Day 146: Hello South Africa...

Day 146: Today took a flight from Zanzibar to Johannesburg. Met a girl on the plane who was working for an AIDS foundation, she told me that Botswana has the highest aids population following by South Africa. They even have a drug that the mother, if infected by aids, can take before the baby is born to prevent the baby from getting aids. Was a little apprehensive about coming out to South Africa after knowing that apartheid had just ended so recently in 1994 with the release and the election (the blacks were then given votes and they make ~80% population) of Nelson Mandela. Also my travel agent had told me that when he booked a couple to Johannesburg back in 1988 a Chinese woman and white man, they had to stay at separate hotels, because of they were not of the same color. I was astounded I haven’t realized the intensity of apartheid. I would hear about it and how everybody was boycotting it, but never realized the magnitude of the segration. Got to the airport and went to my hostel and realized how western everything was. Johannesburg reminds me of California a bit similar to San Jose. Headed to the mall a bit later and noticed a lot of black, colored, and Indian folks. Didn’t see to many white people. Met an Indian girl who told me that Johannesburg had become very dangerous lately, it was getting late and she waiting for her brother and didn’t want to take a taxi.