# A few days in Gauteng

Last week, I went to Johannesburg and Pretoria for a few days to apply for a visa for an upcoming trip. I decided to make a trip of it, because I haven't spent much time there before. I left Cape Town on the Friday morning and returned on Thursday morning.

# Friday afternoon

After arriving in Johannesburg, I rented a car and drove to the suburb of Rosebank to have lunch with a friend from AIMS. We met at a restaurant called Momo Kuro (opens new window), an Asian-style restaurant with the most amazing view (opens new window) over the foresty city.

I've been told by many a Joburger that their city is the largest man-made forest in the world and I was suitably impressed with the view. Apparently, it is not quite true (opens new window), but it nevertheless fascinates me how what was once grassland (opens new window) could now be covered in a vast amount of trees.

Momo Kuro was strangely empty, but the bao was top notch. The restaurant is located in the Keyes Art Mile (opens new window), which, rather confusingly, is not a mile of art galleries, but rather an imposing large black building containing galleries and restaurants. We walked through one of the galleries and saw some creepy skull art before saying goodbye.

# Saturday

On the Saturday morning, my cousin took me to a stunning coffee shop on top of a hill, called Sorcery (opens new window). My picture doesn't do it justice, but at least you can see some of the trees I've been going on about:

My plan for the rest of the day was to explore some touristy sites in Joburg. I drove to Constitution Hill (opens new window), but it was eerily quiet. I drove through three-story parking lot that had about six cars in it in total. There was also some construction work going on, so I left soon after arriving.

Next, I drove around Braamfontein to see a bit of the proper city vibes. I wanted to go to the Johannesburg Art Gallery, but I couldn't find safe parking and I've been told the neighbourhood is extra sketchy.

For my last visit of the day, I went to The Apartheid Museum (opens new window) and, boy, was it worth it. The museum is fairly large and it's very thoughtfully laid out. They have an impressive amount of video footage which is interspersed with historical objects, plaques, and pictures. I learned a lot during my visit and would want to return to try to absorb more of the information.

# Maybe next time in Joburg

Some places I'd still like to visit next time I go to Joburg:

• 44 Stanley (opens new window) and The Bioscope (opens new window)
• Johannesburg Botanical Gardens (opens new window)
• Maboneng (opens new window)
• The Cradle of Humankind and Sterkfontein caves (opens new window)
• Soweto. The Hop-On, Hop-Off bus looks like a nice way to be able to see some of Soweto as well.

# Pretoria

For the rest of the week, I stayed in Pretoria and worked remotely from there.

Some of the places I visited were:

• The Pantry (opens new window): an upmarket deli that's been making a buzz on social media. I had the chicken prego roll and vanilla ice cream. I thought it was overrated, but it's fun to look through the imported snacks and drinks they have.
• Wedgewood Nougat Hazelwood Innovation Cafe (opens new window): rich and creamy nougat-flavoured ice cream.
• BakeHouse (opens new window): I had their pasteis de nata and a sandwich. Their pasteis were some of the best I've ever had. Delicious!
• The Union Buildings & gardens (opens new window): you can't enter the buildings, sadly, but the huge buildings and well-maintained gardens were stunning to see. If I had more time, I would have liked to go on a little walk through the gardens.

# Maybe next time in Pretoria

Didn't go, but maybe next time:

• RAYA (opens new window), an asian-style restuarant. From the reviews, their food looks fantastic.
• Cheese Louise (opens new window): pizza and, I mean, that name alone.
• All the nature reserves and gardens. I've heard that there were many places to hike in Gauteng. I made a list of the ones nearby that I wanted to go to:
  • Faerie Glen Nature Reserve (opens new window)
  • Pretoria botanical gardens (opens new window)
  • Moreleta Kloof (opens new window)
  • Wolwespruit (opens new window)
• Pretoria Boeremark (opens new window), apparently you have to go at 6:00 for it not to be overly crowded.

# Differences between Gauteng and the Western Cape

Some of the random things I noticed that were different in Gauteng versus in the Western Cape:

• More visible policing on the highways.
• More potholes, but not as many as in the Eastern Cape.
• Friendlier and more professional car guards. I'm guessing that the ones I saw were gainfully employed by the buildings they worked at, while in the Western Cape they're usually freelancers.
• Random guys helping to guide traffic at an intersection where the traffic lights were off. Apparently people give them tips sometimes.
• So many trees. Huge ones that form canopies over roads.
• Bolt-branded Suzuki S-Pressos.
• Much more highway advertising.
• Chattier and more confident service staff.