My first night race

After 8 consecutive days of pouring rain, it finally broke long enough for my coworker, Glenda, and I to run the SPAR Lantern Night Race- 5K Fun Run. It was my first night race. And it was my first time running around Joburg in the dark. Not usually recommended BTW, but it was a controlled environment so it was safe. It was so nice to be able to run in the fresh air rather than the stuffy gym.

Can you feel the love tonight?

Elton John is in town and with all the power outages, there was a BIG concern if the show would go on. No worries, they have back up generators for the performance. Imagine using those power generators for the normal day-to-day needs like powering the robots during rush hour! Traffic would be smooth sailing. (And no, I'm not going. Thought about it but then heard that the venue is huge and I would barely be able to see/hear him.)

Load shedding at new levels

This was the view from my car around 5:30pm around 1 mile from my home. (Notice the dead robots and the guy in flourescent directing traffic. Do you also see the taxis creating their own lane on the left to drive by. Crazy drivers!)

It's been like this each day commuting back from the office since last Thursday and it's supposed to go on until Friday. I really hope my patience holds up. Apparently, there are insufficient energy sources so someone decides to flip the switch every couple of hours to give others a break from a power source. However, today broke the 2 hour rule, at least in my neighborhood. Here is a picture of my apartment at 9:00pm.

Can you say toilet by candlelight? And forget about the warm dinner- I had cold lasagna.

First run of the year

Fresh food...Mmmmm

I visited the Bryanston Organic Market this morning and so far, this is my favorite discovery for things to do on a Saturday morning. It was so relaxing to walk through and visit various stalls selling skin care products (all natural, of course), jewelry (beautiful red and yellow gold bands- I think they were wedding bands), and fresh food and produce. I also sat down with my book and some coffee and had a lekker time.
On another note, I took a visit to the fish market and also discovered a butchery and fresh flower and fruit place in the same complex. Perfect. I can't wait to eat this week!

Just imagine...

...taking 4 weeks off over the holidays. Yes, this is the norm here for people in South Africa, and it helps that this is also the school summer holiday. There is a mass exodus from Joburg to the coastal towns like Durban and Cape Town. Needless to say, it is still a bit slow and quiet around here and I am eager for everyone to come back. But, I took the opportunity to visit the African Craft Market at Rosebank Mall. Basically, you have over 100 street vendors under one roof all selling pretty much the same stuff and enticing you to walk into their stall. And bargaining is expected, there is even a sign telling you so. I found some nice picture frames which I bought and of course, the price ended up being non-negotiable. Figures...

Yummy to my Tummy

I've decided to try out a new neighborhood for brunch every weekend to explore and discover different areas of Joburg, people watch, and allow myself some time to relax. So far, I've hit Parkhurst, Hyde Park, and Rosebank. Jeff and I were able to try out some good food while he was in town as well in Melville and Melrose Arch. I had the best prawn curry at Nuno's in Melville. We also went to Moyo and tried the kudu salad, braised oxtail, and some sort of lamb. This restaurant is rated one of the best and I have to agree- food, ambience, decor- it's a great package. If anyone comes to visit, I promise, I'll take you to Moyo- on me. Any takers?