by Debbie Ross
founder of the Womens Travel Network.ca

After breakfast we checked out of our hotel and boarded the bus for one last tour of Johannesburg.  We headed up to the suburbs of Parkview and Westwold, the area that was settled by the wealthy miners. What a dramatic difference from the black neighbourhood of Soweto.  Sprawling mansions in gated communities with security guards. This is a special time of year to be in Johannesburg, the jacaranda trees are in full bloom. From the top of the city the view is a sea of purple. Spectacular!

We stopped at Satiagraha House. Built by architect Herman Kullenbach, a close friend of Gandhi.  Gandhi stayed here from 1908 to 1909 when he first came to Africa in defence of the Indian Indentured servants that were being poorly mistreated.  He lived a very simple life at that time and chose to sleep on a mattress in the attic.

Next stop, Johannesburg airport to catch our flight to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Our flight was rescheduled then delayed a couple of hours.  We finally arrived at our hotel in the early evening. Just in time to check in, freshen up before enjoying a delicious dinner at  Makuwakuwa Restaurant   located in our hotel.  There is a large watering hole visibile from the open air restaurant. It’s too dark to see it this evening, there’s only a sliver a moon.  It will be interesting to see the animals that frequent the water hole. This evening the sound is quite spectacular with frogs and crickets and who knows what else.  It’s very warm here but we chose to sleep with the patio door open so we can listen to the night sounds. Our beds are draped in mosquito netting so there’s not need to worry about pests biting us as we sleep.
Accommodation: Victoria Falls Safari Lodge