The only thing I can recommend about Windhoek is the beer. I think they brew the best lager on the African continent, leagues above the watery Castles and Lions that dominate the market in the south. This is not a put down of anything else in Nanibia, since I've never had the chance to visit that country.

Obviously, we all have our quirks when it comes to visiting distant places, so one person's suggestion might be totally off base for another. But...

As for JNB, you might want to carefully venture into the heart of the city by cab — assume you will be staying in Sandton or another northern suburb — and visit the new Museum Africa to get a sense of the changes that have taken place in the past 10--years. When you finish that visit, a 2-minute walk will get you to the Castle Centenniary Brewery building where you can take a tour — no longer an operating brewery, unfortunately — and then sample a couple of their beers for the R10 tour charge. (As I noted above, not great beer, but on a hot afternoon sitting on the roof terrace sipping a cold one, nibbling on crisps or peanuts, looking out over the skyline of JNB... It is getting safer to walk in the city centre during the peak daytime hours, but probably best to call your cab at the Brewery and return to the hotel before sundown. Your driver can take you through the city centre en route to the northern suburbs.

Great, tender steaks in Sandton Centre (under the Michaelangelo Hotel) courtyard at The Butcher Shop — primarily a restaurant with a great wine list, but they also sell fresh beef and other more exotic meats. They preparetheir meats for export, but those of us on this side of the Atlantic aren't legally permitted to import it. (Doesn't mean you can't try. I did and it was well worth the risk!) There is a small theatre in the same complex if live stage plays are your thing (AGFA is their corporate sponsor, and thus the name of the space). However, it offers very little indigenous theatre.

And if it is your first trip to SA, then I would suggest taking a half-day tour of one of the townships, either in Cape Town or Johannesburg. There are specialty tour companies in both cities that take small groups in minivans, and you are made to feel welcome by the locals. (Bring plenty of small coins and lots of candies for the children.) One feels a bit conspicuous and uncomfortable at times (not unsafe mind you), but what you learn is worth the trip. I toured townships in both cities. Unless you are working with, or know, black South Africans, you are unlikely to see much of this side of the country: which is, of course, most of it. (The couple that accompanied me in Cape Town had actually lived in the city all their lives, but this was their first trip to a township, curiosity had gotten the better of them, and they did not regret taking the time that day.)

Also worth an afternoon in CPT is a trip across the harbour to Robben Island.

As for guide books, I found the Lonely Planet Cape Town very useful during the five days I spent in that city. There is so little on JNB in any of the guidebooks, you're pretty much on your own. There is a tourism office in Sandton at a mall called the Sandton Walk, just across from the Hilton and down the road from the Crowne Plaza. Also a reasonable crafts stand here for resaonably priced small wood carvings and other items. Much safer to shop here, and much lower prices — with a bit of bargaining — than the shop at the airport.

Have a great — and safe — trip.