After a busy day yesterday, at the Developer Day session for the Braintree dev team, it was time for some a little R&R and getting to know a bit more of Johannesburg. Jennifer, David's better half, arranged a tour to the Lion and Safari Park and the Township of Soweto - Soweto is short for South West Townships. Our driver, Pike, arrived at 8:00 AM local time to take us on our tour.
The initial arrangement was to first do a tour of the township, then go to the Lion's Park. Pike suggested we did the opposite to better enjoy the experience, as the Lion and Safari Park would be less concurred. We went with his recommendations and it turned out to be a great decision. After arriving, we arranged for Pike to buy our tickets which gave us access to all the park's attractions: petting the lion's and the cheetah, a tour through the park, and the new hyena and leopard exhibits.
Cob lions exhibit |
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Cheetah exhibit |
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With David and Jennifer |
Lions exhibit |
Ostrich |
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David and I with our park guide Princess |
Meerkats |
After completing the tour through the park, we were off to our next adventure in the township of Soweto. On our way there, we stopped at the First National Bank (FNB) Stadium (formerly known as Soccer City and The Calabash), located in Nasrec, bordering Soweto. David and I literally jumped out of the car to go take pictures of this engineering marvel. This stadium can accommodate close to 88,000 people.
FNB Stadium is host to some of the best football and rugby matches, both domestic and international.
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FNB Stadium |
After our stop at FNB we stopped at the Orlando Towers for some food. Originally the site of a coal fired power station, the Orlando Towers have become one of the most distinctive landmarks in the neighborhood of Soweto and the site of the world's first bungee jump between two cooling towers, as well as other thrilling adventure sports such as abseiling and SCAD (suspended catch air device) falling.
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Pike and I |
Both of the 33-story towers are completely covered in brightly colored murals, one of which depicts scenes and images from the township's culture and the other with corporate branding.
We had lunch at the famous Chaf Pozi Restaurant and Bar. We decided to treat our tour driver to launch and ordered some good BBQ, while we watched a few of the braves bungee jump from the platform between the two towers.
Off we went into the township and started off at the internationally recognized welcome sign.
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At the "Welcome to Soweto" sign |
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Soweto Township |
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Nelson Mandela House Museum |
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Hector Pieterson Memorial |
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From left to right: Mariano Gomez, David Musgrave, Jennifer Musgrave, Katie Froeber, Pieter Cornelius, Angie Ryan, and Alicia Weigel |
Sunday, May 20, 2018
This morning I woke up fairly early and went down to grab a coffee. Minutes later, my good friend Miguel Lozano from TitaniumGP made his appearance. Miguel had flown from San Diego to Zurich, had a long layover, then flew from Zurich to Joburg for the conference.
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With Miguel Lozano |
Back at the hotel, I took a power nap and met up with David in the afternoon to go over our sessions and presentation plans.
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At the Sun Square bar lounge |
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Left: Tony Sinton, Miguel Lozano, Pieter Cornelius, Rob Bowden, Kathryne Brindley, Katie Froeber
Right: Mariano Gomez, Nick Botha, Michelle Van Aardt, Alicia Weigel, Angie Ryan, Jennifer Musgrave, David Musgrave
Center Back: Vaughan Proctor |
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Sirloin, Ostrich, and Buffalo |
Until next post,
MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
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