Gauteng Province Travel Guide

Have a look. This is a friend of mine. Mike!
Nestled almost invisibly among the beautiful hills bordering Cradle of Humankind, The Farm provides a relaxed vacation base that will restore your soul. Soak up the endless views of the Hartbeespoort Dam and the Magalies Mountains, while enjoying the lovely braai and pool facilities at The Farm. As well as being a beautiful seclusion, this safe area also boasts of attractions such as walking trails, nature parks, golf courses and modern shopping facilities. Beside our self-catering options you can also head for our well known restaurant the AFRICANSWISS just below THE FARM! Check it out on www.africanswiss.com

Brooklyn is a pleasant suburb of Pretoria. Unless you want to visit someone here, you can skip this town which is named after its far more famous and interesting American counterpart. And, do not try to order cheesecake here. Instead, hold your horses and your longing for New York Style Cheesecake until you get to good old Brooklyn, New York, USA. Once you are here, go to Junior's Restaurant! Cheesecake afficionados will argue about whether the best New York Style Cheesecake is at Lindy's on Broadway near Carnegie Hall or at Junior's on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn. Fans are as adamant as the fans of the Yankees and the Dodgers (when the latter was a Brooklyn team! Remember when?). Since there are no playoffs or a world series for cheesecake bakers, you will have to be the judge. Fortunately, for visitors who cannot make it to Brooklyn, Junior's now has two Manhattan locations at Times Square and at Grand Central Station. However, I warn you, there is something about the ambiance of the old Brooklyn restaurant that just seems to seep into evey bite at the Flatbush location. This place oozes atmosphere; on that score they have Lindy's beat by a mile. Try both, Lindy's and Junior's; linger over each slice long enough to drink two cups of coffee; most importantly: don't try to sample both on the same day...you could OD! Seriously! Also, DO NOT sully the simple, creamy complexity of these wondrous creations by adding anything such as fresh fruit. If you HAVE to, come back later and mess with the original. Oh, at Junior's they claim the recipe is closely guarded and only one baker oversees the production of these beauties...fair warning, I guess for those who would like to try to recreated a masterpiece.

Gauteng's two major cities are just 50km apart, but could hardly be more different. PRETORIA, or ePitoli as it is known in the townships, has throughout much of its history been the epitome of staid traditionalism, with its graceful government buildings, wide avenues of purple flowering jacarandas, and staunchly Boer farming origins. Yet, although South Africa's administrative capital was long regarded as a bastion of Afrikanerdom, with its notorious supreme court and massive prison, things are changing fast. Ever since the nation's re-acceptance into the international arena, Pretoria has become increasingly cosmopolitan, with a substantial diplomatic community living in Arcadia and Hatfield, east of the city centre. Furthermore, most Pretorians are not Afrikaner, but Sotho and Ndebele, and the change of government has brought many more well-educated and well-paid blacks into the ranks of civil servants living in the capital. The city's Afrikaner community is hardly monolithic, either: as well as the stereotypical khaki-shorted rednecks, there are thousands of students, an active art scene and a thriving Afrikaans gay and lesbian community. Pretoria is close enough to Johannesburg's airport to provide a practical alternative base in Gauteng, though don't fall into the blithe assumption that Pretoria is crime-free. The main attractions are that it feels safer and less spread out than Johannesburg, there are more conventional sites, some of which are worth seeing, and the nightlife of Hatfield and Brooklyn is energetic and fun.