Martin Fisch/Flickr Commons
Saying "turn left at the robot" is an impressively futuristic-sounding direction.
Roxzy Lok/Flickr Commons
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The southern part of Johannesburg is dotted with "slag heaps" — odd yellow hills revealing the history of mines past. Some of them are good for sandboarding.
Chris Kirchhoff/Media Club South Africa Courtesy
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South Africans call it "Woolies," and it is a far cry from the five-and-dime stores of America's past. In South Africa, Woolworths is an upscale grocery store chain with convenient, posh food.
Derek Smith/Flickr Commons
Matt Dowdeswell/Flickr Commons
Stunning thunder and lightning storms rage over Johannesburg during the summer rainy season, sometimes for an hour a day. The best view is from the Ponte tower downtown.
Mark Kolbe AFP/Getty Images
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Henti Smith/Flickr Commons
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There's soccer at Soccer City, cricket at Wanderers and rugby at Loftus in Pretoria just down the road.
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Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images
With morning and evening editions! Newspaper hawkers in the street! Posters with the day's most salacious headlines plastered in street lights!
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Martie Swart/Flickr Commons
Erin Conway-Smith is GlobalPost's Senior Correspondent for South Africa, based in Johannesburg. Follow her on Twitter: @ejcs.
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