South Africa 8 Soweto, Johannesburg

 Tomorrow we're off to the black township of Soweto, Johannesburg, which is reputedly home to somewhere between 2-5 million of the city's less fortunate. The rough slum was born out of the days of apartheid as a place for the unwanted, and it now shares an extremely strong community bind. As we will have an opportunity to stay overnight at someone's house within the township, we expect to learn first-hand how the community and people have adapted

to their situation. The nightfall outside suggests its time to walk back to our guest-house for a much-needed respite.

South Africa 7 Crowding Around Yelling And Arguing

 The filtered sun sets through thick trees with leaves like ferns, draping the rusted and worn playgrounds in embers of warmth. The children seen earlier have gone, replaced by a group of a dozen men crowding around yelling and arguing. The elementary school, with its chain-link barbed-wired fencing retaining the children in its humble grounds, is now quiet, and all that remains is the squawky sound of some unknown birds flying overhead. As I walk through the side-streets I'm nearly jumped by two guard dogs leaping half-way through an absent owner's fence, flashing their teeth at me and growling incessantly. As if the barbed-wire and sharp spike fence weren't enough, I'm also reminded by a sign that the single-story deteriorating bungalow also employs an armed security response.

 Calvin (to be continued) 

South Africa 6 Bead-And-Wire Hawkers

 This last flight has been the most difficult of all. Unfortunately, it seems that the luxurious 5 degrees of seat reclination weren't enough to convince my body that it was time to sleep. Instead, I'm left testing out all 20 possible sleeping positions from the middle seat. Another well-rested arrival awaits...

 Making our way through the intense Johannesburg airport, full of porters, tour guides and taxi drivers, we find our way to Melville, a pretty suburb 30 minutes from Johannesburg. Looking past the security fences and gates enclosing every business and residence in the area, it feels surprisingly safe. Ignoring the sidewalk bead-and-wire hawkers, people are very friendly and will speak with smiles and genuine interest. Nearly everyone is dressed in black or brown toques, seemingly implying that the 20 degree weather is cold for the region.

 Calvin (to be continued) 

Namibia 5 Sponsored By AK-47s And X-Ray

 Waking up in a sweat, I open my eyes to catch the deep orange glow of the 6AM sun flooding the aircraft. The horizon is burning with color, and the sparse trees below cast lengthy shadows dripping across the yellow-brown landscape. South Africa.

 The journey here has been trying... Four hours spent at the leaking Bole International in Ethiopia (not from the roof, but from pipes, assumed to be carrying water) punctuated with its strongly visible culture. The airport is marked by fantastic security, sponsored by AK-47s and X-ray guards who were kind enough to let the guy in front of me take his butane torch with him on the plane, for smoking purposes only, he says.

 Calvin (to be continued)