The Colorful Streets of Soweto

Just another day at the Kliptown market...

Mother and Child

Headed home

Run!

Street Life

Playing in the streets of Motsoaledi

Look at that hair!

B&W Portrait

Soweto

Today we had the opportunity to visit Soweto, the most populous urban residential area in the country. Soweto is located south west of Johannesburg. It’s not surprising to learn that Soweto ranks as one of the poorest areas in all of Johannesburg.

As you can probably tell by looking at the photos shown above, some neighborhoods are worse than others. Parts of Soweto still have no power or running water as we speak. The last few photos of the children playing in the streets depict the living situations of the people of Motsoaledi.

Motsoaledi

The children in Motsoaledi were the most welcoming of all the people that we experienced in Soweto. Not once did they beg or ask for a single thing from me. They were absolutely fascinated by my camera and insisted that we take hundreds of photos of them in every single pose possible. After each click of the camera they would come running towards me so that they could see themselves on the screen. Giggles followed soon after.

If visiting a neighborhood like Motsoaledi doesn’t make you appreciate the things that you have in your life, then you must not be human. I mean, let’s face it, these children are sleeping in tin shacks while I’m sipping on tea in my deluxe king room at the Intercontinental Johannesburg which runs upwards of $450/night. Enough said.

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Have you ever visited a place that made you reflect on your life and appreciate the things that you have that much more?

Would love to hear your answers, so please be sure to leave a comment below.