Photo of the Week (22nd to 28th of August)

Wits Choir on the Gautrain
By the Fab Tania Olsson

THis weeks photo of the week is taken by Tania Olsson. Tania is a member of the Wits Choir, who if you have not heard them sing... are fab.

I wrote about them on Travelstart so please check it out:  The hills of Joburg are alive…with the Sound of the Wits Choir


This photo was taken a few months ago when the Choir was setting off on a tour to North America and Canada. I love it because I think its a great image and it is also of two awesome things that I love about Joburg: The Gautrain and the Wits Choir.

Photo of the week (15th-21st August 2011)

If you know me at all, you know that I absolutely love Mary Sibande's work. I am also a huge fan of Public Art and this was one of my favourites. If anyone didn't see it, they basically wrapped 18 buildings with huge images of Mary's character Sophie. It was so beautiful and really bought some colour to the city.

The chosen image was up on Miriam Makeba Street.

This image was taken by Justin Du Piesanie (my other half) who is an avid photographer of the city and often sell his images to magazines and newspapers.

Mary Sibande's Sophie
Long Live the Dead Queen

Photo of the week (8th- 14th August 2011)



House and Leisure's Mad Men Photo Shoot at
His Majestys Building. The model
sits in front of a wood panelled wall with a
map of Africa on it.

 The His Majestys Building is one of my absolute favorite buildings in the inner city. This stunning Art Deco building based on the architecture of New York (particularly the Rockefeller Centre) was built in 1944. It was originally a theatre and law offices. Although the outside looks great most of the interior floors are occupied by dreary prefab walls and an array of random companies.

That said the top floor is AWESOME. The building was home to numerous law firms but the "penthouse" was something special. Totally wood panelled and two storeys high, it is awesome. I was lucky enough to get in and take a look as House and Leisure magazine were doing a "Mad Men" photo shoot. It was better than I even expected.  A sweeping staircase leads up to offices and a large boardroom where a map of Africa takes pride of place on the panelled walls. Although the space is empty, the shelves are still lined with the files and law books. I wish I had the funding to do something with this space.

I will hopefully do a more lengthy blog on the space and show you more pics within the next few weeks.

Getting to Joburg- Guest Blog by Travelstarts Russell Jarvis

Here is some great info for anyone planning to visit Jozi!

Johannesburg is easily accessible by road and air and you can rent cars in all major cities around South Africa. Get to Joburg via the N1 if you’re driving from Cape Town and Bloemfontein; and by the N3 national road if you’re coming from Durban. Remember national road toll fees when budgeting for a self-drive trip to Johannesburg. Pay attention to speed limits and beware of animals and pedestrians crossing the roads in certain areas along your route. Stop regularly (especially if you’re driving with children) and if you can, rent a GPS (satnav) as it’ll go a long way in helping you drive around Johannesburg.


Approximate Driving Times & Road Distances

• Durban to Johannesburg – Approximately 587km and 7 hours by road (1 hour by air)

• Cape Town to Johannesburg – Approximately 1473km and 17 hours by road (2 hours by air)

Fly to Johannesburg

While all the roads leading to Johannesburg are in perfect condition, some of you may prefer the comforts of flying to the City of Gold. If you’re not keen on taking the scenic route then daily flights are available from all major South African Airports. Budget travellers can search for flights on South Africa’s domestic low cost carriers like Kulula, 1 Time and Mango. British Airways (operated by Comair) and SAA have full service daily flights to Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport from other airports in South African including King Shaka (Durban), Cape Town International Airport and Port Elizabeth Airport.

When searching for flights to Johannesburg, make sure you look at options that fly to Lanseria. It’s often cheaper and more convenient to fly into Lanseria Airport in Johannesburg’s northern suburbs.

Book Flights to Johannesburg Online


Get to Joburg easily with Travelstart. As South Africa’s leading flight comparison site, Travelstart makes it easy to find the cheapest tickets for domestic flights in South Africa as well as international flights.

Click to book cheap flights to Joburg and catch up on my posts on the Travelstart blog.

Please check out: http://www.travelstart.co.za/index.jsp for great deals, travel info and to make a booking!

Who is Russell Jarvis:
Russell blogs for Travelstart and is a fountain of knowledge on travel tips, Visa information, destination reviews and much more.


What the Joburg Tour Guide has to say:
I am a huge fan of Travelstart. They always have great blog posts (I write one too) but I actually meant the other ones. Its also a great way to find the best flight prices. I have booked many flights via them including my holiday to Europe as well as many local flights. CHECK IT OUT!

Pic #2 (1-7 August)

So this one was taken by my friend Tania Olsson who spends most of her spare time taking photos in town. As this is women's month in South Africa I thought to give you this one as a kick-off to August..

"Girl Children of all ages will probably understand how this image reminds me so much of going to fabric stores as a kid and playing around under the counters and over the rolls of fabric, sweet memories! :) The boys were usually left at home to fend for themselves, heehee"
 - Tania Olsson

It seems like these shops haven't changed for generations and in fact, this shop is still owned by the original family that opened it. It's in Ferreirasdorp, kinda next to Newtown and unfortunately they only sell these beautiful ShweShwe fabrics by the roll. Although, whether you're buying or not, the shop is amazing to thrift through as they stock so many different designs that we don't usually see in all the normal material stores around Johannesburg.

Shopping in town is amazing!!