Picture of the Week (25th to 31st July)

So I have decided that every week I am going to pick an image of something that I love in Joburg. It can be anything at all! A place, a person, an artwork...anything! It can be taken with a fancy camera or a phone...as long as the subject matter is positive and very Jozi then its perfect.

You are also more than welcome to send in a pic that you like and if it goes with the ethos of the blog, it might make its way onto the blog...crediting you of course.

Pic of the Week
Kids playing outside their parents shop in Diagonal Street. I am always really
interested in the life of  Jozi inner city kids. Also this pic proves that you don't need fancy
toys to have fun...just an old box and a friend.

A Week in the Kruger...yes I know not very "I Love Joburg" but AWESOME anyway

Its a real life Bambi. A fantastic Bush Buck

I know I have not written in a while...but I am now officially back and will make sure to post every week without fail.

I went to the Kruger 2 weeks ago for a huge family holiday (25 of us!) which was awesome and super relaxing. I also got some fab pics so here are a few of my best.

xx The Joburg Tour Guide

Selling Jozi and a Weekend in the City

I was lucky enough to go to Tourism Indaba in Durban last week. Southpoint one of my absolute fav Inner city rejuvenation companies (they are responsible for a huge amount of fantastic work in Braamfontein) took me along to be part of their stand. Southpoint owns over 20 buildings in Braamfontein and houses over 4000 students in the area. On top of that they also have quite a few student bars in the area as well as 2 roof top bar venues: Sky Bar and Randlords. The view is to die for!

Why they were at Indaba is because they also have a stunning 60 bed hotel in Braamfontein called Hotel Lamunu (BTW- a great place to have an after work drink). We are working together to sell the inner city as a leisure destination. And why wouldn’t it be? It’s got loads to see and do and you can do it all using public transport. My suggestion is that if you are looking for something a little different to do over the weekend, why not book a night or two at an inner city hotel and really experience what city life is all about!

People (both local and international) had such a good response to our inner city product. It’s really exciting and I can’t wait to show them around and help make Jozi a tourist destination.

The Carnivore Resturant team- really friendly

It was also great to meet other Joburg products, organisations and establishments at Indaba. It is funny how we have to go to another city to meet. I met some great people from the GTA and Carnivore Restaurant (weird since im a vegeterian) who I hope to meet up with soon.

Kieliepensie Day Care on a Gautrain Visit

After Indaba I was on the Gautrain on my way home and I saw a really lovely site that made me fall in love with Jozi just a little bit more. A day care called Kieliepensie Dagsag from the East Rand were going on a school trip on the train. All the toddlers, babies and kids were dressed in their bright yellow tshirts, loaded into prams or walking. It was so great to see locals so excited to be using the public transport. What also got me really excited is that the Gautrain will be in the city soon! It will open up the city to a whole new group of people...I can’t wait!

We also did a lovely little tour last Saturday morning. Our guide Tania lead us on an adventure through the Mining District ending off with tea at the Rand Club. I have recently become a member of the Rand Club and I am so excited. I love its history and its building and I plan to spend many an afternoon reading in its library and many an evening drinking in the bar!

We have some great events coming up over the next few weeks so keep in touch

The Joburg Tour Guide xx

The Inner City Adventure Continues: Jozi to Cape Town, the Jetsons and Chancellor House

The last few weeks have been absolutely crazy and so I begin this blog with a huge apology for not posting sooner! I was in Cape town for a week and then hit the ground running once back in Jozi with loads of tours, meetings and adventures in the city!

Here is what I have been up to:

A week in Cape Town

Fab building in Cape town

As i have mentioned before, Im doing my Masters at UCT in Conservation of the Built Environment. This means that I get to spend four weeks every year in Cape Town. I have just come back from one of these weeks. I had a fab time staying with friends and experiencing the city. Cape town has some great people, buildings and history (so different to Jozi's history). I went to the Milnerton Market while I was their which was AWESOME! I bought some great stuff at bargain prices including an art deco chrome coffee pot...swoon!

Since I have been back in Jozi, I have also had some awesome inner city adventures:

An Amazing Rea Vaya Experience

The original picture- with a young Edwin in the centre

Edwin Siwedi today

As many of you already know, on most of our tours we try to walk or use public transport. Our most common mode of transport is therefore the Rea Vaya bus system. I was doing a tour on the system a few days ago and had the most amazing experience. We were lucky enough to meet a gentleman called Edwin Siwedi. Edwin who is now a grandfather in his 50's was 18 years old in 1976 and played an important role in the student uprising. He was actually one of the young man in a famous photo of the event. It was an absolute honor to meet him!

