Here are some more photos of my adventures here:
This is me at Blythe Canyon, which is the third largest canyon in the world. We visited this on the return from Kruger Park. As an aside, I heard on the radio yesterday that 4 lions broke out of Kruger Park Sunday night--one of them was hit by a train and died but the other three are still on the loose. And just in case anyone reading this blog ever runs into a lion :), the experts suggest that you DO NOT back down or run away--try to look as big as possible to scare them away. Lions love to play cat and mouse games, and will pounce on you if you try to run.
This is the entrance to the Sterkfontein caves. This is where the oldest human fossils have been found, as well as the oldest man-made tools, and the first recorded use of controlled fire. It was discovered by miners in the late 1800s--unfortunately for them (but fortunate for paleo-anthropologists), no gold was discovered, and scientists were allowed to investigate the caves.
Behind these gates is where Little Foot was found--the first complete Australopithecus skeleton. It has taken over 14 years to to excavate the fossil; the calcium that encases it is actually harder than the bones. Out tour guide believes that it will be placed on exhibit sometime next year.
Everyone I have spoken too has recommended that I go to the Apartheid museum--after visiting here I now know why. I don't think its possible to describe the emotions you feel as you walk through the different exhibits--it was unbelievable to think that a regime like this still existed in the early part of the 90s. All South Africans were classified according to their race (White, Black, Coloured or mixed race, and Indian were the most common racial groups). The groups were then separated from each other into different regions of the country. This forced many families to abandon their homes, or worse, to be split apart during the classification, as parents could be deemed a different race than children.
This occurred to protect the white South Africans who were worried that they were losing control in the major cities. Only Whites were allowed to vote, and they received superior public services. The education system for blacks was designed to keep them in the lower working class--one of the Prime Ministers during Apartheid justified this system by asking: why would you teach a black man arithmetic when he'll never need to use it? Utterly sickening.
Thankfully, international pressure and country-wide rioting made it almost impossible to maintain the Apartheid system. However, I was disappointed to read that the U.S. was actually one of the last countries to apply sanctions against South Africa; government officials viewed South Africa as an important stronghold against communism. Only when it was clear that the cold war was ending did Congress override President Reagan's veto to pass the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act.
Unfortunately, the effects of Apartheid are still apparent in South Africa, especially in Johannesburg. Everyday on my way to work I see white South Africans comfortably driving in their Porsche's and BMW's, while 15-20 black South Africans are packed into 8 passenger "taxis". All street peddlers are black, all menial jobs are held by blacks, and according to a 2004 U.N. report, the life expectancy of blacks is only 51, compared to 69 for whites.
South Africa has a long way to go before it can claim a better life for all.
