Okay so this is the 1st of my entries on my experience of being a Durban boy trying to find his way around the City of Gold. I've had my fair share of upsets in South Africa's largest city and done just about everything no other Indian guy has done. I've walked 5km's from the south of the city all the way to the north, been caught in a winter blizzard full of sleet, been followed by strange people, walked through Parktown during peak hours, stood in Bree taxi rank to catch a taxi & even walked from Noord taxi rank all the way to Ghandi Square bus terminal. For this 1st post I will be going through the landmarks of the city as well as what to avoid and how to navigate through the world's 3rd most congested city.
So to start off with, you should have some knowledge on where each street is. This took me merely 3 days to figure out as I was forced to learn my way around the CBD as it was the barrier between being lost and making it to work safely.
The streets that you will more than likely counter a lot would be Smit, Wolmarans, Rissik, Harrison, Market, Commissioner, Main, Eloff & President. These are some of the roads that will take you almost anywhere within the CBD and you will encounter them more often than not. By foot the best route from north to south is Rissik, not much walking is done from the west to east or vice-versa.
If you're not from Johannesburg or are overwhelmed by taking taxis then you will need to know where Ghandi Square is. This is the bus terminal where you would be able to go anywhere in and around Johannesburg. There is an information office for Metro bus and the staff will be able to give you everything you need to find your way around. Ghandi Square can be found near the corners of Main & Eloff or Main & Rissik. This is by far the easiest way to get around however Metro bus can be quite unreliable in terms of bus times.
Below are pictures of Bree Station as well as Noord. Noord station, being the aerial view. These are two places you'll want to avoid, Noord in particular as it can be quite dangerous and I have only been brave enough to set foot there once.
If you are planning to travel in Johannesburg as a form of exploration, I suggest that you do go with someone who has been there before or go in a group. No your bipolar tendencies don't count as a group. Try travelling around by bus or car and avoid places such as Parktown as it is incredibly busy and not the best of places to smell or look at, emphasis on the horrid smell.
Hope this has given you some sort of geographical idea of Johannesburg and I will continue with the series soon.
Oreo's & Hoes
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