Johannes-iceberg

The title is perhaps a slight exaggeration, as with a low of 7 degrees, ice will not form. Johannesburg during the winter reaches temperatures that I won’t have to deal with in Maputo, thankfully. Single glazing and rattling windows make the insides of older apartments draughty and chilly. Johannesburg has been nice to recharge the batteries a tad, but now I’m quite keen to return to Maputo tomorrow to avoid the need for layering and to wear flip flops without getting cold toes.

I’m staying in this apartment block that would best be described as post-apartheid retro. It’s a very interesting building for the sense of history but in the entrance hall there’s a very long wooden bench where you can practically see the mark left by the plate that would have determined who was allowed to sit on it. At Johannesburg’s Apartheid Museum such exhibits are very moving.