Why I Waited in Line for Two Hours At Starbucks and Krispy Kreme

02 May 2016

Yesterday I went to Rosebank for coffee and donuts. I waited 40 minutes for two Krispy Kreme donuts and 90 minutes for a Starbucks frappucino.

Starbucks KK-5732
At Starbucks with my donut and frappe. (Photo by Wimpie, one of the friends I made while waiting in line outside Starbucks.)

It was worth the wait. Not because I’ve never had a Krispy Kreme or a Starbucks coffee before, and not because I couldn’t wait another minute to sample these over-hyped, all-American treats now that they’ve finally arrived in South Africa. It was worth the wait because waiting in those lines was a fun way to spend my Sunday afternoon. Also, I learned something.

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Five Quirky, Romantic Jozi Dates for Under R100

28 April 2016

About a year ago I wrote a blog post called Five Secret Spots for a Romantic Dinner in Jozi, as part of my Jozi Top Fives series. That post is far and away the most popular thing I’ve ever published on this blog. Every day, dozens of people find their way here after googling “romantic restaurants in Joburg”, “romantic things to do in Joburg”, “romantic places in Joburg”, etc.

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48 Hours in Dullstroom

26 April 2016

Last weekend I was invited to spend two nights at Walkersons Hotel and Spa in Dullstroom, a holiday town halfway between Joburg and Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga Province. I had been to Dullstroom briefly once before, and while I found it quaint I wouldn’t have considered spending a weekend there. Dullstroom is known as a fly-fishing destination and I don’t fish.

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My 10 Favorite Shots of the Joburg Skyline

21 April 2016

This morning, I woke up thinking about the Joburg skyline.

Johannesburg has one of the most beautiful city skylines in the world, and I’ve photographed it dozens of times from many different angles. But as far as I can remember, I’ve never written a post specifically about the skyline. So this morning I went straight to my computer, browsed through the archives and picked out 10 of my favorite Joburg skyline shots. Here they are.

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Quickie Restaurant Review: Industry Bakery in Emmarentia

19 April 2016

A few weeks ago I organized an Internations coffee gathering at Industry Bakery in Emmarentia. I had been to Industry briefly once before, but didn’t sit down to eat. This time I ordered a couple of coffees and a full breakfast, so I thought I’d give the place a quick review in 400 words or less.

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Joburg's Best-Kept Mexican Food Secret

14 April 2016

A couple of weeks ago I received an invitation to visit Azteca Mexican Food Products, a Mexican food factory in Joburg. Azteca’s owner, Gaby Agraz, reached out to me because I had just published a post about Mexican restaurants in Johannesburg. Most of the restaurants I wrote about are Azteca’s clients, Gaby told me, and she would love to show me the business. (This wasn’t the first time Gaby had extended an invitation. She first reached out to me more than a year ago but somehow I kept forgetting to follow up. I didn’t know what I was missing.)

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