a moment of zen

There is a simple yet graceful thatch-roofed farmhouse in the residential area of Orchards in Johannesburg where Mohandas Gandhi lived from 1908 to 1909. The house was built in 1907 by Gandhi’s close friend, the German architect Hermann Kallenbach, and it is now a respite in the middle of the bustling city. Within these walls, the future Mahatma created and developed his philosophy of passive resistance, Satyagraha in sanskrit, a pacifist method of protest that he employed in India to lead the country to independence.

We visited Satyagraha House for a tour, some lunch and a moment of zen in the gardens where Gandhi's presence is still quite palpable.

"My life is my message."

Maybe it is the monochromatic colour palate of the furnishings in linen and wood. Or maybe it is the inscribed bronze "sculptures" on many of the walls with Gandhi's thoughts and principles. Or the linen wall hangings in the rondavel printed with the tenets of satyagraha on them. Or all of the above. The entire space just exudes harmony.

It was a warm sunny day for our visit so we were able to practice yoga and meditation in the garden on the grass instead of as planned in the two indoor rondavels which frame the farmhouse on either side of the entry veranda. Even the winter magnolias were blooming for us!

inside one of the rondavel rooms

After our yoga session, I decided to ponder the tenets of Gandhi's philosophy while everyone else meditated. (I am not very good at meditating.) I wanted to see how many of them I am employing in my new minimalist philosophy to life after New York. The tenets are non-violence, self-discipline, truth, non-possession, equal respect of all religions, fearlessness, non-stealing, physical labor, control of the palate, duty towards neighbours, and remove untouchability (which I think would equate to non-prejudice). I think I fare pretty well except for the control of the palate part. Pretty sure that means no wine! (I am Italian after all. One can only go minimalist so far!)



 

our yoga instructor, Yasmin

one with nature in the garden

touring the veranda dining room

photo by Yolanda Macias-Cottrell

Our lunch was vegetarian - a rice dish, salad and an African creamed spinach. No alcohol. Dessert was a creamy and delicious melktart a la mode. But the highlight of lunch was the fresh juice. I can't remember the entire recipe that Mohamed recited to us - pawpaw, orange, apple, carrot, pineapple - but I do remember they also added cucumber to it which gave it a nice light undertone. So refreshing!

photo by Stephanie Tural

 
You can have your own moment of zen at Satyagraha House. A whole night of it in fact. The house is also a bed and breakfast. There are several well-appointed rooms which were added to the property for quests. You can arrange for yoga and massage too. Namaste.


 

Life is a Battlefield

American battlefields at ...

I knew the minute we drove through the historic KwaZulu-Natal battlefields on our way back from skiing in the Drakensbergs that Vince would insist we return to the battlefields at some point for a proper visit.

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania 

Vince is a sucker for US Presidential Libraries and any museum that showcases science and technology. And the same goes for battlefield sites. His ears perk up when discussing a travel itinerary that incorporates any or preferably all of the above.

But as much as I love history, I die a little inside every time we visit battlefield sites. Snore. You would think living for years with the combined testosterone of a husband and two sons - and especially with one of them a United States Marine - that I would either be dead or used to it by now, but I am neither.

However, we did have about a week to travel before our son Alex arrives for Christmas and we embark on our 10 day Christmas holiday. We wanted to do something other than the things we have planned for the itinerary with Alex. Safari, the Garden Route, the Klein Karoo, Cape Town and environs.

I proposed the archaeological World Heritage site of Mapungubwe. Vince put forth the KZN Battlefield tour, Durban and Umhlanga Rocks. In the end, the battle was a draw. Vince's itinerary before Alex arrives and mine right after he leaves to go back to the US. Truce and reconciliation. That's what it's all about, heh?

Besides, spending Reconciliation Day in the same place the holiday actually commemorates seemed appropriate. We stayed at the very central Battlefields Country Lodge in Dundee. Cute thatched rondavels, a swimming pool, a thatched wedding chapel, and the buffet dinners at their Cafe Tagati are pretty good. Make a note, when you are out in the country with independent restaurants scarce if available at all, your lodge is also your dining room. Bring your own wine.

We visited the Talana Museum in Dundee to get an overview of the various sites and go through the museum's interesting displays. Talana is a battlefield site itself when on October 20, 1899 the Boers "convinced" the British to retreat to nearby Ladysmith.

We found out that Dundee was nicknamed "Coalopolis" during its heyday as a British settlement when it "employed" thousands of Indians as indentured servants. There is a monument to Gandhi on site and a Satyagraha Center.

