#RemainHereChallenge – How Did We Do?
Simply put – our #RemainHereChallenge for December 2018/ January 2019 was life-changing – here’s why.
Well, to be brutally honest, we Joburgers are lazy. And tired. But mostly lazy. We’ve forgotten how many amazing events and venues there are right on our doorstep because we can’t wait to head out of the city and into the bush, mountains or sea. Because we’re unbelievably lucky to have all three within driving distance.
That being said, we need to “bloom where we are planted”, “seize the day”, and everything else those other clichés are always telling us to do!
Which is EXACTLY what we decided to do over the Holiday Season – pretend that this was our last-ever Christmas in Joburg and make sure we saw/ experienced/ visited/ took advantage of each and every offering we could.
The result? We ran out of time and will have to spend the first few weekends of 2019 trying to catch up. And our family voted this past Christmas as one of our best ever – which is quite mind-blowing when we think of the many holidays we have been on that cost an absolute fortune!
So here’s how it worked:
- We printed up a December and January calendar and began filling in ideas and events in pencil.
- We included tourist-type venues that foreigners would be most likely to visit, as well as events, theatre productions, Christmas-themed venues and anything else that caught our eye.
- We booked ahead for anything that provided this option (this was key – had we not booked, we might have decided on the day that we’d go sometime in the future – booking ahead kept us accountable!)
- We made sure that we took photos and posted them on our Facebook page so we could keep tally and give other people a few ideas.
Here’s what we actually DID:
- Thursday 13 December (am) – Kids Christmas Cookie Decorating
- Thursday 13 December (pm) – The Grinch movie
- Friday 14 December (pm) – Monte Christmas Village and outdoor movie on the Piazza (The Incredibles 2)
- Saturday 15 December (am) – Christmas Ginger Bread House Decorating
- Monday 17 December (pm) – Garden of Lights and Magic Show at Emperors Palace
- Wednesday 19 December (pm) – The Play That Goes Wrong at Montecasino and dinner at La Rosa
- Thursday 20 December (pm) – Snow White Pantomime
- Friday 21 December (am) – Cradle of Humankind, Maropeng and Sterkfontein Caves
- Saturday 22 December (pm) – Watershed LIVE on the Montecasino Piazza
- Friday 28 December (am) – Billions Bubble Show at Times Square and Design-Your-Own-Magnum Ice-Creams
- Sunday 30 December (all day) – explored the town of Cullinan and gourmet milkshakes at Craft in Parkhurst.
- Thursday 3 January (pm) – Mary Poppins Returns movie at Hyde Park
- Friday 4 January (pm) – The Nutcracker Winter Circus at Sandton City, dinner at Jamie’s Italian and Melrose Arch Christmas Lights
- Saturday 5 January (all day) – Hop On Hop Off tour of Joburg
- Saturday 6 January (all day) – Raspberry picking and lunch at The Field Berry Farm
- Sunday 13 January (all day) – Explore 27 Boxes in Melville and lunch at The Countess
Yes, we did a lot – with some days spent relaxing at home in between!
Here’s what’s on our Wish List for the next few months:
- Night tour of Constitution Hill
- Migrant Cuisines Tasting Tour of Joburg
- Inner City Graffiti Walk
- Happy Island Water World in Muldersdrift
- Tuc-tuc around Melville
- Ponte tour with Dlala Nje
- Walk at The Wilds
- Liliesleaf Farm
- Pretoria Zoo
- Night Tour of the Joburg Zoo
- Lindfield House
- Magaliesberg Canopy Tour
- A play at the Market Theatre
- SciBono
- Planetarium
- Troyeville Bedtime Story
- Victoria Yards
- Locrate Market
- Sunday afternoon drinks at The Living Room
- Safari & Secret Underground Dinner at Zwipi Underground Bar
- Moonlight Maze
- Pub, Bars & Rooftops Tour by Bus
The beauty of having a list is that we can plan our months in advance and be sure to schedule a few “Bucket List” items beforehand. Plus, it eliminates the “what should we do today” blues that often turn into a movie and braai (not that it’s a bad thing!)
2019 is going to be an event-ful year (pun intended) – please join us!
Any that we’ve missed? Comment below!
