Fun things to do in Johannesburg

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One of the parking levels at the Rosebank Mall (part of the Rosebank pedestrian precinct) is converted into a market every Sunday morning from about 09:00 on - much nicer than the setting might suggest! This has become somewhat of an institution for locals and tourists alike, and there are now a couple of hundred stalls selling food, crafts/curios and the usual flea market fare. I believe that the proof of a good flea market is whether locals frequent it, and in this case, the majority of customers are Johannesburgers looking for something slightly out of the ordinary.

Bear in mind that there are craftsmen from all over sub-Saharan African represented at this market - this shouldn't deter you, but I suggest that you ask where it comes from just so that you understand its background and significance (most craftsmen will be delighted to explain the context to their work). Outstanding wood carving is likely to be Malawian, and the bulk of the better quality stone carving is Zimbabwean. Bronze sculptures and dark wood masks are likely to be from West Africa.

The quality of goods is generally excellent (though, like any market, there is some imported crap from the far East), and the prices are negotiable. By all means bargain, but please just be reasonable, as I find it is offensive to see pennypinching tourists trying to batter vendors into submission over a couple of rand even though they've been offered a 'special price' well below the opening value (my personal take on the issue is that expecting a discount of more than 40-50% below the opening price is unrealistic). Usually you have a stronger bargaining position if you are buying more than one item (in which case, jocularly ask for a "discount on volume").

Bear in mind that many countries (Australia being a particular case in point) are very strict about the import of animal-based goods: this includes food (including biltong - even if, in my very subjective opinion it looks and tastes like salty shoe leather, although my kids love it in their lunch boxes!) and curios made out of wood, animal hides, feathers, ostrich egg or horn/warthog ivory. The local beadwork is a particularly good buy for people concerned about their luggage allowance as it is very light - look for quirky items such as beaded Christmas tree decorations and beaded bracelets made of safety pins.

In addition to the excellent specialist food section (which is ideal for snacking as you browse), there are many conventional shops in the Mall itself which are open on Sundays, as well a plethora of restaurants to which you can retire to with your loot once you've shopped until you drop (see my restaurant tips on Cranks and Anat)!

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I love these people. It is not just because they made me laugh and were so friendly. No. They clean the dirtiest car - ever. And it was a rental car! When I say dirty, I mean dirty. This had been a new car with very few miles on it. I had been driving it for over 20,000 and almost 2 months through South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Lesotho. It had been in the desert, stuck in sand, mountains and many urban areas as well. The dust and dirt inside and out were amazing. I really feared having to pay a huge amount of money to the rental company to have it cleaned. It already had damage from hitting a disease control fence at 120 miles an hour (Botswana).

They not only cleaned it, they cleaned it all the first time. At the normal price. Seals, the trunk (boot), under the seats. They cleaned it all to look like a new car again. Yes I did tip them! They even told me it would take a little more time as it was so dirty.

Wonderful people!

And I had no cleaning charges to pay when I took the car back to the rental agency.

I always find that one of the hardest challenges in planning time in an unfamiliar place is working out what elements to combine together: especially true in a city as spread out as Johannesburg with relatively little public transport.

So, for what it's worth, here are a few ideas for places/activities that you can group together to make the best use of your time. These are not 'hard and fast' tours, so regard them as suggestions which can be customised and/or combined to match your interests, budget and available time.

THE DEEP SOUTH: The wonderful Apartheid Museum and Gold Reef City are located south of the CBD, are literally next door and provide a wonderful contrast to one another. Allow the best part of a day to do both (more if you intend to spend time in the casino and/or attend a show at the Lyric Theatre).

SOWETO: Taking a guided tour to Soweto usually takes at least half a day - more if your tour includes a visit to a shebeen (tavern) for lunch. If being ferried around in a minibus sounds a little too tame for your taste, consider taking a more unusual tour of Soweto - by bike, for example - or combine this with bungee jumping at the Orlando Towers (best to do this one before lunch!). Whatever tour you choose, make sure it leaves sufficient time to fully appreciate the extraordinary Hector Pieterson Memorial.

NEWTOWN: MuseumAfrica, Mary Fitzgerald Square, World of Beer, Workers' Museum, the Sci Bono Science centre and other cultural aspects of the precinct such as the Brenda Fassie statue and the iconic Bassline club could keep you busy for most of the day. The Indian suburb of Fordsburg is also close to Newtown, use this as an excuse to explore the retail pleasures of the Oriental Plaza or enjoy a genuine Indian meal.

BRAAMFONTEIN AND SURROUNDINGS: Constitution Hill/Women's Prison/Johannesburg Fort, Park Halt railway station, Nelson Mandela Bridge, Origins Centre, Miners' Memorial, the giant eland, James Kitching Museum, Planetarium, Johannesburg Zoo, Zoo Lake and High tea at the Westcliff Hotel. Note that Newtown and Braamfontein are very close, so you could easily combine elements of both itineraries to suit your time and interests.

