Burgers of the East Rand: Zani in Katlehong
I used to write about food in the East Rand -- the municipality just to the east of Joburg, officially called Ekurhuleni -- all the time. (For a few examples, see here and here and here.) But it's been far too long since I've recommended a food spot in the East, so...
Dazzling Art and Architecture in Bilbao, Spain
I still haven't finished telling you about my gallivant around Europe, which happened back in March and April and is fast becoming ancient history. I'm going to keep on peppering you with one or two European posts a month until all the stories are told. Today I'm...
Soweto Night Out: A Walk Through South Africa’s History
Last Thursday evening I went to Soweto with a group of journalists, tourists, and locals, and we did a simple yet revolutionary thing: We walked around at night. The walk was part of a new tourism experience called "Soweto Night Out", founded by the creator of Funk It...
Dennis Dlomo’s Fantastic Fitness Club
For nearly three years, Thorsten and I have watched and listened to the exercise classes happening in Kingston Frost Park behind our Brixton house. We walked past many times and spoke to Dennis Dlomo, the coach, who greets everyone passing by and invites them to join....
A Tearful Parade Through Hillbrow
I'm struggling with this post. I keep writing stuff and then deleting it because I don't know what to say about Hillbrow that I haven't said before. I've been blogging about Hillbrow since 2011 (that first post was embarrassing though), and I've used up all the...
A Protest at the Johannesburg City Library
The Johannesburg City Library, a beautiful, historic, and essential building in downtown Joburg, has been mysteriously closed for the past three years. The entrance to the Johannesburg City Library in November 2016, the last time I went inside and blogged about it. I...
Street Art Sightings in Quirky Munich
Thorsten and I recently spent three days in Munich, Germany, at the beginning of our whirlwind European trip. We went to Munich because it was a logical place to meet up with Thorsten's kids, who live across the border in Austria, and because we wanted to visit...
St. Mary’s Cathedral: A Secret Church in Downtown Joburg
Every time I think I've visited all the historic churches in downtown Joburg, another one pops out of the woodwork. My latest "discovery" is the spectacular Cathedral of St. Mary the Virgin, or St. Mary's Cathedral, on Wanderers Street in the Joburg CBD. Looking down...
Four Days in Spain’s Picos de Europa
When my friend Michelle, with whom I traveled around Spain during my recent European trip, first suggested we should check out the Picos de Europa, I had the same response that you might be having: the Who de What? Naranjo de Bulnes (center) is the most famous "spike"...
The De Baba Eatery Sparks a Melville Comeback
Ever since I moved to Melville in 2010 -- and since long before that -- people have been portending the suburb's demise. "Melville's not like it used to be," people would say. And I used to chuckle at those people until a couple of years ago, when I'm ashamed to admit...
Gallivanting Through Europe with 2Summers
Earlier this week I returned from a crazy trip to Europe: 26 days of travel from Joburg to Munich, to Madrid, all over northern Spain, to Lisbon, and back to Joburg. I've traveled a lot in my life. But with the exception of trips back to the United States -- where I...
Hunting for Fossils in the Cradle of Humankind
I recently learned a bonkers statistic: Around 40% of all of the hominid fossils ever discovered were unearthed in the Cradle of Humankind. In other words, close to half of all the known fossils from our human ancestors -- in the entire world -- came out of the ground...
My Joburg Jumpsuit: A Love Story
This jumpsuit love story began eight months ago, when I booked a Caraci experience on Airbnb to celebrate my birthday. Thorsten and I spent a glorious day in the Joburg CBD, shopping for African print fabric, learning how to sew, hanging out in the city, and having...
Hiking the Drakensberg’s Spectacular Tugela Gorge
The Drakensberg Mountains fly under the radar in South Africa's tourism scene. Everyone goes to Cape Town and the Kruger and the Garden Route, but the Drakensberg doesn't often make it onto that "must-see" tourist itinerary. Even I'm guilty of neglecting the...
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.