Vince in front of the bronze laager circle

We picked up a map of the local battlefield sites and set out. Islandlwana, Rorke's Drift (forever immortalized in the Michael Caine film Zulu,) and the big daddy of them all, Blood River.

The cliffnotes: Andries Pretorius, 450 kommandos, the Vow, the laager circle, 6000 Zulu warriors, the Ncome River turns red with the blood of 3000 dead Zulu warriors, victory for the Voortrekkers. Let's go build that church.

And then my ears literally perked up too. We heard quite an uproar coming from the Ncome Center next door to the Battle of Blood River battlefield site. And after we crossed the Blood River to get there, we found that there was a dance competition going on with tribal dancing! And tribal music! And tribal singing!



 


I bought some more beaded jewelry and Vince ordered a huge Zulu shield and bought a Nguni fighting stick.

Reconciliation at Blood River! It still happens.

Picnic on the Top of Africa

kvas in Brighton

We have been on some quirky food-centric walking tours in cities before. An Urban Foraging Tour (literally) on the grounds of San Fran's Golden Gate Park, a Lower East Side Multi-ethnic Food Tour in NYC and a Russian Food Tour in the Brighton suburb of Boston.

foraging for stinging nettles in Golden Gate Park

We even did a Mural Tour in San Fran's Mission District which, though not strictly a foodie tour, did end up at a smoothie shop where I got a Vampira, a veggie and fruit smoothie made with blood red beet juice! Quirky and creepy at the same time.

On Sunday we continued this tradition when we went up to the top of the Carlton Centre with MainStreetWalks for a rooftop picnic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

MainStreetWalks provided us each with a picnic basket (Vince and I shared!) containing some eating utensils, plates and glasses, and a blanket. 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we were given some time to peruse the food hall at the Market on Main for some edibles to add to our basket.

Flat bread pizza? Methinks it's too hard to transport.

Dim sum delights! In the basket.












Then we all piled into a minivan and drove over to the Carlton Centre.














We took the lift up to the Top of Africa for our group picnic.

Next stop, the 50th floor!

Our MSW guide gave us a short but informative talk on the City and pointed out the key sites while we took in the 360 degree views of Joburg and the surrounding countryside from the tallest building in all of Africa!
 

The former Johannesburg Stock Exchange (Coca Cola triangular roofed building).

The De Beers Diamond building at the end of Diagonal Street.

(This is what the Diamond Building looks like from ground level).

Gandhi Square.

The low-slung red-roofed "brickfields city" on the left. Mandela Bridge on the right.

The Library in the center.

The old Park Station (green roof on the left in front of the brickfield city) and Mandela Bridge on the right.

Library Gardens in the center.

Rea Vaya bus red stripe.

The Standard Bank "hanging" building ("e" on top). White and yellow mine dumps in the back on the horizon.

Dam with lake.

Turffontein Racecourse

The large white-roofed Muthi market in front of the highway.

Someone bought this turquoise building. It is unclear what it will be when it grows up.

ABSA City tower tribute ...

... to Nelson Mandela.

He was buried today in Qunu. RIP.

We were so lucky we had a beautiful clear day.

The tall Ponte Tower building (red Vodacom top).

Maboneng, where we started our tour this morning.














The Hillbrow tower.

Great clouds.

Small Street, ironically the longest street in Joburg.

The hospital (3 identical towers) on Constitution Hill built right in the sight line of the Oppenheimer estate blocking Harry's view of the mountains. Burn.

Maboneng mural from above.

Nelson Mandela's legs are finished!

This building was built as an homage to the World Trade Center before 9/11.

The Red Bus down below on the move!

On the horizon to the right behind the Sentech tower is the largest mine dump still in existence. It is getting smaller every day as they are re-mining it and extracting more gold with better mining technology. Talk about recycle.













The Markham Building was once the tallest building in Joburg!


It's still pretty.










Time to eat! Vince and I almost bought one of these flat bread pizzas but did not know how to transport it. Clever method sandwiched between two pieces of cardboard! Let's see how well it worked.

It worked!

Great picnic companions!

With great minds who think alike. Both Ros and Mark and Frederick bought these same chocolate desserts, unbeknownst to each other!

Nice view! Nice place to picnic!

We are trying to convince MainStreetWalks to add a dusk sundowner picnic to their repertoire. But only if Mark and Frederick promise to join us!

Darn, I should have checked to see if they had a floaty pen!

MainStreetWalks offers a wide range of tours of the city. So does JoburgPlaces and Past Experiences. It is a great way to uncover the secret gems found in downtown Joburg and the surrounding suburbs. To book a walking tour of the city, visit their websites!