Visiting the Most Dangerous City of Africa S7 EP.61 | Pakistan to Africa
Seriously, there is not a single white person here. Not a single desi asian person. I mean, I haven't noticed this anywhere here. Assalam Alekum everyone and welcome back to the channel from Makupane, South Africa. And today is our first day here.
I reached here last night. I left early in the morning to find a nice place to have breakfast. I think this is the first time that I have booked a hotel and there is no breakfast included.
It's Sunday and most of the shops are still closed. Maybe all the shops are closed on Sundays. And I haven't seen any restaurants here. Except for fast food and petrol pumps. Today we are leaving for Johannesburg. It will be about 270-280 km from here.
But the road is good and there is a highway. So we will reach there soon. And the plan is to reach there soon. No night driving. No wrong routes.
I don't even know where to book a hotel. I was so scared of Johannesburg that I wasn't planning to go there initially. But I have to go there because I have to get my bike serviced. I have searched for a few hotels in the morning. We will do the rest with time. Let's see if we can find a nice cafe or something.
My plan is to reach there as soon as possible. And it will be a problem if we are late. And I have been told not to hold the camera in my hand while making the video. Bismillah... In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
We are going to the wrong side. Actually, this is our side. We have to go to the reception first.
We have to collect the keys. We have to pray twice today. May Allah bless us with a good day. And may there be no worries. The city that we are going to today... I have visited many cities before.
For example, when I visited Rio, people told me that it was very dangerous. But overall, it was okay. I had to take some precautions. This is the first time that I am really scared of going towards Joba.
Anyway, let's get the tank full. The navigation is showing 265 km. And it will take us 3 hours and 45 minutes.
I think we have to take a stop in between. We can't travel that much in one go. We will reach there early today. We will reach there by 3 pm. So, we will have 2 to 3 hours before dark. We will check out the CBD area.
I have booked a hotel in the center. I have chosen the hotel randomly. I have no idea what kind of area it is. But we will know when we reach Joba.
It's a relaxing Sunday here. The weather is quite pleasant today. It's cool and cloudy. I have noticed that it is very load shedding at night. There was no electricity for 5 to 6 hours. The AC was on and I was sleeping soundly.
Then I thought to myself that how could it be so hot in the room? I found out that there was no electricity. And they had turned off the generators at night. The weather is quite pleasant today. It must be around 22 to 23 degrees. If it stays cloudy like this, then it's fine. This is the highway motorway.
I don't know if bikes are allowed here or not. If not, then there must be some alternate route. But I have no idea. I can't see any other motorcyclist on the highway. Let's go and see what they have to say.
There is no sign at all. What do you want to see? License disc. No ma'am, this is a German motorcycle. I am riding from Germany.
Yes, yes, yes. Going to Joburg. Thank you very much. Have a nice day. The roads in South Africa are amazing. The ride yesterday was good. The road was good.
I have ridden bikes and cars in many places in the world before. But I have never seen a single sign board anywhere. It was written, Do not stop for next 5 km. Crime alert.
This is a big deal. What can a person do in this situation? And crime on the highway. This is a strange scene.
People can't come from here and there. The roads are fenced off. There are police as well.
But still... I have to pay $3.50 here. It's getting expensive. This toll plaza was only 50 km away.
Overall, I have paid $6-$7. In other countries, the toll plaza was free for bikers. The outskirts area has just started. I have to take a break here. I have reached near BMW Motorrad.
I have to come here tomorrow. There are many branches here. I will ask anyone who is easy. I will visit the best ones. It's Sunday today. That's why it's closed.
Otherwise, I would have got it done now. This is a cafe. I can't park here.
He told me to park the car here. Otherwise I had to avoid it. Finally we found a really good cappuccino here.
And I have ordered some food for myself. Brown bread toast and on top of that I think it's feta cheese. Tomatoes and avocado. So this is our lunch and breakfast. But it's good.
It's gonna be a healthy meal. We have consumed a lot of sugar in the morning. I always try to eat as healthy as possible. But as you know, I am in trouble.
I eat whatever I can get. I am not a picky eater. I eat whatever I can get. No issues.
I think I can eat it with my hands. It's looking delicious. The break was really good.
And we paid $5.50 here. So, in that sense, I personally think that South Africa is a bit cheaper compared to all the countries I have been on this tour. And I have noticed that when I came here in 2017 or 2018, the currency value was quite high.