A visit to the little that remains of the Top Star Drive-In


Me standing in front of all that is left of the Top Star Drive-In today



A Scene from the Jetsons. The Top Star Drive-in entrance

 could easily fit in well here



I was exploring the city the other day, with a friend and we ended up at what was once the Top Star Drive-In. Opened in the 1960's Top Star was a popular place for Joburgers to watch a film, and offered an unbeatable view of the city. Unfortunately it closed down in 2006 and since then the mine dump that the Drive-In was situated on has be re-mined for gold. It is a tragedy that such an awesome spot in Jozi has been lost. The only part of the Drive-In still there is the arch over the entrance! But it is fab- very 1960's and it really reminds me of the Jetsons Cartoon and its space like design.

An update on Chancellor House

Chancellor House- refurbishment nearly finished

Probably one of the most exciting projects happening in the inner city right now is the refurbishment of Chancellor House. Once the offices of Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo's Law firm it has been pretty much an inner city slum for decades that is, until last year when it's refurbishment began. I will keep you updated and write properly on it, when it is completed in the very near future...cant wait!

I am off to Durban next week and Tourism Indaba but will try squeeze a quick blog in before then!

Party at the Old Park Station-you have to see this!

A couple of weeks ago we were lucky enough to be invited to my cousin's husbands 40th birthday at the Old Park Station concourse.

If I had to describe the party and the building is one word, it would definitely be WOW!

My cousin Margie's husband Eric is Lebanese so the party had a "Lebanese theme" which this building is perfect for! Think Arabian nights, with smoke machines, low tables, red velvet and stunning mood lighting. The food was also great- humus, flat bread, couscous...all my favourites. The alcohol flowed freely and the DJ was awesome. In my opinion a successful party needs a few things: great music, fab food, lots of booze and fun people, and this party had all those things in abundance.

I have heard about how fab this building is before but no pictures or stories, did it justice! You walk in and its like you have stepped back in time. The old shop fronts are still their are look like they have just closed up for the night.

Designed by Gordon Leith and originally decorated with 32 J.H Pierneef murals, Clive Chipkin describes the station beautifully in Johannesburg Style (1993)

"behind the main exterior of Park station is the great sunken station concourse-magnificent, like vast Roman thermae. The floor is three and a half metres below street level, but the stunning intersecting barrel vaults and lantern clerestories rise up nearly 15 metres above the floor level in a controlled explosion of public space".

Chipkin also says that at the time, the concourse was so popular that it often appeared in short stories and novels:

"Jill Westcott ran down the marble steps of the Johannesburg Railway Station into the blue-dome vault with the sunken goldfish ponds and the murals. The clock said she had 15 minutes to catch her train, and she slowed to a sedate walk. She told herself she had nothing to fear. He hadn't rung up and after last night he certainly wouldn't have the nerve to come to the station" Fell Purpose by A. Campbell

What is so great about the station, is that it looks like someone just closed it up one day and never went back. This is not entirely true as it is an event space and I have heard was a really popular spot for raves in the 90's. We explored all the surrounding rooms (they were once restaurants or bars) which was fantastic!
 Even the bathrooms are stunning and totally old school! One of the most remarkable rooms is the "Blue Room" which is a completely tiled in "delft" style tiles each with a completely different South African Image on them from Rock Art, to the Castle in Cape Town.

But believe me we weren't only looking at the architecture...this was a party of note! We danced and drank and were maybe a little to merry! Justin (AKA Monkey) passed out on a police car (the police were not around at the time) afterwards! Good Times.

A huge thanks goes out to Margie and Eric for such a fab party!

Ill write again soon xxx

Inner City Capers -including an expedition to the fabulous London House

I had the most awesome of adventures with Tania on Saturday afternoon. We decided to spend a few hours aimlessly wandering through the inner city taking photo's and doing research.

We found some great places and saw some great city scenes:

Retro Dinner
While walking down Jeppe Street (near Newtown), we found the most awesome looking old Diner. Really fab! It is now some sort of tavern/ bar but the old diner fixtures are all their. We went in and took some pics of the super friendly patrons! It seems to have been next to an old movie theatre. I can just imagine going to see a movie and then having a milkshake and burger at the Diner! Swoon.

Lionel Richie Time Machine
Just outside the Diner, Tania spotted one of the coolest and craziest cars I have ever seen. I love how it looks like a faded Lionel is sitting in the back!

