Judith Lodge

11Jun07

Passport check took a little while. I noticed that a lot of passengers on my flight got into the other line for South African passport holders which was quite surprising because I thought they were all European tourists. I got my luggage fairly quickly and found Mdu (pronounced M-doo) right away. It was nice to have someone there to pick me up. I’ve always wanted a driver present with my name on a sign, so that was cool.

I needed to exchange money before leaving the airport. The exchange rate is 1USD = 7.0615Rand – totally favorable! I think I exchanged way too much money though. Ended up with close to 1,412 rand minus the $45 fee. Whoops!

The drive from Johannesburg airport to the Judith Lodge was a little over 30 minutes because of the morning traffic. Drivers here drive on the other side of the road and the steering wheel is on the right side of the car, similar to Europe. While on the highway, I noticed sporadic billboards for cell phones and investment banking. I also spotted a few pickup trucks with men sitting in the back of the truck. Not sure if that’s legal here but it seems so dangerous, especially while on the highway.

The guesthouse definitely looked a lot nicer and newer in the pictures online but nevertheless it is very well kept. I was greeted by LuLu, one of the guesthouse employees. She showed me my room on the third floor, which I was quite surprised by its size. I pretty much have a “room” that is equivalent to my New York apartment! The bathroom is really spacious. I don’t know why it is so big. It has too much extra room I think. It is pretty much equal to the size of the bedroom. I also have a living room with dining table, TV, fridge, microwave, and kitchen sink. No stove though.

Complimentary breakfast is included with the stay. LuLu made me fried eggs and bacon. While I waited I ate what was labeled “fiber corn flakes” on the jar with milk that was served in a saucer. The milk was room temperature and it made eating cereal very weird. I don’t know how long the milk had been sitting out and if it was okay to consume it. Then I started getting paranoid if it was pasteurized because I read something online about what to be careful of eating when you’re overseas. I’m not sure if I can eat eggs everyday for a month in terms of cholesterol consumption. I don’t have have high cholesterol or anything but you’re only supposed to consume 3-4 eggs a week I think. So, if I eat 2 eggs everyday, that’s 14 eggs a week!!

They even had Maggi soy sauce among the condiments on the table. As asian as I am, I sprinkled a few droplets on my fried eggs, reminiscent of how I eat eggs when my mom makes them for me at home. It just takes a little better with some sodium (:

I met the Professor in the dining room who is also a guest here. He is a professor of technology of something like social eradication. He had come in from Detroit. Later I met Fred, the owner of the guesthouse. He was very kind and helpful. After chatting briefly, he offered to show me around and take me to purchase a SIM card.

The guesthouse is located in Emmarentia, a northwest suburb of Johannesburg. The local stores were about a mile away. There were a few restaurants, a bookstore, and Checkers supermarket. One of the restaurants in this particular plaza is Wimpy, which is like a burger franchise here.

Next, Fred showed me how to get to the botanical garden. I wouldn’t really say that it was a garden, more like a spacious park with dead grass and a dam that just looked like a lake. Well, that’s all I could see anyway when we drove along the perimeter. He suggested that I wait until the weekend to go here for a walk because during the day it was “too quiet.” In other words, he was concerned for my safety. We passed by some tennis courts where he said tennis lessons were available. I might consider taking some lessons if I get really bored. I’ve only really played once in Vietnam, which was about ten years ago.

Fred was courteous enough to drive back to the guesthouse from the garden so I would know how to return. From there we headed to 7th avenue in the neighboring suburb of Melville. This place had more shops and restaurants. This is where all the bars are as well. Good to know but I was really hoping to do very little drinking here! This is also where I can find the internet café. The guesthouse has dial-up which Fred says he doesn’t mind if it’s used but not for too long. For longer sessions, he recommended a prepaid card. I dunno about dial-up. I think I’d rather do without. Haha, I sound like a broadband snob.

So anyway, next we were on to Campus Square, which Fred kept referring to as Campus. I really thought we were going to a university or something. Campus Square is actually a plaza with lots of shops and restaurants. It is also a mall. The mall looked typical architecturally. However, I’m not sure they have stores I’d actually shop at. I’ll have to take a closer look next time. I did see Adidas and Woolworth’s. Didn’t we use to have Woolworth’s in the states back in the day? I don’t know.

According to Fred, Vodacom is a popular cell carrier here. He recommended that I use MTN because of the reception in this area. The prepaid SIM included R30 airtime and 35 SMS’s. The SIM cost R30, which is about $4.25USD.

I also needed an adapter for my laptop, digi cam charger, and cell, so we went to Pick’n Pay. It is like a Wal-Mart but not as white trashy I guess you can say. This store was also located in the mall. No luck on adapters for my American plug but we found one for my cell b/c it’s a euro plug (it’s the school phone that Nokia gave the department).

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