In February, winter arrived. Bishkek was buried in snow and frozen by the cold. It was night. The streets, illuminated by the dim light of scattered street lamps, were deserted. The world was under the rule of a financial crisis. In Kyrgyzstan, the crisis felt uncomfortable due to the lack of finances. There was unrest in our hearts, but we still went. We went because we had long dreamed of South Africa.
Visas, program adjustments, plane tickets... - how much effort! How much money has already been spent. So, as they say, there is no turning back.
After five hours of flying, our first stop was in Istanbul. The next leg to Johannesburg was ten hours. We were flying strictly south, with night outside the window.
We were lucky with the airplane. It was a large and comfortable latest model Boeing. So we flew comfortably and on schedule.
We were greeted by a bright warm morning. And a huge black man in a hat holding a sign that read DUDASVILI. The man's name was Greg. He was the bus driver and also our guide, at least for today.
On the way, he told us what a wonderful country South Africa is and what an amazing person Nelson Mandela was.
Our destination today is the guesthouse Nice by Natur ("The Charms of Nature") in the suburbs of Johannesburg. Its owners, Shelly and Charlie, are hereditary Afrikaners, whose ancestors settled in this area in the early 18th century. Around us were the charms of nature: flowers, ostriches, cacti, pools... Chocolate girls... A thought crossed my mind: why go anywhere? Such beauty surrounds us. And it was also Valentine's Day on the calendar.
However, paradise becomes mundane after a couple of hours. We convinced Greg to take us to Pretoria, even though visiting this city was not part of the program.
Pretoria is 60 kilometers away. The city is small, cozy, and very beautiful. I would also add that it is a very important city. Here are located the palace and residence of the president, foreign embassies, banks, offices of international missions, the largest university in Africa, and the largest administrative building in the world, the Union Buildings, where the government of South Africa is located.
The city owes its origin to Andries Pretorius, the commander of the Boer settlers' forces. In 1837, he built a farm here, naming it "Grootplaats" ("Wide Courtyard") and lived there for a long time. The settlement grew, and from 1855, after Pretorius's death, his son Martines founded the city, which was named Pretoria.
Starting from 1860, Pretoria served as the capital of the Republic of Transvaal, established by the Boers. After the Boers were defeated in the war with England from 1899 to 1902, Transvaal came under British protectorate. After independence was proclaimed in 1961, Pretoria essentially became the political capital of the Republic of South Africa.
Tourists arriving in the city are greeted by the monument to the "Great Trek," erected in honor of the Boers who came here from the Cape Province. At the same time, it serves as a necropolis for the Boers who died in battles with local Zulu tribes. Among other architectural landmarks are Church Square and the Palace of Justice. There are many museums and theaters.
