When it comes to world class cities, Johannesburg is one of the most ‘happening’ cities on the African continent and the city gleams with the glamour of money. Sedate, leafy Pretoria operates in a relative state of slumber, lying as it does in a warm, sheltered valley surrounded by the hills of the Magaliesberg range which ensure that temperatures here are a few degrees warmer than Johannesburg. We accompany you on this last leg of our Netchows Calendar - 2010 African Safari, with happiness that you are here, and sadness that you are soon leaving...

Church Square in Pretoria, place of monuments and architectural history.

Pretoria

Don’t let the sleepy nature of the “purple city” (also known as Jacaranda City) lull you into a false perception. Pretoria has a beauty all of its own, and the slow pace of life is regarded as a bonus by its residents. Many Jo’burgers seek a quieter existence in Pretoria, prepared to commute daily rather live in the rat race. The city's original name was Pretoria Philadelphia ("Pretoria of brotherly love"). It gave its name to the Pax Praetoriana, referring to the country's relative stability. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive (administrative) and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.

Pretoria is situated approximately 50km north of Johannesburg, lying in a warm, sheltered, fertile valley, surrounded by the hills of the Magaliesberg range.The city has a humid subtropical climate the average annual temperature 18.7°C . This is due mainly to its sheltered valley position, which acts as a heat trap and cuts it off from cool southerly and south-easterly air masses for much of the year.

One of the most popular sports in Pretoria is rugby. Loftus Versfeld is home to the Blue Bulls team, who compete in the domestic Currie Cup, and also to the Bulls franchise in the international Super Rugby competition. The Super Rugby Bulls, which are operated by the Blue Bulls, won the competition in 2007, 2009 and 2010.

One of the lion statues in front of the Kruger Museum.

Attractions

It has a long, involved and fascinating history. Here you will find many significant old buildings and some fascinating museums. The Freedom Park opened its doors in December 2007. It is a space where South Africans and visitors to the country can reflect on the past, and is an inspiration for the future. Also of interest are the Cultural History Museum, the Smuts Museum, the Voortrekker Monument, Kruger House (Residence of the president of the ZAR, Paul Kruger), Mapungubwe Museum, etc. Nearby is the Premier Game Reserve, next door to the Cullinan Diamond Mine, where the largest diamond in the world was found. Regarded as the highest building in Pretoria / Tshwane, with a basement that extends some 25 metres below ground (for very good reason – where better to place a vault or two), SARB (The South African Reserve Bank) is the country’s central bank.

The huge State Theatre complex in Church Street in Pretoria / Tshwane, with its five theatres and huge public square is famous for lavish productions that sees overseas opera singers and ballet dancers grace the main stage. Our chow chow cousins most active in the dog show ring and their human who is very involved in theatre productions, live here in Pretoria. There are also a number of other chow chow cousins and their humans who live here.

One of only four meteorite crater museums in the world (the others are in the US, Germany and France) the Tswaing Crater and its museum lie roughly 40 kilometres north of Pretoria. The Tswaing crater is probably one of the best preserved meteorite craters in the world, and definitely worth a visit.

The 1000 year old "Wonderboom" - "wonder tree".

Named after the wild fig (Ficus salicifolia) Wonderboom, for which the reserve is famous, and which grows at the foot of the northern slopes of the Magalies Mountain range, the Wonderboom Nature Reserve lies to the north of the city - a 200 hectare reserve that has as its heart a 1 000 year old specimen of this tree.

Pretoria has over the years had very diverse cultural influences and this is reflected in the architectural styles that can be found in the city. It ranges from British Colonial Architecture to Art Deco with a good mix of uniquely South African style mixed in.Some of the notable structures in Pretoria include the Union Buildings, Voortrekker Monument, the main campus of the University of South Africa, Mahlamba Ndlopfu (the President's House), Reserve Bank of South Africa (Office Tower) and so many more.

Educational

Pretoria is one of South Africa's leading academic cities, it is home to both the largest residential university in the country, the Tshwane University of Technology and the largest distance education university, the University of South Africa (UNISA). The University of Pretoria (colloquially known as Tuks or Tukkies), one of South Africa's leading research and teaching universities, and the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) are also located in the city. Also forming part of the University of Pretoria is the Onderstepoort Veterinary Faculty, the place where many world respected veterinarians and specialists have gained their education. Of course, we are very proud of this as these are the humans taking care of our health as Chow Chows here on the continent.

Crime

Johannesburg in particular, is affected by urban blight. Thousands of poor have moved into the city from surrounding townships like Soweto and many immigrants from economically beleaguered and war torn African nations flood into South Africa. For most of our vigilant visitors, the closest sign of the potential violence are the bricked up walls hiding beautiful residential houses, with electric fences and razor wire above them and a sign indicating "armed response". Thus, their Safari goes off without an incident. Particularly is this true when we are your physical tourguides...

With tourguides like these, your Safari happens in total safety!

Owners: Sue & Pete

However, general advice would apply to most areas of South Africa:

The old adage – “if in doubt, go without” applies to all matters here. Most visitors who maintain vigilance of their surroundings and do not venture into certain areas, particularly at night, will be spared crime. Much of the crime is opportunistic, such as theft from vehicles (don't leave anything lying visible in your vehicle, even when you are in it). At traffic lights keep the windows closed – a quick opportunistic hand grabs what is nearest to it. When walking keep money, cameras and other bags concealed if possible or at least obviously firmly in your control. Walk with purpose and visit only the recommended areas in travel guides at the recommended times of day. Do not entertain vendors who sell on foot or appear too persistent. Vehicle-hijackings are a reality, but if general safety rules are applied and certain areas avoided, you should not need to be overly concerned about these. Theft from accommodation rooms can occur, so even here, maintain a level of basic security.