Aegis House
We then ended up near the Rand Club, where we took some stunning pics of the Aegis Building which was home to an insurance company originally but now has some fab shop space on the ground floor. My favourite is the retro shoe shop and the "Sense and Sensibility" Coffee shop.

London House
We were then walking past London House (an absolutely stunning Art Deco building) when the security guard said that we should go inside and take a look! wow..it is so stunning. I am not sure what it was originally but it is now full of traditional African dress makers and designers and was still buzzing on Saturday afternoon. It has such stunning original features which is great to see! It also has at least one large "walk in type" safe on each floor! We are totally in love with the building! It also has a great view which we were lucky enough to see from a 13th floor veranda. What is surprising is that although the building does look a bit rundownn from the outside, it is actually looking pretty good inside! I also love how it has such a vibrant, sustainable community working inside it!

We discovered a few more great buildings but I am going to do some research and then will blog about them!

Ill blog again next week! X X

Inner City Adventures-Religion and Pipe Smoking in the City of Gold

I have had a really busy week in Jozi which means I am going to have to write two blog posts this week. My first blog is going to be about an absolutely fabulous day I had in Joburg.

The day started off with a Rea Vaya ride to Regina Mundi in Rockville, Soweto. I have mentioned the church before as it is definitely my favourite site in Soweto. What is so great about the church is that it isn't a tourist attraction but rather a functioning church. It can be found slap bang in the middle of Soweto and is often called the "Mother" or "Protector" of Soweto. Regina Mundi which means "Mother of the World" is a catholic church home to one of the few black Madonna's in the world. It became famous in the 1970's as it is where many children involved in the student uprising ran for safety. The church is not just a tourist attraction but rather plays a crucial role in the community. When we were visiting on Thursday they were just finishing up their weekly soup kitchen. Outside the church, some bubbly local ladies have set up a few tables of handmade craft. I have walked past it so many times when I am taking tourists around the site but finally had a good look. I was pleasantly surprised! They have made the most stunning mosaics of the "black Madonna". They are about R130-00 -totally worth it. The artists who make the tiles are: Sonto, Tebogo, Nokwazi, Zandi and Marry. If you would like any more info contact Tebogo on 0733746712. My company does a great tour of Regina Mundi-email if you are interested.

We then caught the bus back into town for lunch at the Marshall Inn- a great little inner city bar and restaurant. It, like many older inner city spots, may look a little dodgy at first but once you explore them a little further, they prove to be special, unique and worth a visit! It has been owned by the same Portuguese family for over 20 years and is situated in the mining district on Marshall Street, just near Khotso House. The main bar which is up the stairs is cosy and full of business people from the area. I cant wait to go back unfortunately it is only open during the week until 18h00. It still has a fabulous old credit card advert on the door- I love it when things like this survive!

On our way back to the car which was in Newtown, we had a couple of fun experiences. I always meet the most awesome and special people while walking around the inner city. On this particular day we ended up walking behind a large group of elderly ladies in their distinctive blue and white Church uniforms. We got talking when one of them told my boyfriend that she loves him! Other than that priceless piece of info, they told us that they had been at a meeting at Khotso House (Marshall Street). (Khotso House is a bustling religious centre that is home to the South African Council of Churches and played an important role in the anti-apartheid struggle. The building became known in the 1980's when a bomb just about destroyed it. It was later found during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that former South African President PW Botha personally ordered the bombing). To get back to the church ladies, when we asked them which church they were affiliated with, they told us the "South African United Apostolic Church of Christ in Mufolo Soweto" under the "Archbishop IM Khumalo"...what a mouthfull! The ladies where even kind enough to let us take a photo! Total characters.

We were then walking down Diagonal Street, when both my friend Tania and my other half Justin decided that they would like to start smoking a pipe! yes you heard me right...A PIPE! an old mans pipe! They both then bought one..ok they only cost R20 so it wasnt like they exactley broke the bank. It was really funny and they actually suprisingly both suit a pipe. The Diagonal Street area is full of fun little shops that sell things like pipes. Tania bought me a fab hollow ivory looking pendant that you would traditionally put snuff or herbs in! I LOVE IT!

The city is just so alive and unique! I have been to many city's in South Africa and the rest of the world but none are as friendley or vibrant as Jozi! how lucky we are to live here.

I also had a great city exploration on Saturday which i will blog about during the week.

Be in touch soon- the JHB Tour Guide.