Pretoria!

After our home stay in Soweto we left for Pretoria. We drove through Alexandria and Sandton. Alexandria, is a black township, facing a lot of struggle. The poverty was immense and overwhelming. Just minutes away was Sandton, an upper class and historically white suburb, which was very nice. The disparity between poverty and wealth is astounding and I have only seen as clearly in Quito, Ecuador. 

Then we continued our drive to Pretoria. At Pretoria we settled in and spent the afternoon relaxing. We had a braai for dinner, which I unfortunately could not enjoy because I was still recovering from being sick. 

The next morning we went to the Voortrekker Monument. It was a massive building! The view of Pretoria from the monument was amazing. It was also full of information about how the Dutch immigrated to the interior to escape the British power in the cape. It was very informative. It was also sad to see how the relations between the Dutch and the Africans deteriorated. An interesting fact about the monument is that it is visible from Parliament because it served as a reminder for Afrikaaners when they governed to remember the sacrifices of their ancestors. 

Then we visited the U.S. embassy and after lengthy security measures managed to get through and speak to an international diplomat. He was from the U.S. and spoke to us about the role of the U.S. and China in South Africa. It was very interesting. America still has a wide influence culturally and economically despite the  growing influence of communism and China in South Africa.

Then we visited the Parliament and the Parliament Gardens which were very beautiful! It was also very hot! But it was well worth seeing in all its beauty and green earth.

Then we relaxed that night. The next morning we left bright and early for Johannesburg. In Johannesburg we got an a flight to Namibia. Probably one of the most exciting flights of my life!