Travel

Recently I had to drive up to Parktown in Johannesburg. It was a long way and I managed it with no problem. I drove up on the Friday (everywhere from the coast, is up!) stayed overnight with friends - did what I had to on Saturday morning and drove back on Saturday afternoon.

It was a long way and made me realise how fortunate we are in coastal KZN, to recently have had a Temple announced for Durban. I can hardly wait until a Temple is an hour south instead of a further 6 hours (and huge toll fees) inland!

I had not realised that Parktown is 690 kilometers away - 120 to Durban, then the rest up the N3 to Johannesburg. I was blessed to have the use of my GPRS. Going up the N3, you are blessed to skirt past tiny little towns. Once you leave Durban, the first town/city you actually com across is Johannesburg. Then all you need to do is skirt past the high building of the Carlton Tower (highest building in Africa) and follow the offramps to the Temple.

My GPS directed us up the N3, M2 and the M1, taking an offramp to the Temple. On the way home however, it directed us through Hillbrow to the N3 and then home via Heidelberg and Standerton.

I was amazed at how run down Hillbrow appears. It has always been seedy, but age has not been kind to it!

The Durban Temple has been announced, but that will take a few years to be finished. The construction of a Temple is special, so care is taken in building it! They truly are magnificent buildings.

I have been to temples in Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and been through the grounds of several others. It is not so very long ago that if members of the LDS Church wanted to visit a Temple from Africa, that they had to either go to London or to Salt Lake City. Now there are 5 in Africa - either opened or announced to be constructed. This is a really recent thing - when I joined the Mormon Church, there was only 1 Temple in Africa. Soon enough there will be 5 - with others to be announced soon!