joburg summer

Dude. I'm back in the land of sun.

Thrust into a world of thirty degree temperatures. Which I'm quite happy in retrospect that I waited almost 2 years for.

And I have the red shoulders to prove it. If my skin had it's own set of vocal chords, it would be saying something like: Dude. I feel kind of jazzy. There's this amazingly warm, crazy shit enveloping itself around me, and all I wanna do is dance..

But first thing's first before we get into the sun thing. It's really wonderful to be back. Things have definitely changed; specifically the buildings around Johannesburg.

What do you mean there are pyramids in Sandton?

I arrived alongside L, feeling pasty and mingy. Looking pasty and mingy, to the point where the dress fitter for our bridesmaid dresses was like, "Hmmm. You have that London look. You need to get some sun into your life before the wedding."

Straight back into it, seeing my mates, chatting like old times, catching up, and driving my mum's car everywhere. We had such a fabulous hen's party for Poen.

How freaking festive was the party? We started off with a kitchen tea, where waiter's with bare bums served us champagne. Then headed to Bella (?) in Illovo for a boozy lunch and games, and then to San Bar. This huge deck on top of one of the Sandton hotels, with an incredible, eye-gawking view of Joburg.

I temporarily forgot how lush and tree-filled this place is. Probably because it's snowy and stark back home right now. And the sunset took my breath away. L and I had to remind ourselves that we are on holiday. This isn't reality. This is fun times. And that while it seems amazeballs, London is also amazeballs. For different reasons.

We got trashed like it was 2006. It was so good to see so many mates in one room. We ended up dancing about the deck and being embarrassing. Like we always were. We cabbed around Jozi, stopping in at various watering holes. Some were completely shit.
I don't know what people do on a Saturday night in Joburg anymore, but they're not going to the Baron in Sandton. Jesus, hi there 50-year old pervs hanging off the bar counter.

We all past out on Poen's couches and awoke with that familiarly nostalgic feeling: what was it? Ah. Waking up hanging in Joburg.
Caught up with The one and only Dove for breakfast. I have really missed my mates.

Just a few initial observations:

This place is fucking warm
Dude. I've sweated more in the first two hours of arriving here than all the days of 2011 put together. I. Am. Beading. Out.
So I'm walking around in my mother's house in my doondies. It's fabulous.

I am so impressed by the Gautrain
Dude. It's exactly the same train - design-wise inside - that I take to work everyday in London. I've taken it from the airport and to Hatfield. I'm so impressed; and it's just such a pity it's taken so long to get here.

The clothes in the shops...
...I'm a leetle disappointed. My tastes and wardrobe have changed. And I didn't expect London to be in South Africa by any token. Id' have to say that Country Road at Woolworths is where I'll make any holiday purchases. And The Space. I loved that place. But perhaps I'll see it differently now.

South Africa is SO friendly
I winter in London, you don't smile. The weather dictates that you'll be grumpy for at least 90% of your day. But people here ARE seriously friendly. They'd better be; the sun shines, they have no excuse. They ask questions, they smile. And it's great for tourists. Like me!

It's not as cheap as I envisioned
I earn pounds, so I'm not talking about for me. Perhaps it's the psychological thing of having an extra zero on the end of all the prices, but I don't reckon this place is that cheap for middle class citizens called Craig who work in IT. Say.

Right. I'm off to tan my white rump on my mum's deck. And eat biltong.