour, the reason I came to South Africa. Over the next seventeen days, we will explores the history and highlights of South Africa.

Stick around, we might even see a wild animal or two...


CCjon






6 comments:

  1. Hoping you have great fun in the upcoming days! Nice job on the last pic!

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    1. Thanks Dom, that was taken in one shot. Only editing was convert to B&W.

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  2. South Africa seems to be a great riding destination and I'm really looking forward to your take on the place.

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  3. Richard, South Africa should be on everybody's bucket list of places to ride. The country is quite advanced, modern. None of the "problems" we see or hear on the news about SA is real.

    Just finished our second day of riding. The roads are fantastic, traffic is to be watched as is a weekend. Plus they drive on the left here. Straightaways, no problem, but still have to watch it on the roundabouts.

    Have taken many photos of wild game, hope to get posted soon.

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  4. So excited for this adventure! We are glad you’ve arrived safely.

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    Replies
    1. Only a couple of days here and have already seen so many exciting things and learned so much.

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