#Mountains

My mother and I had just arrived in Cape Town – it was 11 a.m. on a Friday. The shuttle dropped us off at our guest house, a tiny, no-frills place called Lionscape in the shabby-chic neighborhood of Tamboerskloof. Paul, the proprietor, helped carry our bags upstairs.

Summer in Joburg is not what you might expect. Some days it’s warm and sunny and other days it’s cloudy and cool enough for jeans and a sweatshirt.

Even on days when people here say it’s hot, I find it quite comfortable. I mean, 80 degrees Fahrenheit (sorry non-Americans, I still can’t figure out Celsius) with zero humidity? That’s downright chilly compared to the steaming inferno I experienced in D.C. a few months ago.

Joe and I recently returned from a trip to Swaziland, where we worked on a story for World AIDS Day. It was an eventful trip so I’m dividing my account of it into three parts.

Joe and I just returned from a two-week trip to Washington D.C. I really intended to blog while we were there but I didn’t have much time to spare. We’re both still recovering from the physical and emotional exhaustion of it all.

Joe and I spent Sunday afternoon at the Walter Sisulu Botanical Garden, a national botanical garden northwest of downtown Joburg. Technically it’s within the city limits but you would never guess you’re in a city while you’re there.