Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Kabwata Cultural Village
(Burma Rd; 9am-5pm)
You'll find a scruffy collection of thatch-roofed huts and stalls
selling carvings, baskets, masks, drums, fabrics and more at this place southeast of the
city centre. Prices are cheap because you can buy directly from the workers who live here.
HANDICRAFTS
Ababa House
(cnr Addis Ababa Dr & Twikatane Rd; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, to 2pm Sat)
A smart
boutique full of imaginative creations made for Western tastes from Zambian and Zimbab-
wean artists, furniture-makers and weavers. Chocoholics can visit a shop selling hand-
made Belgian chocolates.
ARTS & CRAFTS
ARTS & CRAFTS
Henry Tayali Visual Arts Centre
( 0211-254440; Showgrounds; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-2.30pm Sat)
Check out
Henry Tayali Visual Arts Centre if you're in the mood for buying local contemporary art.
Ask about the studio nearby for working artists - come here on weekdays only.
Information
Dangers & Annoyances
Like most African cities, pickpockets take advantage of crowds, so be alert in the markets
and bus stations and along the busy streets immediately west of Cairo Rd. Don't flash a
mobile phone around and don't carry a bag. Take only the cash you need in your pockets.
Soweto Market in particular is notorious for robbery and pickpockets (if in a car, wind
windows up and lock doors); there is a township nearby with a very bad reputation. At
night, most streets are dark and often empty, so even if you're on a tight budget, take a
taxi.
The suburb of Rhodes Park, between Cairo Rd and Embassy Triangle, which is quite
upmarket during the week, takes on a sleazy twist at weekends when prostitutes display
their wares at night, especially along Mwilwa Rd.
