"You Paid to Look at a Hole in the Ground"

Our second flight was from Heathrow to Johannesburg. We were better prepared to take full advantage of our business class seats on this second flight. We each watched a movie, ate our dinner, took something to make us sleep and crashed. I slept until it was time for breakfast. Gayle had the window seat and looked wistfully out at Africa as we landed.

There was a mix up so we actually had two men escort us through customs. They saw how long the line was for passport control so they directed us to take the line for locals. Then when we got to the head of the line they slipped in and moved us to the head of international travellers. Once through the airport they passed us on to another woman who got us to our driver. His name was Sibu and he was an excellent driver and guide. 

Sibu told us that the traffic to our hotel at this time of the morning would be a nightmare and suggested we head straight for our first excursion. We acquiesced with disappointment. We rode in the backseat of Sibu's lovely Mercedes Benz for an hour and twenty minutes. He told us the history of South Africa. From now on we will refer to Johannesburg as Jo'burg so that we don't use the name of the colonizer.

We toured parts of the Cradle of Humankind, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Cradle of Humankind is a complex of limestone caves that are rich with paleontological finds. The area encompasses 180 square miles. We started at the Maropeng Visitor Centre. We went on a tour with a group of "pensioners" from Durbin.  One of them was 92. It was fine because both of us were so tired we all moved at the same speed. 

Down some stairs they got us on four person boats and sent us on a ride reminiscent of It's a Small World but with experiences of water, ice, wind, fire and earth. It was beyond hokey. Then we went through their museum which told us about Mrs Ples the most complete skull of an Australopithecus africanus ever found in South Africa. Home sapiens did not descend from this branch, but we are relatives. The visitor center has a strong message of creation care.

Outside the visitor center is the Long March to Freedom Monument. It is a collection of over 100 bronze statues (created by different South African artists) of people who made massive impacts on the struggle for equality in South Africa. It was stunning, mesmerizing and hopeful. As I walked past this crowd of saints I spoke their names and thanked them for their courage and tenacity.

Back in the car we drove 10 km to the Sterkfontein Cave visitor center. We donned hairnets and hardhats and then went through another museum. By this time we were so tired, hungry and hot we couldn't focus on the details of the place.

Our guide down into the cave was a young man with a very wry sense of humor. He said, "You paid to look at a hole in the ground." So off we went. It was a short hike to the cave and then 129 steps down into the dark and the cool. We saw no bats, no stalactites or stalagmites and no excavations.  We saw a hole in the ground in which there are several openings to the sky. When the rains come they wash things down into the cave, which is why it is so archaeological rich. 

Then we headed up the 229 steps back up. The route up is different than the path down and requires you to get down on to your butt in locations and walk like a duck in other places. We had no idea we were going on a strenuous adventure. By the time we made it back to our driver we were completely spent. We got sandwiches and ate while he drove us back to Jo'burg.

We are spending the next two nights in the Peech Hotel. It is gated and lovely. I feel like I am staying in a resort without others nearby. It has that illusion. We decided to forego dinner and just be glad for a place to catch-up with ourselves. I slept. Gayle prepared herself for tomorrow. Another adventure awaits us then.