There is one thing about Africa. No matter how much you go to a modern city, the nature of the city is so different. We were in a rush in the traffic area. We have left from there. And we are in such a green area now. This has been the case in almost every city I have been to.
It's good that we have left the highway. It gives you an idea of the city. You can see the nature. Look at these beautiful trees. Amazing.
It's fun to go at a slow pace. And to observe everything. Because most of the time, the overlanders pass by on the road. And you get to see this scenery along the road. It's a beautiful house.
And there is a golf course here. Come on Abrarek, you bring the golf ball. It's Sunday today. We have left the highway.
But the feeling here is totally different from the rest of Africa. It feels like you are in Africa. But... it has European vibes.
No doubt, the road, infrastructure, buildings everywhere, everything is different. I had an idea that we would find everything different here. But it's not a big surprise for me. It's fun to ride here. You get to see a lot of new things. After traveling in Africa for 4 months.
There has been a big positive change. And mostly the traffic lights are off here. You just have to look around and pass by.
Pretoria seems to be a chill city. It's peaceful. There is a lot of greenery here.
It's Sunday today. That's why there is not a lot of traffic. It's possible that there would be more traffic on other days. But still, you get the feeling that this is a peaceful city. There is less noise and noise. That's my feeling. Maybe others don't agree with me.
Especially those who live here. Welcome to Joburg, City of Gold. And... What can I say about the city? I am quite impressed with this area so far.
There is a beautiful mosque on the left. I think you can see the Palestine flag. If you look at the history of this city, it was built in 1886. Why was it built? A lot of people must be wondering how such a big city was built in the middle of South Africa. As I mentioned before, this was the city of gold.
There was a lot of gold here. This used to be a farmland. There was nothing here. But there was so much gold that a lot of people shifted here. Within a few years, the population of this city crossed 100,000. And today, the population of this city is over 5 million.
Next to it is Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa. Next to it is Cape Town, the legislative capital of South Africa, where the seat of parliament is. Blomfontein is the judicial capital of South Africa. And in this whole region, this province is called Gauteng.
It is the wealthiest province of South Africa. There is no doubt that there was a lot of gold here. And there is still a lot of gold here.
The infrastructure and everything you see here shows that this city and the whole area is very wealthy. The total population of South Africa is 62-63 million. I think the population of Tanzania was a bit more than this. But you must not have seen such infrastructure anywhere in Africa. And I was very impressed by this place. I had been to Cape Town before.
The infrastructure there is fine. The city is very beautiful. But I think the infrastructure of this area is more beautiful.
The roads are better. And... Wherever you go in South Africa, you will see a Western touch. Because the whites have been here for a long time. You will still find a lot of whites in their population. Everything is mixed.
There is a lot of Asian community here. So, it's a multicultural city and country. And now we have to pay attention to the roads. We are lucky to have entered such a big city. Despite that, the weather is very good today.
It's only 21-22 degrees. The air is cool. And the traffic is very less. So, we are in trouble now. It's 5 minutes to 5 km in the city.
We will reach in another 5-6 minutes. I think we have entered their CBD. This is the central business district. CBD is also called the financial district.
And now all the high-rising buildings are here. The roads here are very good. I enjoyed today's ride.
So far, the best ride I have taken in any city, would have been this one in my Africa. I enjoyed it in Kenya and Harare. I also enjoyed it in a couple of other cities. But the best thing about this place is that the problems of education and health in other African countries, are not in South Africa. People mostly come here from other African countries. We have to get down from here.
It's time to get a drink. All the traffic lights are off. This area is totally deserted. Nothing is open. It's a weird scene.
Normally at least something is open. This is the building. Maybe it's face is on the other side. From where we have to enter. This is it. Oh God! If there is a garage, I don't feel like parking my bike outside.
I don't want to get up in the morning and leave my bike here. I have to take off my camera, my mobile, and my keys. In the whole of Africa, people used to scare me from the same place. South Africa. Even if I asked a Kenyan, he used to say, Be careful man, when you are in South Africa.
We have checked in at the hotel. But I think the decision to stay in CPD was a little wrong. The whole area is empty. There is no one outside.
