Johannesburg, situated on the Rand, doesn't make any sense?

SHOOT: Or does it?

The unexpected discovery of gold. Gold meant wealth and the prospect of this, caused people to flood in, and with people came their needs and the markets and trade that these needs drive. So now Jozi exists because 4 million people came to find themselves living on a wide open plain some 1800 meters above the sea.

Joanita Cillie:

Shortly after my first blog the city was ironically hit by winter weather you would expect to find in the Cape.

For me, there is nothing better than the sound of raindrops when waking up on a Saturday morning. A power outage coupled with it is less ideal.

Because of this, what was meant to be a braai at a friend’s house, evolved into an afternoon spent in the coffee shop Hanna B in Greenside.

It started with coffee. Turned into lunch. And who can say no to a long dessert (the perfect ending). Our party grew and shrank over the course of the day. And before long it was five in the afternoon.

In Joburg it is normal to spend a large amount of time in coffee shops and bar lounges. Luckily there are many options available.

A list of some of my favourite places to spend time at (besides Hanna B of course) include:

1. Service Station, Bamboo Centre, Melville

Look: As the name suggests, Service Station had previously been a place where vehicles could be refuelled. Today it is an open, spacious and minimalistic coffee shop with a warm and cosy deli feel.

People you will see here: Artists, actors and Joburgers who know all the best spots.

What to have: The buffet lunch is definitely worth a try. The menu has not changed in the 10 years of Service Station’s existence.

Activities: Except for watching interesting people, you can browse through the items in Black Coffee (designer outfits), the Blooming Plate (mostly crockery), Tinsel (jewellery store), Upstairs @ Bamboo (art gallery), Smelt (glass blowing studio) and the new addition, Love Books (where children can be entertained by storytime readings). A couple of other design and antique stores can be found just across the street.

http://www.bamboo-online.co.za/#Service

2. Bean There, 44 Stanley, Milpark

Look: "The roastery is a story book; the walls are covered with photographs of those who have nurtured the coffee beans we enjoy and each coffee has been personally selected for you to know a country through its coffee," according to the 44 Stanley website.

People: Marketers, designers, industry leaders such as Dion Chang - whose office is close by.

What to have: Coffee, obviously. Bean There has a wide variety of coffee from different parts of Africa.

Activities: 44 Stanley comprises of a wide selection of studios and stores with designer items. It is a quiet hide-away from the traffic and deadlines, where it is easy to forget to return to work...

http://www.44stanley.co.za/food.asp

3. Sophiatown Bar Lounge, Newtown.

Look: Afro-centric with photos from the bygone days in Sophiatown lining the walls.

People: After dark the place is filled with the gorgeous and glamorous of Joburg's new elite.

What to have: A cosmopolitan

Activities: Newtown is one of the city's special places. Visit the Africana museum, just around the corner from Sophiatown. Or do some shopping, city centre style.

http://www.sophiatownbarlounge.co.za/

4. Boekehuis, Auckland Park.

Look: A cosy book shop with a lot of history.

People: Bookworms

What to have: The menu is very limited, your only option being either quiche or the cake of the day. Choose one, and have the other one the next time around.

Activities: Boekehuis hosts a variety of book launches on weekdays and over the weekend.

5. Moemas, Parktown Quarter, Parktown North

Look: Cakes too pretty to touch (let alone eat) are the main attraction.

People: Locals from the area. The place is packed over weekends.

What to have: Good luck deciding...

Activities: Every Saturday the Joburg Fresh Food Market takes place in the centre's parking lot. Moemas does not "do" bookings. Go there early, put your name on a list, walk through the shops, do a bit of fresh food shopping and then go for a cup of coffee and a cake (or three).

http://www.moemas.co.za/

clipped from www.theunexpected.co.za If you look at reasons for why people have settled in specific places historically, you typically start to see certain patterns or reasons emerging. Things like a large navigable river; a natural crossing place over a river, close to the sea, a safe protected harbour; a crossing of trade routes; a holy place. Joburg has none of these. Instead it sits on a vast undulating mostly grassy plain that provides no protection from enemies, it is hundreds of kilometres from the sea, thousands of kilometres from established trade routes and its rivers are small tributaries with seasonal flows. For all these reasons Joburg should not exist. Even today its position makes no sense, its distance from the sea and its elevation means that water has to be pumped up to it, electricity carried thousands of kilometres from power stations closer to coal mines, and tonnes of goods and products railed and trucked from harbours far away. It makes no sense at all.