Johannesburg

Johannesburg is fondly known as Jozi...

Johannesburg, one of the 40 largest metropolitan areas in the world, is also the world's largest city not situated on a waterfront of any kind. The city is also fondly known as Jozi, Jo'burg or eGoli (the latter meaning 'place of gold'), is the largest city in South Africa. It is characterised by many a contradiction and an apparent seamless co-existence of irreconcilable differences.

The provincial capital of Gauteng, which is the wealthiest province in South Africa, Johannesburg has the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa. The JSE (Johannesburg Stock Exchange) is the largest stock exchange on the African continent, and also found here is the Constitutional Court – South Africa's highest court. Soccer City in Soweto, hosted both the opening and final matches of the 2010 Soccer World Cup. Although not built on any waterfront, the container terminal at City Deep is known to be the largest "dry port" in the world, with some 60% of cargo that arrives through the ports of Durban and Cape Town arriving in Johannesburg.

The biggest man-made forest in the world - the greater city of Johannesburg.

Johannesburg is known as the Highveld, lying at an elevation of 1,753metres (5,751ft). The city enjoys a dry, sunny climate with late afternoon thundershowers in the summer months. Temperatures in Johannesburg are usually fairly mild due to the city's high altitude. Despite the relatively dry climate, Johannesburg has over ten million trees, and it is now the biggest man-made forest in the world. In recent years however, deforestation has occurred to make way for both residential and commercial redevelopment. Johannesburg's residential areas range from luxurious, wooded suburbs, to shanty towns and squatter settlements. Alexandra, a township northeast of the city centre, was established by workers who migrated from rural areas in the late 1930s. Since the 1980s, large numbers of people have moved to Johannesburg in search of work. A lack of housing in the city has forced many to set up squatter settlements on the outskirts of the city. Most of these communities lack electricity and running water, and residents live in makeshift shacks made of scrap metal, board, and other discarded materials. In some settlements, town planners have attempted to build streets and provide residents with basic needs.

Johannesburg is served by the public universities University of the Witwatersrand and the University of Johannesburg (UJ). Education can be gained at the UJ in any of the 11 languages, whilst the University of the Witwatersrand gained fame as a centre of resistance to apartheid. One of the humans owned by some of our chow cousins, is a Head of Department at the UJ. There are a good number of our chow chow cousins and their humans who live here in the greater Johannesburg area, including yours truly.

Museum Africa in Newtown, Johannesburg

Attractions

The Apartheid Museum, Gold Reef City, The Johannesburg Art Gallery and Museum Africa all are interesting places to visit. Most visitors to Soweto go to see the Mandela Museum, which is located in the former home of Nelson Mandela.The Market Theatre complex attained notoriety in the 1970s and 1980s by staging anti-apartheid plays, and has now become a centre for modern South African playwriting. The Johannesburg Civic Theatre is South Africa's foremost "receiving house" of live entertainment - presenting world class theatre, both local and international. Jock of the Bushveld, a Staffordshire Terrier cousin of ours, is a classic and world-famous South African story which has been brought to life on the musical stage for the first time ever 2010.

The Cradle of Humankind, a UNESCO World Heritage Site is 25kilometres to the northwest of the city. The Sterkfontein fossil site is famous for being the world's richest hominid site and produced the first adult Australopithecus africanus and the first near-complete skeleton of an early Australopithecine. Other attractions include the Lesedi Cultural Village, and the wall-art which decorates the Newtown area.

Public Transport

Johannesburg has two kinds of taxis, metered taxis and minibus taxis. Unlike many cities, metered taxis are not allowed to drive around the city looking for passengers and instead must be called and ordered to a destination. The Gauteng Provincial Government has launched a new metered taxi programme in an attempt to increase use of metered taxis in the city. The minibus "taxis" are the standard and essential form of transport for the majority of the population, too often overloading passengers and most definitely not known for their road manners. Since the 1980s The minibus taxi industry has been sporadically and severely affected by turf wars.

Highways around the two cities...

The Gautrain project has made provision for the creation of a rapid rail link, running north to south, between Johannesburg and Pretoria, and west to east between Sandton and Johannesburg International Airport. Construction of the Gautrain Rapid Rail started in October 2006 and hopes be completed by 2012. It will consist of a number of underground stations, as well as above ground stations. Already a fully operational line runs from the OR Tambo International Airport travelling to Sandton.

So here, at Sandton, a large group of us chow chow cousins which live in the greater areas of Johannesburg & Pretoria, hop on the Gautrain as we accompany you to the O.R. Tambo International Airport, the largest and busiest airport in Africa and a gateway for international air travel to and from the rest of southern Africa. As we see you leave, we wag our tails furiously and give you happy blue tongued grins & licks, as we wish you a “Bon Voyage”.

We look forward to welcome you back very soon!

“Au Revoir!”

Joel & Nurya

The Netchows 2010 Calendar Twins

PS! Remember your beautiful 2011 Netchows Calendar is available now!