Sun rising over Africa (from British Airways flight to South Africa)
I’m in
Africa.
It still hasn’t completely sunk in.
South Africa
. . . at least the very small part of it I have seen so far is very modern and
westernized.
Driving into the largest
city, Company.
It’s a beautiful city in
many respects.
At the same time it is
one of the most dangerous cities in the world.
(Check out Tom Davis’ blog on the subject from a few weeks ago.)
Jimmy and I spent a whole day in the city finalizing the
Race and then our Racers spent all day Sunday racing through the capital city
of
Pretoria and then into
Johannesburg.
The race started at a statute of the first
democratically elected President- Paul Krueger and proceeded to the Union
Buildings- home of the Apartheid era government.
From there the racers rode the train- 3rd
Class- to
Johannesburg.
Once there the racers had to find the “African Big 5”
(Elephant, Giraffe,
Buffalo, Rhino
Johannesburg,
you can see corporate offices of nearly every American Fortune 500 and Leopard)
at the Johannesburg Zoo, along with the South African National Bird and a
monument to a late, but very famous South African Gorilla named Max!
After the quick trip to the zoo, the racers
ordered a mixed platter of South African delicacies in a local restaurant followed
by a trip to the incredible
Apartheid
Museum.
The race concluded on the 50th
floor of the
Carlton
Center
in downtown
Johannesburg.
We have enjoyed a few days off at Alabanza- a ministry base
outside of
Pretoria.
Our host of American missionaries and South
African nationals have been wonderful to us.
The time here has been relaxing and much needed.
It will take a couple days to process our
Visa Applications and then we are off to
Mozambique.
But that’s another blog!
Here’s our South African friend Marit and American missionary Anne seated at the “Max” Memorial at the Johannesburg Zoo. Max was a Gorilla that was shot twice by an armed robber that tried to hide in Max’s cage.
