With the full complement of students, and passports safely stowed away, an action-packed day awaited RHS' most cultured and musical elite. Unfortunately, with each student tasked with the sole responsibility of getting themselves up, some members found this task a little too onerous and consequently slept in, causing a slight delay to proceedings.
However, we made good time to our first stop, the truly fascinating "Apartheid Museum". Led by a tour guide, the group learnt about South Africa's history over the last three hundred years, the formalisation of apartheid and the resistance movements that countered these policies. For the young minds of RHS, it certainly deepened their knowledge and awareness of South Africa and the struggles of its past...
Afterwards, it was on to the 'Gold Reef City' theme park and a trip 225m underground, in a disused gold mine; keeping up the fine traditions of yesterday's sparkling intellect, one member of the party, having travelled down the mine shaft and having stepped into the dimly-lit, disused tunnel , asked 'are we underground yet?' On the trip, the tour guide highlighted the dangers of being a 19th century miner, the process of mining the gold and the vital statistics of labyrinth of mine shafts (in its heyday, the mine was excavated to a depth of 3km underground).
While the cultural members of the group were underground, the band performed an outstanding inaugural concert, perhaps inspired by a motivational speech by a royal naval veteran, who explained the origins of the band's uniform and offered to promote the band's concert programme throughout South Africa. As always, it was a fine musical showpiece, including two excellent compilations, (the hits of Elvis Presley and Jersey Boys/Frankie Valli), overseen by the maestro himself, Mr Jones.
And after such an enlightened morning, it was time for the RHS adrenaline junkies to take a trip around the theme park, enjoying the delights of going upside down at an exceptionally quick speed, getting absolutely soaked on the water rides and playing some very aggressive crazy golf. Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed sipping my 'mocha' in the afternoon sun, but each to their own - yes, it has been sunny ever since we landed! Hahaha! Although, as shown by the picture below, some members of staff found the 'Wet Log ride' a little inclement.
And still our adventures continued with some retail therapy in the exclusive 'Sandton City' shopping complex, fully enclosed and extending to five blocks with an imposing giant statue of Nelson Mandela presiding over a square named in his honour.
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