Reconnecting in Gangsters' Paradise

Gauteng Province,for those who don’t know, is the most crowded province in SA with the worst traffic and a reputation for crime and craziness. Its also the most wealthy, happening and exciting place in SA ( possibly in all of Africa) and home to many of our friends and family. Maizefield (the farm) is in the Free State and we support the Cheetahs; I come from Kwa Zulu Natal with the best beaches and lifestyle; the Perdeput ( beach cottage ) is in the Western Cape, which has all the beauty and grows all the wine; we go to Mpumalanga for trout fishing and game reserves and to the North West for golf at Zebula; but we come home to Gauteng! We arrived home in time to enjoy Carol and Megan’s 50^th Birthday Bash, then dashed off to Sabi and Dullstroom for fishing and Kruger Park. We had one of the best single days in the Park ever, with sightings of cheetah, lions twice, 5 different encounters with rhino, far too many ellies to count and various herds of buffalo numbering 100’s each. We saw a martial eagle catch and eat a rat and spotted the secretive African Finfoot. We have spent a few weeks/long weekends at Zebula and quite a bit of time at the farm; catching up on a lot of chores and maintenance work. Neil enjoys a little farming and is improving his butcher's skills when it comes to turning a sheep carcass into roasts, chops, ribs and other sundry cuts. He also enjoyed a day at the livestock sale; selling enough sheep to pay for a new engine for the old farm bakkie. We have been back to Dullstroom a few more times and have quite a few trout in the freezer now. Neil and his bike mates went on a great trip too; an overnight train trip to Queenstown; travelling all the way back from the Eastern Cape by bike - via Barkly East, Rhodes and Clarens. Some mountain passes proved a bit of a challenge with the heavy BMW 1200, prompting the purchase of a new Honda 250 off-road-ish bike, which should also come in handy around traffic-logged Gauteng.

We went to Winex with Carol, Jane, Ann and Linda and enjoyed another typical Gauteng experience, getting a ride home with Goodfellows, a company who drives you home in your own car . In the 90’s none of this was necessary but the new Metro Police are always on the prowl these days; mostly looking for late night bribes rather than keeping drunken drivers off the roads. We have discovered new “haunts” like the Fairway Hotel for music and drinks and Die Blou Hond ( Blue Dog ) for wacky Afrikaans live music. We still hang out at the old favourites like Col Cacchios Pizza, the Baron on Main and Montecasino. We have enjoyed many evenings and dinners at so many of our wonderful friends’ homes too. That’s another tick for Gauteng - everyone is so hospitable. We have not spent one night “in” in 6 weeks! We have only been in Gauteng on and off over the last 12 years and I do think this affects our attitude to the people and the place. We love the diversity but we don’t feel as “invested in” life here as our friends. It’s a fantastic lifestyle but it comes with a price - you don’t just end up here - you choose it and you have to live with your choice.  So everyone makes it work for them and, consciously or unconsciously, this affects how people live. Can you feel a bit like a visitor in the place you call home? We do. It’s about experiencing all the great things about a place without having to deal with any of the tough stuff!