Day 19 marked our quick getaway to Johannesburg!
Having my knowledge on Jo'burg being limited to the Disney Channels' Made for TV movie the "Color of Friendship," which followed two young girl's interracial friendship during the apartheid, I was eager to see just how much creative liberty Disney took on this one...
We were lucky to stay at a beautiful backpackers that surpassed everyone's expectations. It had a cool circular pool, was nicely furnished with an easily accessible kitchen that our guides stocked oh so graciously for us, had a nice bar and pool table area to hang out in and two of the most friendly dogs for us to play with!
poolside chilling at Ghandi's Backpackers
Our first historical site was Constitution Hill. While it currently is the location of the Constitutional Court- the highest court in all of South Africa, it used to be one of the biggest prison complexes that would brutally punish ordinary civilians as well as political activists including Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela.
the supposedly haunted cell where one of the youngest prisoners of the apartheid died
We also were fortunate enough to experience The Apartheid Musuem- "apartheid: the system of segragation discrimination on grounds of race in force in South Africa, 1948-91." Which featured detailed accounts of the dark days in history as well as an incredible Nelson Mandela exhibit.
mandatory identification card for minorities during the apartheid, their limitations on paper
a long walk to freedom
We ended this history intense day with dinner at the oldest beer hall in Jo'Burg, Radium Beer Hall and while it seemed as if we had it all to ourselves the newspaper articles describing stories from the bar's youth reminded us of all that sat there before.
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