OUR MINING HERITAGE: Jo'burg is simply a mining camp that survived despite the odds, and what's here owes its origins to mining industry. To gain an understanding of what shaped our city into the commercial heart of a continent, explore the recently gentrified Main Street precinct with its rich mining heritage, including the BHP Billiton building and the Hollard Street mall, the Mapungubwe rhino, Anglo American buildings at 44 Main and 45 Main, the impala fountain, the mine headframe and the mine stopes of the Ferriera mine in Standard Bank's mine shaft museum. Other possible additions include the Miners' Memorial and Gold Reef City for a recreation of Johannesburg in the Gold Rush era, the reconstruction of the taverns that slaked the thirst of Jo'burg's gold miners at the turn of the century at World of Beer and a visit to two authentic gold rush watering holes: the Guildhall Inn and the Radium Beer Hall.

PERFORMING ARTS: Theatre at the Montecasino complex, shows and pantomime at the Johannesburg Civic (Nelson Mandela) theatre, Lippizaner stallion performances in Kyalami

JO'BURG WITH CHILDREN: Johannesburg offers a surprising amount of things to do with kids - or maybe it's just that I've conducted in depth research on this issue, having two of my own to entertain!

Indoor activities include the shabbily endearing James Kitching Museum of mammal like reptiles, Planetarium, the Sci Bono Science centre, Gold Reef City, open air concerts at Emmarentia, the dancing Lippizaners at Kyalami
and matinees of child-focused shows at the Civic Theatre and Montecasino.

Child friendly outdoor activities include guided walks at Delta Park, a range of nature focused activities at Kloofendal nature reserve, Johannesburg Zoo, Zoo Lake, foefie (zipline) slides at Acrobranch, hominid fossil picnic at Cooper's Cave, RSME model railway and skateboarding at Brightwater Commons.

And be sure to check out the most recent copy of Johannesburg Child magazine online for information on current events and activities.

THINGS TO DO OVER WEEKENDS: People watching on Sundays at Zoo Lake, Zoo Trot at the Johannesburg Zoo, Artists Under the Sun (first weekend of every month), Melville Koppies, Rosebank Rooftop Market, Walking tours with the Parktown and Westcliff Heritage Trust, go shopping for real estate, escorted walks around Delta Park

HARTBEESPOORT AND SURROUNDINGS: Maropeng, Sterkfontein Caves, various activities around Hartbeespoort Dam, including the wonderful Anne van Dyk Cheetah Breeding Station could all be combined in a busy day (but note that the Anne van Dyk Centre can only be visited at certain times). If you are particularly interested in our hominid history, then there are various guided tours in the Cradle of Humankind reserve such as the Cooper's Cave fossil picnic which take up to half a day.

PRETORIA: Voortrekker Monument, Freedom Park, Church Square, Heroes' Acre at the Church Street cemetery, Union Buildings, Pretoria Zoo, Jan Smuts' House and the Transvaal Museum (Ditsong) will take you at least a day ((Pretoria is only 60km from Johannesburg).

DAY TRIPS FURTHER AFIELD: Sun City, Magaliesberg, Warmbaths, Potchefstroom, Fochville

Happy plotting!

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(work in progress)
Forgive the very poor quality photo of a very up market place (but we only had a cellphone to hand)!

It is no exaggeration when I say that I have wanted to visit the Rand Club forever. The last outpost of 'men only' corporate culture in Johannesburg, this bastion of testosterone was only officially - and reluctantly - opened to women in 1994, and even though women are now allowed to venture into this hallowed ground, the ghosts of the mysogynistic past still loom (some of whom are still living) ...

The opportunity that presented itself was a conference of mining history at which my husband was presenting. And what a setting! The double staircase with brass handrail (polished by generations of diligent domestic servants and - I suspect - adult male bottoms sliding down the balustrades as schoolboy-inspired pranks) reeks history and I am agog at the deals that must have been hatched at the members' bar (at which I am depicted, wielding a tankard denoted by a life member).

To be blunt, the food was crap ... think 'British boarding school', and you're right on the money! Even the keynote speaker (Bobby Godsell, my former boss at Anglogold, who's spent more time there than most) commented that the menu always consisted of [inexpertly cooked] Beef Wellington, and I suspect that the equally lacklustre smoked salmon starter and creme caramel for afters are also staples ... but then you don't go there for the grub!

If you ever needed proof of South Africa's multicultural society, then surely this extraordinary building is it! Built in an Ottoman style reminiscent of Istanbul than Midrand, this amazing structure - located just off the highway between Johannesburg and Pretoria - was reaching completion at the time of writing (August 2011) and will become the largest mosque in the Southern Hemisphere.

The mosque is being funded by a Turkish businessman, Ali Katircioglu, and will comprise an entire Islamic complex, of which the jawdropping mosque, with its 24m dome and four 55m high minarets will form the centrepiece. The surrounding complex (garnished with its 24 smaller domes) will house a boarding school, conference centre, community hall, clinic and bazaar

Most people wouldn't associate South Africa with Muslim culture, but in fact Islam is the second most popular religion in South Africa after Christianity (well, third if you count those who declared themselves as having 'no religion' in the last census) and comprise a very visible 1.5% of the population. South African Muslims are usually Sunni and are drawn from the Cape Coloured community (the descendents of slaves imported from South East Asia) and a proportion of the Indian community.

