Friday, Feb 5th Johannesburg, SA

Union Buildings

Unknown soldier and memorial to Bush War

Pretoria

Luuch with Jakke

Pretoria

Covered Wagon

Oxen statue

Voortrekkers Monument

Playing Pool

Thursday was our last day in London, we walked for breakfast and packed. Got to the Heathrow 1st class lounge at Virgin and had a great time. Played pool, ate lunch, dad got a haircut, mom got a massage and I watched tv. Spend 10.5 hrs on a plane and arrived at Johannesburg, SA. Everyone here calls in Jo'burg. Checked into our hotel, then we were picked up by Jakke, my mom's friend Mars's father. He came and took us on a tour of Pretoria, he knows alot of history.

The country has 13 languages spoken, and consists of Africaaners (white settlers , originally Dutch, then various other country's came in), the native tribes(Zulu mostly) and the Indian and Malaysians. English is the 4th most common language, and everyone speaks some combinations of languages when they talk to each other.

We learned the history of the Voortrekkers(pioneers), who left Capetown to establish farms in the north, setting out in the mid 1700s in covered wagons. They were much like our pioneers with their ox drawn wagons, fighting the Zulu's. The fight of Blood River ended this fight. Englishmen tried to conqueur them in the mid 1800's for their gold and diamonds. That was the Boer (farmer)wars. 1899-1903. They then had the world wars, and the Bush war of the 1960's in Angola.

Apartheid (separate but equal) was the fight of the native blacks to gain equal rights of the whites. This still is going on today. We went to the fort over Pretoria, and saw zebra's grazing at the roadside. It was a great day. Tomorrow is the Bar Mitzvah - services then party.