finally, africa

Apartheid may be over in South Africa, but the remnants of that system remain in the informal settlements that dot the edges of the city.

We took a day trip to Soweto today, where the student anti-apartheid protests started in 1976. We saw Nelson Mandela's house and just down the road, Archbishop Desmond Tutu's house. It's the only street in the world that was home to two Nobel Peace Prize winners. Inside Soweto is Kliptown, a shantytown of aluminum shacks. And despite it all, the residents smile and introduce themselves to you warmly. They ask for nothing except kindness. Not money, not food, not clothes. They're too proud.

They live in the shadow of a giant monument to the African National Congress. For all the progress that party made for the people of South Africa, there are still thousands living in absolutely destitute conditions, with no running water or electricity. One tap provides clean water for 60 families. It really boggles the mind.

We also saw the Apartheid Museum today, which really drove home the violence and climate of fear that was perpetuated here for 50 years. Everywhere you turn here, Nelson Mandela's name or image is used as a point of reverence and for good reason. He really did save this country. He and the other activists and political prisoners who fought despite every threat imaginable to create a more democratic society. There are still many problems -- particularly with crime and AIDS -- but the South Africans we speak with say they have hope and that with three or four generations things will change.

I hope they're right.

Tonight is our last night in Joburg. Tomorrow night we fly to Cairo via a 10-hour layover in Dubai, where I'm anxious to see my cousins and aunt.

On with the world tour!