Howzit from South Africa

Actually we're in Zambia now, but due to the difficulty of obtaining an internet connection we've resorted to writing everything offline and posting it all at once.

So here is the recap of our few days in South Africa.

Johannesburg

Not much of report on Joburg as we didn't do much. South Africa is quite expensive without a car, as you have to take a taxi everywhere you want to go. We mainly just hung out in our little area, called Melville. You can definitely tell it is a booming town though.

The only excursion we made was to the Apartheid Museum, which hit hard. I knew the jist of Apartheid, but I was shocked at how comprehensive the segregation was. It wasn't just white or black, they had over 200+ classifications. Hard to believe it ended only 20 years ago.

I'm reading a book that discusses the history of each African country from the end of the colonial times until now. When Ghana gained it's independence it was one of the richest tropical nations in the world, hope was very high. Vice President Richard Nixon attended the independence ceremony and celebrations, and was noted as the most enthusiastic visitor. From the moment he touched down in Ghana he was shaking the hands of chiefs and hugging babies. Once surrounded by a crowd of Ghanaians he slapped a man on the shoulder and asked him how it felt to be free.

'I wouldn't know sir', replied the man, 'I'm from Alabama.'

This country reminds me of how far the US has come, and yet how far it has to go.