Exploring Johannesburg

photo from Flickr by: J. Duval

**Guest post by Naida J. Ally**
Johannesburg, RSA is the largest city by population in the country, basking in a subtropical highland climate throughout the year. Situated in Gauteng, it is easy to reach thanks to the O.R Tambo International Airport. With reasonably mild temperatures during popular tourist months, the city’s many museums, parks, restaurants and local life can all be sampled in comfort and ease.

Until recent years, Johannesburg was seen as an en-route city to the more well known Cape Town, but with the addition of places of interest such as the Apartheid Museum, the Mandela Museum and Johannesburg Zoo, its popularity is steadily increasing.

Johannesburg’s lively and stimulating atmosphere is a perfect compliment to anyone wishing to explore the cultural aspects of the Republic of South Africa. Activities can range from invigorating nature reserves (Krugersdoop Nature Reserve, Ha Game Reserve) to sampling the local arts’ scene, (Johannesburg art Gallery, Market Theatre, Johannesburg Civic Theatre) and in and amongst them is a world of traditional South African food to stimulate even the pickiest of palates. The city enjoys a wealth of variety when it comes to places to eat, offering a typical range of selections from the more casual eateries dotted in and around populated areas, to speciality fine dining cuisines found tucked away in pockets of the city. You can expect to find a multitude of international restaurants, as with any large city, but fortunately Johannesburg retains its culinary identity and is rife with new and interesting dishes to try, including specialities like Biltong (a salty dried meat), Koeksisters (sweet pastries) and Gesmoorde vis (salted cod with potatoes and apricot jam.) Adventurous eaters might want to try local delicacy meats, like springbok, ostrich, warthog and crocodile. If new to the city, good restaurants to start at after a day of soaking in the cultural splendour of South Africa are Moyo’s, Catz Pyjamas and Loft.

Aaron Bradford has written 498 articles. +Aaron Bradford is the leader, mentor and chief geek of HappyTimeblog. He put together the crack team of writers known by codename “The Firm“. He's a permanent traveller and a lifestyle hacker. Wanna know more? Check out my Bucket List or my About page... I'm here to show you how to live a Life Less Ordinary