Johannesburg

The tail-end of winter can be hard to endure in Beijing with its endless shades of gray, but the end of summer in Johannesburg is just lovely. With the advent of a new direct flight between the two cities, there seemed no better time to skitter down to South Africa to visit a dear friend who had moved there three years ago.

I easily could have spent my entire two week holiday just sitting in her garden, breathing fresh air and photographing the house plants, but fortunately she crafted a much more dynamic itinerary for my visit.

Bishop's crown chili peppers from the garden. Garden envy!

Corn! More garden envy!

Relocated Beijing stray cat making it clear that under no circumstances will I be allowed to rub her belly. Hi, Rusty.

Mystery berries.

A snippet of downtown Johannesburg, as seen from the roof of Arts on Main / the 12 Decades Art Hotel.

Joburg hipsters!

The Youngest Supermarket.

More of downtown from the roof.

Scrap.

We ran across quite a few names for venues and retail establishments that might raise an eyebrow or two in North America. Like Titties Furniture's.

Two guys find a quiet corner for a game of kickball.