Tasting adventure

Eylene at four years old (left) and at thirty (right). Not much that's changed. And yet.

Eylene turned thirty yesterday. To celebrate the occasion, we went on an adventure, not unlike Winnie the Pooh and his friends when they went in search of the North Pole. We, a party of ten, however, went searching for the Neighbourgoods Market in downtown Johannesburg. 

      We took the Gautrain, which is South Africa's only super modern express train. It runs between Pretoria and Johannesburg and we are very proud of it as the stations are kept neat and clean and one can pretend you are travelling abroad somewhere in a first world country. 

      Stepping off the train and following a myriad of cell phone gps's and hard copy maps, we set of to walk the 750 m to the market through an area we would normally not venture into. I felt excited by this, and sensed it in Eylene also, as we walked into the stomach of this vast African city, the sun hot and the streets crowded with people and sounds of traffic and loud pulsing music. Everywhere image upon image begged me to pull out my camera. I will have to go back. Have to become invisible. And catch life there in the streets of Johannesburg. 

     We encountered no antagonism, no threat of any kind, although I sensed a vigilance in the menfolk among us, and arrived at the entrance of the market all too soon. 

      Here it was like stepping into yet another world altogether. With stalls of gourmet goods in shrill contrast to the "street menu" we've just sampled. Even the market goers seem like a completely different breed of people. A spaceship from Tastebudia, dropped from the sky onto Juta Street.

      Gorgeous food. Fantastic setting. A special occasion celebrated with dear ones. 

      Mission accomplished. We found and explored the market. And then made our way back to the station, already feeling more at ease in the streets of downtown Johannesburg. 

      We've been this way before.

Matilda