If you'd like to take a look at this extraordinary structure but don't have your own transport, then the Gautrain passes directly by the mosque, which will give you a splendid view if you're travelling between Johannesburg to Pretoria. If you'd like to explore it in greater detail, then it is within walking distance of the Midrand Gautrain station - just be mindful of the usual cultural restrictions which apply to visiting mosques.

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Sceptics would observe that Big Bad Johannesburg is already too much of an adrenalin rush for most sane people, but if you're a thrill junkie, spending a couple of hours playing on the foefie slides at Acrobranch is a wonderful way to get your action fix!

So what's a 'foefie slide'? They are called 'flying foxes' in Australia (and I believe 'ziplines' elsewhere in the world) - anyway, whatever you call them, they are aerial cables which you slide down by means of a pulley system whilst secured by a safety harness.

Acrobranch is located in a mature grove of blue gum trees and offers a range of foefie slides and suspended 'monkey bridges' geared for all ages. It caters for children of about 5 to adults. It is a brilliant (if somewhat pricey) place for children's parties and is also used for team building and other corporate events - an on site venue can be hired for such events.

On a practical note, it has excellent safety equipment and briefings, good site security and there is ample parking.

For more information, see the website below. Note that it is open all day over weekends and during school holidays, but only from 13:00 - 17:00 on weekdays during school terms.

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I am a great beer enthusiast: I am actually allergic to wine, much to my husband's glee, as he claims that this qualifies me as a 'cheap date' (I am also allergic to coffee, but being of Irish extraction, this is hardly a handicap, as I am an absolute teapot)! However, to my great shame, I only managed to visit Johannesburg's World of Beer yesterday!

The centre is run as a 'loss leader' by South African Breweries (SAB) - now SABMiller - to showcase their product. Established as Castle Breweries in 1885, SAB have expanded into are a major player in the international beer industry and have developed off their original South African base to acquire brands such as Miller, Grolsch, Peroni and Pilsner Urquell. Local brands include Castle Lager, Hansa, Lion, Carling Black Label, and their soft drinks division also produces Coca Cola under licence. At the time of writing (November 2010), SABMiller was the world's largest brewing company by volume, but as the beer industry is very fluid (if you'll excuse the pun), this title seems to switch backwards and forwards between brewing conglomerates like a baton in a relay race, depending on who's acquired whom in the past few weeks!

The exhibit takes the visitor through the history of beer brewing and also shows the various stages of beer production from cultivating the ingredients - they actually have hops and barley growing in a greenhouse - to dispensing the amber nectar. There is also a section devoted to the role of beer in South African culture, including the opportunity to taste traditional sorghum beer (not as bad as I had thought it would be) and excellent reconstructions of Johannesburg during the gold rush of the 1890s (including a staggering map of the number of pubs in the CBD at the time to slake the thirst, celebrate the good fortune and/or drown the sorrows of the miners) and a shebeen in the 1960s. There is excellent use of audio visual material, and the tour is suitable for children as well as adults.

The centre also includes a pub called the Tap Room (surprise!): the bar menu posted on the website features a range of traditional South African food, obviously washed down with some more SAB produce, which makes it an excellent choice of venue for a pub lunch! Counterintuitively the bar doesn't sell beer: you are issued with two vouchers when you buy your ticket, and these can be exchanged for any of the beers or other SAB products (including non-alcoholic drinks).

World of Beer gets about 50,000 tourists annually and is great value, as the admission cost includes the opportunity to do some market research on their produce! At the time of writing, the admission price was R35 (about $US5) including the 90 minute tour and two free beers (plus a small glass in the reconstruction of a turn-of-the-century Johannesburg bar) - bargain!

Tours take place every hour and last for 90 minutes, with the last tour starting at 17:00 - we took the 16:00 tour, which I would recommend, as by the time you finish the tour, you can retire to the terrace by the bar to enjoy your sundowners as you gaze out over Newtown towards the M1 highway in the middle distance and empathise with the commuters sitting in the rush hour traffic jam!

Note that World of Beer is not open on a Sunday: this is pretty confusing, at the rest of Newtown's tourist attractions (the Workers' Museum, MuseumAfrica and the Sci Bono centre) do open on a Sunday, so be warned if you were hoping to combine them.

Cheers!

The South African Ballet Theatre is located in a little enclave of culture in Braamfontein, opposite the school for the Performing Arts and adjacent to the Civic (Nelson Mandela) Theatre.

I find the structure beautiful, with its barrel vaulted glass roof and floor-to-ceiling windows facing south, through which you can see the dancers at practice. The adjacent terraced garden is also a pleasant public space that provides a welcome oasis from the otherwise gritty concrete tower blocks of Braamfontein.

If you are something of a twinkletoes or simply looking for something unusual to do during your time in Johannesburg, then it is possible to take a class with the professional dancers of The South African Ballet Theatre in their studios. Participants do not need previous ballet experience and simply need to be attired in comfortable clothing and ballet shoes or socks (see the website below for more details).