Commze

Starting today, Betty is going to be writing the travel blogs, I need to take a break and load up all the photos I’ve been taking. She is refusing to do so because she only knows how to hunt and peck on the keyboard. Well, it’s not really her fault, she was born too early. All this computer stuff is just to much for her. But, I told her it’s never to late to learn, to get with it and stop acting old. I’ll do my best to edit her work and make sure our travelling expeditions make sense, but I bet she’ll be extra careful. One more thing, She made the same mistake I did when we she came to Goa, she thought it was one beach rather than a state in India. Ha!  When she arrived here, she called me up at the Goa beach hotel where I was staying and told me to come and pick her up. To make this a little bit more clear about what she was requesting of me is like when someone calls you in Portland and say to you to come pick them up in Oregon! So, this next part is from Betty, enjoy.

Back to Goa…

Joining up with Julie again was a good reason to come to Goa. Not because of the beaches, the bars and all the parties, well, maybe for the parties. Unfortunately, I had two problems. One was that the season was ending and Goa was shutting down. Second, I lost all my luggage. Well not all, I did have my carry-on, which I’m very thankful, because it has all my medications. Julie found me waiting at a bar in this small Vagator with a bottle of whiskey and a skateboard (Doesn’t sound like me does it, but I let loose when I travel abroad, I think everyone should). So, for the next few days, I simple relaxed, or what the kids say: chill-out while I waited for the airlines to find my luggage. Oh yes, in case you ever come to Goa and you happen to rent a scooter, make sure you ALWAYS have the headlights on, even in the day time. There’s nothing more freaky to Indians than two white females on a scooter with their lights on, now having six children and a rooster is normal.

The people of Johannesburg have been through struggle and turmoil.  Pablo Picasso once said that art had saved his life, and that should he ever have been placed under arrest, forced to spend time in a concentration camp or a jail cell, he would find strength in his art by any means necessary, even if he had to make “paintings” on the floor of that prison cell, with his own wet tongue in the dirt.  Art does this, it not only brings people through the terrible times, but it heals them once those times have passed.  Through music, dance, the theatre, and the visual arts, the people of the country of South Africa have found ways in which to heal themselves and their country.  Museums and galleries stand testament to the heart and the soul of the cultures and the societies of the country.  The Bensusan Museum of Photography is located centrally, conveniently situated close to the Johannesburg fine dining restaurants and many of the hotels.

The museum’s collection includes rare equipment from long ago, equipment created by the ingenious engineers throughout the development of photography.  Also on display is a large collection of the preserved work of some of the finest photographers from South Africa. Those who even in the face of the restrictions of Apartheid, managed to capture the history and the beauty of the country and of the people.  There are interactive displays as well, such as a multi-media presentation that outlines the basics of photography, from the best ways to capture a moving object on film, to the concepts of lighting and composition.  The darkroom is open to the public, not for use, but for exploration and education.  This is one of the smaller museums in the city, but one that is so specific and of interest to photographer from around the world who find themselves traveling through the city.