inspiring and feel good video … created for Inspired By Iceland …
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Thanks Ron.
Category: travel
to Victoria Falls
First Maputo, Mozambique for a 3-day Gymnastics Coaching course.
Then I fly to Livingstone, Zambia on March 4th.
Looks pretty intense. 🙂
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Sunset Shores, South Africa
The Mann family invited me out to their holiday home about an hour outside JoBurg.
This is one of the major water sources for the big city.
Boys and their toys. The thing to do at “the Dam” is water sports.
Happily, I did not drown. 🙂
At dusk I went for a run up into the hills
Sunset Shores
Good morning. 🙂
JoBurg helicopter tour
William owns a helicopter. His company uses it to transport gold safely.
He got his pilot to zip us across town from one small airport to another. Grand Central to Jack Taylor.
We flew very, very low.
When we buzzed William’s house, I was disappointed not to spot his dog JR, the Jack Russell.
The Botanical Gardens I hiked the other day.
Melani was waiting for us at the gate.
Apartheid Museum, Johannesburg
The Apartheid Museum is a … complex in Johannesburg, South Africa dedicated to illustrating apartheid and the 20th century history of South Africa.
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Watch another video on the museum.
Johannesburg city tour
Melani and I took a bus tour of her home town, Johannesburg.
We started at the Gold Reef City casino.
Bus tours are the fastest way to get a feel for a big city.
We took an elevator to the Roof of Africa, the top of the Carlton, Africa’s highest building.
JoBurg is sprawling, one of the sprawlingest cities in the world. 8 million people plus by some estimates.
This is the largest city in the world NOT on a river, lake or coast. The only reason the city grew here was gold. You are reminded when passing gold coloured tailing piles.
Gold was discovered on the Langlaagte farm in 1886. … By 1896 Johannesburg had become a city of over 100,000 inhabitants …
Soccer City, the main stadium of the 2010 World Cup.
Melani and I both enjoyed the tour. I recommend it. Especially the Apartheid museum.
On another day, William took me to his office in Johannesburg CBD (Central Business District). Nearby were “highjacked” buildings filled with squatters.
William’s building and other parts of the old city are being renovated and rejuvenated. We had coffee at Uncle Mere’s, a trendy new streetside bistro in the hip Maboneng district.
Working Holiday Visas for Canadians
Mostly for those younger than age-30.
It’s EASY for Canadian gymnastics coaches under 30.
… comprehensive list of all of the countries in the world that offer working holiday visas for Canadians, so that you can choose where you want to work abroad and start planning your trip.
A working holiday visa allows you to work and travel in that country for a period of time, usually between 12-24 months. The idea is that you are working to support your travels, rather than coming there with any long term career prospects in mind – travel should be the main focus of your trip. You will need to show proof of having enough support funds in your bank account so that you can take care of your primary expenses until you start earning money from your job. …
read more – Which Countries Offer Working Holiday Visas for Canadians?
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visiting Soweto
Soweto is an urban area of the city of Johannesburg in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city’s mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for South Western Townships. …
Population anywhere from 1.5 million to 5 million.
Melani took me on a guided van tour.
Africa’s largest hospital, the Chris Hani Baragwanath.
A new symbol of Soweto today — the Orlando Towers.
That’s a guy bungie jumping. 🙂
New to me was the Hector Peterson Memorial.
Hector was an innocent bystander killed in an anti-Afrikaans Soweto Uprising. The photo of his body became a rallying image for the ANC.
Mandela House – 8115 Vilakazi Street, Orlando West, Soweto. Mandiba is a hero of mine. It was a pilgrimage for me to visit.
Mandela moved here 1946. His family lived here off and on until it was turned into a museum after his release from prison in 1990.
Winnie and Desmond Tutu have houses nearby. We saw Tutu’s son arriving. Desmond spends most of his time in Cape Town, these days.
Like near every tourist who visits Soweto, we had a meal in Vikakazi Street.
Soweto on a tour looks pretty good. But here are the real squatters, many of them illegal immigrants.
The Obamas stayed at this hotel while attending Mandela’s funeral.
It’s in Walter Sisulu Square in Kliptown, a monument commemorating and celebrating South African Charter of Religious Rights and Freedoms.
I’ve downloaded Long Walk to Freedom. The history will be more real to me after visiting some of the historic sites.
switching from Rogers to Wind Mobile
Wind, backed by Europe’s Vimpelcom Ltd., said it would offer customers unlimited data, talk and text while travelling in the United States for $15 a month. …
Looks like I’ll be switching from Rogers to Wind Mobile. 🙂
Rick McCharles 