One of the best things about running a guesthouse is all the interesting people we meet from all over the world.  One such person is Pat Walker who runs Cultural Explorer.  Pat, a remarkable woman with boundless energy and a wonderful sense of humour, runs tours to South Africa which focus on volunteer, cultural, or [...]

The Johannesburg Heritage Foundation runs weekly tours usually on Saturday afternoons. What makes them special is that they explore interesting parts of Johannesburg, often include unusual places and spaces that are off-the-tourist-route, and they are often walking tours. They also sometimes do bus tours (like the Parktown Garden Tour on Sun 17th Feb and the [...]

Towards the end of last year I went on a tour with the Joburg Heritage Foundation of  two buildings in Pretoria which have a lot in common – both are religious buildings, both use imported architectural  language and foreign materials, both are constructed with exquisite detail, and both are breathtakingly beautiful. But when it comes [...]

Cycling is becoming an increasingly popular way of seeing local Joburg sites and sights.  Lebo of  Sowetobicycle tours has for many years offered cycling tours.  There are various options on offer starting from a 2 hour tour which includes a visit to a worker’s hostel, the Hector Pieterson Museum as well as the route of [...]

Getting around Joburg without your own car is a challenge.  For more on this see http://www.lizatlancaster.co.za/info/transport.html.     However, various initiatives and infrastructural developments have been introduced with varying degrees of success.  The Gautrain running between the airport,  Pretoria and Joburg Central, with stops on the way, is very fast, clean, safe and  effective but unfortunately quite [...]

Many guests who  have stayed at Liz at Lancaster over the years have been fascinated with the idea of traditional medicine. Some of the more intrepid ones have made their way down to Diagonal Street in western downtown central Joburg where you can find The Museum of Man and Science.   This part of town is vibrant [...]

Boekehuis has been an institution in Jozi in terms of providing a public space allowing for informed, engaged and intelligent public debate. It is a sad inditement that the holding company, the large profitable corporate Media 24, seemed to look only at the bottom of  line of profit,  rather than seeing Boekehuis and what it offered in [...]

The annual platform for contemporary dance is back .  The programme showing at various venues around Johannesburg, features a wide range of contemporary dance including  performance art, Afro-fusion, and dance film and video by internationally renowned South African choreographers.  For the full programme see http://www.at.artslink.co.za/~arts/umbrella/objects/brochure2012.pdf

International guests at Liz at Lancaster often ask about where to go to eat really local food. In this age of globalization and fusion food, there are few options.  But here’s a fun one with a difference – real street food - a tshiya nyama meal along with local jazz and art work at  The Braai Shack (TBS). It’s [...]

The Parktown Westcliff Heritage Trust runs tours to interesting places which are very varied on their offerings.  Many of these tours provide access to places that one cannot always get to independently.  Sadly however,  the guiding  style and information provided can be a little superficial and descriptive, with in-depth information often tantalizingly lacking. But enjoy the outings.  [...]