A Staycation in Kensington
I’ve always been intrigued by Kensington, a suburb just east of downtown Joburg. Kensington is similar in many ways to Melville, where I used to live, and Brixton, where I live now: An older neighborhood, filled with big trees and houses with pressed-steel...
A Winter Explosion of Aloes at the Aloe Farm
Joburg winters are harsh. Temperatures often drop below freezing at night but our houses aren’t insulated, windows don’t close, and central heating doesn’t exist. The air is punishingly dry. Our weather is close to perfect for ten months a year, but...
Sleeping in Jozi: A Night at the African Penthouses
Last week Thorsten and I spent the night at the African Penthouses — a group of five luxury, rooftop apartments in the center of downtown Joburg. My African Penthouse rooftop selfie. The African Penthouses are at 87 Commissioner Street, right across from the...
Jozi Getaways: Houseboating on the Vaal River
A year or so ago, at the height of the covid pandemic, I saw a friend’s Facebook post about a weekend excursion in a houseboat on the Vaal River. She rented the boat from Old Willow No. 7 Houseboat Charters, an hour’s drive from Joburg. Houseboats lined up...
Jozi Getaways: The Donkey Dairy, Magaliesburg
I love donkeys. There’s something about their diminutive stature, their huge, liquid eyes, their long faces, their big, fuzzy ears…Every donkey I meet turns me into a squealing little girl. Donkeys are so charming and adorable, they actually destroy me....
Heather Mason
I’m an American writer/blogger/photographer living a quirky life in Johannesburg. Follow along as I explore Johannesburg, South Africa, and the rest of the world.