In the summer of 2003 I had the opportunity of going to South Africa for an internship with a packaging company. The company asked me to write a report on my impressions of their company and of their country, and arranged for me to visit their numerous manufacturing plants, and arranged for me to see various parts of the country. Some of the most interesting times I spent were two weekends in Soweto, and a safari in Kruger National Park.
South Africa
A squatter camp in Soweto. Many squatter camps near Cape Town are dotted with electrical towers with lines running down into individual huts. You get power by swiping a pre-paid card.
Funerals are almost part of the weekend social routine. Social networks are large in Soweto, so every weekend, a friend, or a friend’s friend, dies of AIDS. Spaces for graves have run out in many areas.
Tour of Nelson Mandela’s Soweto residence. Mandela’s wife used to hold up a decoy from behind the curtains to draw sniper fire.
Herd of 30+ elephants crossing a road in Kruger National Park.
Holding binoculars in front of my digital camera I could zoom incredibly well. This is one of my favorite pictures.
Another one of my favorite pictures.
Sunset in Kruger National Park
Tri-Nations rugby match - South Africa vs. Australia. Most every white person I met in South Africa loved rugby, while every black person I met preferred soccer. Racial divisions are stark there.