{"id":139,"date":"2014-07-07T11:28:07","date_gmt":"2014-07-07T15:28:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ustoa.com\/blog\/?p=139"},"modified":"2014-07-08T15:08:07","modified_gmt":"2014-07-08T19:08:07","slug":"get-off-the-tour-bus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ustoa.com\/blog\/get-off-the-tour-bus\/","title":{"rendered":"Get Off the Tour Bus"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Nina Dietzel,\u00a0AFAR Ambassador<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

AFAR\u2019s <\/a>co-founder Joe Diaz likes to boil \u2018traveling like a local\u2019 down to \u201cGet off the tour bus and sit at someone\u2019s kitchen table\u201d. On our first day in South Africa with Collette<\/a>, that\u2019s just what we did. We got off the bus and visited Alina Mlotshwa\u2019s home in Soweto to have lunch.<\/p>\n

\"Alina\u2019s
Alina\u2019s carport\/restaurant<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Alina\u2019s story is quite infectious. She used to take visitors through Soweto, but over time there was too much competition and work became scarce. Soweto was flooded with \u2018guides\u2019 taking visitors to the famous Vilakazi Street<\/a>, but neglected to share Soweto\u2019s vibrant Township life. Alina decided to change that, and began to invite strangers into her home for a more authentic experience.<\/p>\n

\"Fearless
Fearless owner Alina Mlotshwa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

She covered her carport (the only space able to hold a fair amount of people), put up a sign, and opened her home\/restaurant to locals and travelers.<\/p>\n

\"Enjoy!\"
Enjoy!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s impressive, that four generations of her family still live in small 4 room township home, most of them actively involved in the business. A good number of her Dobsonville neighbors have also been employed, which has ensured goodwill from all sides. Alina\u2019s fearless entrepreneurship has paid off. The place is buzzing, and we were excited, and grateful to be part of it for a while. We sat, chatted, and dined with locals, and other foreigners\u2013feeling home with Alina\u2019s family and friends.<\/p>\n

\"First
First helping from the buffet, uhumm ; )<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Of course it wasn\u2019t just the original venue and charming Alina \u2018family\u2019 that made our visit so special. We ate good food. Real. Good. Food. African dishes accompanied by ice cold Castle beers and a few Stoneys (a sugary South African ginger ale\/beer).<\/p>\n

Alina\u2019s kitchen prepares around 10 fresh dishes every day. We sampled lamb and beef stews, roasted chicken and fish, plenty of vegetables, salads, dumplings and of course the ominous \u2018pap*\u2019 from the kitchen buffet.<\/p>\n

*traditional porridge\/polenta made from ground maize, a staple food of the Bantu inhabitants of Southern Africa (the Afrikaans word pap is taken from Dutch and means \u2018porridge\u2019)<\/em><\/p>\n

\"The
The Pantsula dance performance\u2013don\u2019t try this at home<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After leaving Alina\u2019s home, young local dancers waited for us outside, wildly drumming. They proceeded to perform the crazy energetic pantsula for us, a typical Sowetan dance, that originated in the townships during Apartheid.<\/p>\n

\"Our
Our Sowetan guide for the day \u2018big Ben\u2019 with two of his local friends<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Get off the tour bus and hang with the locals. It is one of the best decisions you can make while traveling. Our hours in Soweto were real, fun and will forever be remembered with a big smile (or three ; ).<\/p>\n

Nina Dietzel<\/em> is a photographer<\/a> and AFAR Ambassador<\/a> based in San Francisco. Between travel and photography assignments, she continues to consult on select projects for destinations, hospitality, cultural organizations and non-for-profits in need\u2013tapping into her vast experience as brand strategist with 300FeetOut<\/a>, an award winning creative agency she launched and lead for over 15 years. Read more about her work here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Nina Dietzel,\u00a0AFAR Ambassador AFAR\u2019s co-founder Joe Diaz likes to boil \u2018traveling like a local\u2019 down to \u201cGet off the tour bus and sit at someone\u2019s kitchen table\u201d. On our first day in South Africa with Collette, that\u2019s just what we did. We got off the bus and visited Alina Mlotshwa\u2019s home in Soweto to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-south-africa"],"yoast_head":"\nGet Off the Tour Bus - USTOA Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Traveling like a local means you have to get off the tour bus. 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