INNER-CITY ADVENTURES: An exotic and divine sensory overload in the heart of Hillbrow’s chaos

In Hillbrow, South Africa, a food tour named "The Taste of Africa" provides a sensory overload for those who dare to explore its chaos. The tour begins and ends at the historic Drill Hall, situated opposite the MTN Noord taxi rank, one of the busiest transit hubs in the city. The tour guide, Kganyapa Kganyapa, welcomed our group with a wave and led us through the area, where minibus pandemonium merged with sidewalks crowded with commuters, vendors, and hustlers.

As we stepped out of the Uber, the atmosphere transformed from apprehension to wonder. Exotically Divine, a calm eco-sanctuary and community hub, is decorated with upcycled art and plants, and its atmosphere is filled with love and hope. The Drill Hall, built in 1904, was once a symbol of British victory over the Boers and has now been thoroughly decolonized.

The tour took us through JaMais favorite digi-guide, Johannesburg in Your Pocket, describes it as "a cavern of delights" with fruit trees, vertical gardens, and walls covered in discarded carpets. The top level of the double-storey building is a home for local artists, while the bottom level is where Kganyapa, his partner Ayanda Dludla, and her sister Nono live and work.

From the green oasis of Exotically Divine, we ventured into the Nigerian market, a vibrant world where people sell traditional African specialties like jollof rice, plantains, yams, and spices. We sampled soursop and coconut water, and visited the area around Marble Towers, known as Little Addis, where we enjoyed traditional Ethiopian coffee. The ceaseless activity, broken streets, hustle, and energy of the city left us amped and overstimulated, but the Exotically Divine crew kept us grounded through gentle guidance.