The Monkey en route to Johannesburg, South Africa, via Doha, Qatar.

Upon arrival in South Africa, the Monkey made his way to his lovely lodgings in the central neighborhood of Melville, Johannesburg, where he met up with his long-time friend and fellow traveler, the Otter. They posed for a brief photo with their prized tickets to the 2010 World Cup, before heading out to a cool Melville pub to catch the second half of the host nation’s defeat of the French, a team that had arrived in the tournament through the disgraceful cheating of Thierry Henry and then acted as if they didn’t want to be there in the first place. It was a glorious night spent celebrating the South African victory, despite Bafana Bafana going out of the Cup along with the wantaway French.

The next morning, the Monkey was in buoyant mood and made for the Melville Koppies, a hilltop nature reserve with stunning views over many sections of Johannesburg. Here, he surveys the skyline of the Central Business District, with Melville’s relaxed streets in the foreground at the right of the photo.

On one of Melville’s village-like streets, the Monkey encountered this rather exotic plant—half cactus, half fiery pine cone. While he’s no botanist, the Monkey believes this is a Cape Aloe. Whatever it is, he liked it.

This wide angle shot shows the grand vista from the Louw Geldenhuys section of the Melville Koppies. The reserve is home to many native flora, as well as remnants dating back to the Stone Age. The Monkey is not enough of an archaeologist to have spotted those artifacts, but he has it on good authority they’re there.