Yesterday I flew over Joburg in a helicopter.
This experience was so crazy and unexpected – I hardly know how to explain it. But here’s how it went, briefly:
Last week I was invited to participate in a mysterious “Instawalk” hosted by Vodacom. (If you don’t know what an Instawalk is, read here.) The invitation was shrouded in secrecy. I signed on right away, sensing something extraordinary.
Yesterday a group of about 15 Instagrammers, myself included, converged on a rooftop in downtown Joburg. We were greeted by representatives from Vodacom and a communications agency called Cerebra. We each received a new olloclip – a nifty iPhone lens attachment – and were instructed to mark our Instagram posts with the hashtag “#Vodawalk”. (If you don’t know what Instagram is, or don’t know what a hashtag is…Just figure it out, okay?)
We had a couple of minutes to admire the view and then were ushered downstairs into cars, bound for an unknown destination.
View from the roof of 24 Park Street, near Maboneng. #Vodawalk.
Twenty minutes later we arrived at a place in Germiston called the Harvard Café. I didn’t realize until we entered the café that it is part of Rand Airport.
Rand Airport. #Vodawalk.
Next thing I knew I was in a helicopter.
Our copter. #Vodawalk.
Oh look, I’m in a helicopter. (Photo by Tim Van Rooyen, who also wrote a nice blog post about the #Vodawalk.)
I was amazed and bewildered. I didn’t have my DSLR with me. I did my best to take pics through the window, struggling to hold my phone steady against the helicopter’s wingbeats.
#Vodawalk. (I personally think the hashtag should have been #Vodaflight. But I’m not complaining, Vodacom. I heart you forever.)
#Vodawalk.
Omg. #Vodawalk.
Omg omg this is so fu&*ing amazing #Vodawalk.
Then we were back on the ground. The ride lasted about 15 minutes.
A bit later we went back to the Jozi rooftop and watched the sunset. We also had burgers and beer.
Pretty rooftop, pretty sunset. #Vodawalk.
Cool people having burgers and beer. #Vodawalk.
#Vodawalk was kind of awesome. Twenty-four hours later, I’m still buzzing.
Well done, Vodacom. You’re brilliant and you’ve earned a spot in the title of my post.
A new 2Summers Facebook profile pic, courtesy of Tim Van Rooyen. Thanks, Vodacom and Cerebra.
To see more photos from our walk in the sky, check the #Vodawalk hashtag on Instagram. Also follow me on Instagram at @2summers.
#Vodawalk, baby. #Vodawalk.
How have I never blogged about 44 Stanley Avenue, the coolest shopping and dining complex in Joburg, which is only five minutes from my house?
I guess it’s wrong to say I’ve never blogged about 44 Stanley; I’ve mentioned it countless times over the years (see here and here) when writing about specific restaurants or shops that are there. But I’ve never written a dedicated post about 44 Stanley as a destination and it’s about time I did – especially now, with the holidays upon us.
I’ve been dreadfully uninspired lately, struggling to think of anything I want to blog about despite having a long list of great ideas (many of which you, my readers, provided in September). I’m finding it hard to feel positive about life at the moment. But on Saturday Thorsten and I got the chance to visit Indwe Park, an indigenous garden and sculpture park in Braamfontein, and I knew I had my topic for today.
Given this week’s political nuclear bomb blast, it feels like a weird time to publish a light-hearted post about my recent (pre-election) jaunt through the United States. But I’m hoping you’ve have had enough of the U.S. election horror show – I know I have – and are ready (at least temporarily) for some wholesome American travel adventures. If so, please read on about my four-day visit to Maine, the northeastern-most state in the lower 48, with my sister, Susanna.
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It makes me smile, when I see it.