“Egoli the City of Gold”

 Many years ago, while in Secondary school, I happened to read a Novel by “Mine Boy” by one Abraham Peters, this guy was an African writer and I read another one called “Cry For the  Beloved Country”  by Alan Parton (if my mind is not playing me games!

Saturday, June 02, 2012

Many years ago, while in Secondary school, I happened to read a Novel by "Mine Boy” by one Abraham Peters, this guy was an African writer and I read another one called "Cry For the  Beloved Country”  by Alan Parton (if my mind is not playing me games!  The two evolved around Johannesburg, the city of Gold.  The difference from then and now is that, South Africa was under the yoke of Apartheid and now the country is free; and maybe then, I wouldn’t have ever dreamt of setting foot on that land.  By the way, most African Passports had a stamp in them stating that, "To All Countries except South Africa”, that meant, visiting SA was an own initiative not blessed by any home country! This time round, one can go and come the way he likes, as long as you have the VISA to South Africa and the money for the trip, the sky is the limit!  Talk about the Sky and it reminds me of the much talked about Rwanda Air planes.  These "birds” are still as new as new can be, they were purchased just a couple of months ago.  These are the first aircraft with the acclaimed "Sky Interior”.  This is one of the "birds” that flew us to "Egoli, the City of Gold”!  The looks inside these machines leaves one open mouthed, if you think I’m telling lies, why don’t you buy yourself a ticket to one of the destinations where these machines fly to!  As I was saying, JNB as it’s popularly referred to, is a city of wonders, it is the biggest and most magnificent city on the African continent.  Believe you me; it is even better than so many Europeancities, meaning that, even Africa can have the best after all!  We set off from Kigali International Airport some minutes past 11:00am and landed in JNB some minutes to 3:00pm.  The service onboard was superb,  the weather was equally accommodative, all contributing to making the journey an enjoyable experience.   The JNB OR Tambo Airport is a wonder in its own rights.  Looking at the Terminals, the car parks as well as the Hotels there about, for sure, this is a City of Gold!  Of course not forgetting the highways and the posh vehicles here, Dubai is just nothing!  For sure, Dubai depends merely on middlemen but JNB is a power house in itself, they manufacture all tribes of vehicles, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, BMW, Benz, Volvo, only to mention just a few! This time around, I got myself booked into a posh Hotel just a stone’s throw away from JNB OR Tambo Airport.  The Place is called "Premier Hotel & Resorts”, believe you me, it is a Five Star Hotel! Located along Gladiator Street, Rhodesfield, Kempton Park. From the window of your Hotel, you are able to see some aircrafts landing, taxing or parking. This is indeed a splendid view; it is an ideal place for a villager because it is quiet but scenic!  (To be continued)