The wonder is worth it

In their efforts to bring both local and international visitors to the city, the metro has revamped vast areas of what had become concrete wasteland, revitalised Newtown and added to or improved the tourist and cultural attractions available.
Included in the new face of Joburg are old favourites including the ever popular SAB World of Beer and the Market Theatre.
There are also a number of new kids on the block including the  Sci-Bono Discovery Centre – a cornicopia of fun and fascination for children (and adults) of all ages.
However, despite the great lengths the city has gone to and the copious adverts they have taken to promote their city, the CBD remains a mess.
Dirty streets and missing street names are highlighted by the general sense of chaos that prevails as you turn off the highway and into the city.
Without a strong constitution, intrepid travellers may be encouraged to abandon their mission within seconds of entering Joburg’s  underbelly.
However, with a little persistence a fantasy world is yours for the taking.
Saturday dawned brightly at my house as I was awoken by a knock at the door.
My best friend and goddaughter had finally arrived for their long anticipated visit and a week of fun and adventure stretched out in front of us.
At five years old, the world is a wonderland for Sienna and she is determined to take it all in with gusto.
She immediately asked: “What are we going to do today?”
Would we take a walk in the park? Could we visit the birds I had taken her to see on her last visit? Would we go to the fun science place she had visited once before?
Since mom is a science and maths teacher in KwaZulu-Natal she was keen to see exactly what was on offer at Sci-Bono and a trip into the Joburg CBD was quickly decided upon.
According to the GPS it was merely a hop (on the M1), a skip (take the Carr Street off ramp) and a jump into Miriam Makebe Street where the museum is located.
Ja well no fine as they say in the venacular.
The hop and the skip were simple enough but the jump proved more tricky.
There was some festival going on – I never quite figured out what festival – so we were only grudgingly allowed access to the city only to discover that every cross street was blocked off and rendered a no go area.
Every time we attempted to turn, red tape and an angry guard stopped us from doing so while car guards instructed us to park on every available inch of pavement irrespective of where we were trying to get to.
Finally, after being refused entry to the 10th street, we stopped and asked a car guard who, with a surprisingly friendly demeanour, sent us on our way to exactly where we needed to be.
We could, however, not get into the Sci-Bono parking lot because a truck driver had chosen the entrance to park in and have a chat.
Still, not to be beaten we attempted to park in the lot directly next to the one we wanted.
A surly guard told us we couldn’t park there and after many disapproving looks sent us packing.
Long story short we did eventually get into the correct lot, no thanks to the city’s employees, and all was right with the world.
Despite the trauma of traversing the unfriendly Joburg landscape, I, however, would still suggest to visitors that they take on the perils of Joburg’s rude and surly guards to experience the gems the city has to offer.
The filth and difficulty of getting where you want to go is soon forgotten as you step into the awe-inspiring world of (in our case) science which allows children to play while learning.
The Sci-Bono Discovery Centre is a multi-story wonderland of science and engineering where children can learn about everything from how a car’s engine, gears and wiring work to how electricity is generated.
Every conceivable scientific concept is demonstrated in a fun and easily understood way which sees children learning while eagerly learning the next lesson, and the next.
Press this button, move that magnet or whisper into this cone and the world becomes that much more fascinating.
While the centre’s website advertises that it is aimed at children older than six years, the only problem Sienna had in enjoying the centre was that she is a tad too short to reach all the buttons but, with a lift from mom, she enjoyed the centre and all it had to offer at a run.
Yes, a run dear readers, she charged from experiment to experiment, squealing with delight at every new discovery.
After almost five hours she still wasn’t bored or ready to leave – a miracle for a little girl who charges through life moving swiftly from one experience to another.
The fact that she had to be dragged from the museum bears testament to just how much fun there is to be had in this learning centre where children are allowed to play with electricity without being scolded.
Yes, the underbelly of the city may be a daunting place, but its worth the effort.