Travelogues  
Trip to the Rainbow Nation
South Africa – Johannesburg – 2
by Jayati Chowdhury

Next day we went to the Gold Reef City – a combination of show, pleasure resort and a little living theatre. On the grounds of a former gold mine, a replica of the original gold-rush times houses and entire streets have been rebuilt. Most of the employees of the resort are dressed in costumes of that era. It was a great experience to see how gold was extracted. My son got really arrested by the amusement park.
 
The most famous Casino of Johannesburg is the Monte Casino supposedly done inside and out in a ‘Tuscan’ style. Although I didn’t dare to try my luck after the horrible experience in Monte Carlo but of course there were some interesting shops and nice restaurants which kept us occupied for the rest of the evening.
 
Deep in the rugged bushel, in the heart of an ancient volcano, lies the Las Vegas of southern Africa - the internationally acclaimed Sun city, our next day’s destination. The Palace of the Lost City is a fantasy world of Africa's jungles, cliff-tumbling gardens, streams, waterfalls, swimming pools, and al fresco entertainment areas.

Myth tells that the Palace of the Lost City was the royal residence of an ancient civilization of South Africa but was destroyed by an earthquake. It has now been restored to its former grandeur. A large lagoon dominates the scene with a wave machine capable of generating 1.8 meter waves every 90 seconds. This water park has five thrilling tube rides. I am the least adventurous person of all and both my men - hubby and son, had to keep in tune with me so we lazed around in the wave pool for hours and hours.
 
Our next attraction Lesedi village - best way to get to know South Africa's vanishing cultures. Lesedi Village featured Ndebele, Zulu, Sotho, Xhosa, and Pedi tribes all in one cultural package.

The experience began with an excellent video show about the life and living of the tribes. Next came the tour of the tribal villages where traditional huts and daily life were displayed. Before entering the traditional huts we had to take permission in respective languages. The tour was followed by tribal dance where audience participation was hailed. We too couldn’t resist dancing to  the drum beat - heart beat of Africa. The final touch was a buffet. There was a kind of mashed potatoes made from corn meal. I enjoyed squash, ostrich, and crocodile.

Lesedi will always remain a fond memory.

Trip to Africa without experiencing wild beauty – safari, was like to comprehend the body without its soul. So our next days highlight was ‘Lion & Rhino park’. This time my husband’s friend and his family accompanied us. The most famous safaris are that of Kruger and Kwa-natal but, these parks are massive and not ideal for a day trip.  

The Rhino & Lion natural reserve is a privately owned park situated in the ‘Cradle of Humankind’, a declared World Heritage Site at Gautang province and is one of Africa's few remaining havens for big cats and scarcely believable diversity and abundance of species. The trip also included a tour to the wonder caves, an impressive collection of stalactites and stalagmites. Before joining the tour to wonder caves, we had snacks outside a small restaurant where we could watch the vultures perched on the electric poles that speckled the landscape. There was also an apathetic ostrich pecking about, and the children had fun trying to befriend it.

– Continued

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