Only a few locals. And I feel a little uncomfortable walking in this area. Anyway, let me show you the room first. Then we will see what we have to do here. We have an apartment here. It has a small living room and a kitchen. The door you see
ahead is the sleeping room. Let's go there. This is the sleeping room.
It's a small apartment but it's very clean and tidy. It's comfortable to stay here at night. There is also a wardrobe here to keep clothes. There is also a clean washroom here. This is our apartment.
The booking.com rating was very good. I think it's value for money. I paid $40 or $42 per night. You can see that I am staying in the center of the city.
But I don't know how people here avoid coming to the center of the city. Anyway, it's okay. I have to make a decision now. I might go for a walk. The receptionist told me that I have to carry my mobile phone in my pocket. I shouldn't be making videos here and there.
So you will feel completely safe. There is no issue. You will be safe for at least a minute. I have to make a video when I go out. So I will be discreet. I have to take some shots and eat.
It's almost 5 pm here. We have about 1 to 2 hours of daylight. She told me that I don't have to walk at night.
Whenever I have to go out at night, I have to order an Uber. I don't have to go on a bike. But I don't have any such plan today. So I will just chill in my room. I am planning to do a little walk show.
Let's see what kind of town this is. I was hoping for a lively town. But it's Sunday and it's empty.
I was thinking that I shouldn't have taken my bike. Then I started walking. And now I am walking on the wrong side. This is a one way road.
I don't want to take this road. As soon as I started walking, I didn't feel good. So I decided to take my bike.
At least I will make a CBD video for you. And... I will roam around as long as there is light. I am feeling safe.
I am on my bike. At least... I will be safe if I stop somewhere.
They have stopped all the traffic signals. I have stopped where I stopped. You see... Whenever you go to a town, there is always a little rush in CBD. But it's not like that here.
Everything is closed. Whether it's Saturday or Sunday. People are driving on the red light.
I like this road. Let's go this way. We are just roaming around. I have to either order food from somewhere or pick it up from here. I saw the first shop open. It's a liquor store and a bar.
I think it's okay on the bike. At least we are walking. But we won't ride the bike at night. Let's go this way. We will turn towards the empty road.
This is a beautiful building. It looks like a church. I have seen more private security than police here. Of different companies.
This area seems a little rushy. Supermarkets are closed. I have been told by the ATM that if you want to withdraw money from there, you have to make sure that you don't have anyone with you. I am taking tips from people.
What else do I know? I think this is the 1st street. Let's go this way and then turn. It's a little rushy here. I think this is the main street. The biggest difference that I have noticed here is that there is almost no one in white. The areas that I had passed through earlier, the luxury and high-fi shopping malls, were mostly mixed there.
Everyone was there. But there is no one here. I think it's a good thing that I took a CVD here so that I can get an idea of these areas.
That's why I try to get advice from a lot of local people who know me. Even my viewers message me. I try to get their advice on where to live. When you leave your comfort zone, it's different experience. I have my cheap phone here. I have my iPhone 15 with all my data in my pocket.
If anyone comes to China, they can take this trick from us Pakistanis. I have my wallet, all my credit cards, ID cards, passports, everything at home. I have only 200-400 in the hotel. I have everything I need. If I need to buy food or something, I can get it from there and go back.
Overall, their CVD is good. But unfortunately, the crime rate is so high that people prefer to take a bath here. And even the locals, during the day, they avoid it. There is a lot of garbage here and there. Shoppers, bags.
Seriously, there is not a single white person here, not a single desi asian. I mean, I haven't noticed this anywhere here. We have been to the entire east side of Africa and I haven't felt this anywhere.
To be honest, it was a good decision not to come here on foot. I really don't feel safe here. I wasn't able to make a video here. I was not able to take out my phone from the camera. Walking was not an issue. I could have easily walked around. We have come a long way. We should turn from somewhere.
Earlier, I could see a lot of police cars here and there. But here in CBD, I might have seen a police car somewhere. In the last hotel where I stayed, the receptionist told me that if you get robbed or mugged, the police don't care.
Even if you report it to them, they will still go to you. Overall, it's a very lively place. It's Sunday and all the shops are closed. But we have come out to eat local food and street food.
It's true that people like us are more afraid. This area looks a little desolate. We will turn from here. By the grace of God, our adventure was a success. Thank you.
2024-04-20 14:25
