The last destination on the African leg of my trip sees me returning to Johannesburg, this time to stay for a few days. I've been to the city twice already, but never left the airport terminal. JoBurg has a truly appalling reputation in the UK (whether deserved or not) and more so than anywhere else on my travels I'm uneasy at the prospect at travelling alone. My unease is not helped by the taxi driver pointing to the downtown part of the city as we speed by on a motorway, warning me to steer clear!

My hostel is the Melville International Backpackers which is a private house with annexes at the rear for backpackers to sleep, whilst enjoying the run of the house. Beryl and Boyson look after everyone. Melville, the suburb, seems okay and I am assured that it is safe to walk around the area on my own, even at night. The advice is sound as it's like a bohemian oasis in an otherwise potentially dangerous city. Melville night life is centred on 7th Street which is lined with antique shops, cafes and pubs.

Despite my taxi driver's initial advice I did spend a couple of days in the city centre and it feels ok, but nowhere near as cosmopolitan as I thought it would be and there is an edge on the street.

There are some good attractions in JoBurg, the Africa Museum is the best museum I have visited in Africa, the Carlton Tower trip to the top of Africa (on the 55th storey) provides a great view of the city and the SAB brewery tour provides a great excuse for sitting in the pub al afternoon (with a group of students whose tutor had taken them on the tour for Friday afternoon class!). Undeterred by my Robben Island tour I also went to Constitution Hill which used to house one of the most brutal prisons in South Africa which held Ghandi, Mandela and some of the most violent gang bosses. The combined tales of cruelty, depravation, violence and torture are most sobering. I can't comprehend how dehumanising it must have been for the prisoners or how the warders and administrators could have been so inhumane. The site is now the home of South Africa's Constitutional Court which sits with 14 judges and presides over important constitutional matters.

Whilst in JoBurg I look up a friend Sean, who I met whilst in Cape Town. He lives in JoBurg, but is moving to Cape Town. I call him and he takes me out with some of his friends to a couple of other suburbs. We visit Four Ways, Stanton and Melville on a massive pub crawl! Massive in that you need a car to get around JoBurg because it is massive. Sean's girlfriend Nicolette was the designated driver, just in case you were wondering!

That brings the curtain down on my African adventure. The two months has flown by and I inevitably wish that I had had more time to explore this wonderful continent. I have had some great experiences, seen incredible sights, met good people, learned a huge amount and enjoyed some fantastic parties! If the rest of the trip is anything like Africa then this could be the best decision I ever made. Roll on India!!