Among My Souvenirs

Young Rapper Shows Off His Skills Johannesburg, South Africa Once home to Nelson Mandela, Soweto Township is a fascinating urban settlement on the outskirts of Johannesburg with much history and culture. Last month I spent an afternoon visiting Orlando township in the Soweto district of Jozi. To help celebrate Nelson Mandela Day, here are some photos of the people and art you can find in his old neighborhood. Orlando was once a hotspot for anti-apartheid demonstrations in the 1970’s and 80’s. The Soweto Uprising and subsequent police shootouts against protesters spread the movement across the country, helping to pave the way for a new unified South Africa. Nelson Mandela lived in Soweto for many years before his 27 year imprisonment on Robben Island, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu also lived in the neighborhood. That’s two Nobel Prize laureates who called this area home! Mandela’s old house on Vilakazi Street is now a popular museum. Soweto itself is hug...

These Little Guys Need Your Help Cape Town, South Africa When I learned there were penguins living in South Africa, I knew what I had to do. Kidnap as many as possible to take home with me and sell to friends. Arriving in Cape Town, one of our first stops was Boulder’s Beach. This beautiful stretch of white sand & turquoise blue water is home to a large colony of African Penguins. They sit on their eggs in the hot sand, jump into the ocean for a little fishing, and waddle around over the rocks looking cute. I had to have one! But why stop at one? If I managed to kidnap a bunch of them, not only would I have a funny new pet, I could sell the rest to my friends! We’d be the coolest kids on the block. Just imagine all the phone numbers I’d get from women wanting to play with my pet penguin! Our guide Shaheed from Escape to the Cape shared a story about a Chinese tourist who attempted to kidnap a penguin from the beach, but a driver caught him with it stuf...