Not All That Glitters Is Gold

On Tuesday, we left Johannesburg and headed out of town to a resort called Sun City. More specifically, The Palace of The Lost City at Sun City. Quite a mouthful I know. It was an easy 2 hour drive through the back roads and bushland of South Africa, and then seemingly out of nowhere, the resort. The Palace is modeled after the idea of finding a lost city in the middle of the african wilderness, and that is exactly what it feels like. The pictures below can say more than these words.
The service was top notch and we were treated like royalty, being given a tour of the resort as we were taken to our room. We were only staying for one night, so we got settled and headed out to explore the resort. I remember coming here as a kid, and being in awe of the architecture and feel of the place. Truth be told, I was having just as much fun exploring again, only this time with my wife and parents. We walked down the "royal staircase," found our way to the amphitheater, crossed the stone bridge in "the valley of the waves" and found our way behind a waterfall and across a rope bridge just like Indiana Jones would have done. I spent countless hours playing in these locales when I visited as a kid, so finding them again was a lot of fun. After walking around and taking a bunch of fun pictures, we headed up to the "king's tower" to get a glimpse of the land from a high vantage point. It was beautiful to see the sun setting over the mountains in the distance, casting shadows and colors all across the land.
The sheer opulence and magnitude of this place was in such stark contrast to Soweto the day before. From tin huts and shanty towns to lost cities and royal palaces all within 24 hours. The range of experience on this trip is truly incredible. Once again I was drawn to remember how lucky I am to be able to see the things that I am seeing, and do the things that I am doing. I feel truly blessed to be able to experience all of this, and to share the experience with my wife and parents is phenomenal. I only wish that my sister was here with us, but alas she was unable to take the time off work.
As amazing as this unique resort was, it was also evident just how unreal it was. It was grand, and it was beautiful, but it was fake, an illusion. Don't get me wrong, it was a tremendously enjoyable illusion, but an illusion nonetheless. It made me realize just how deceiving appearances can be. Although the small brick houses and tin huts in Soweto the day before were nothing like this place, they somehow felt more real, more alive. The palace however was a facade, a show. It was a real reminder that things are not always what they seem. No matter how amazing something looks on the outside, the truth of it lies within. This is true of places, experiences, and people too. Being in the "Palace" reminded me just how important it is not to make judgments and assumptions based only on appearances. This is not always easy to do, and I catch myself forgetting this lesson often. All these experiences I am having though are serving as great reminders and teachers to me, illustrating in beautiful ways the Truth that I know deep inside. And so, in "The Palace of the Lost City" I found once more that true beauty resides within, and not all that glitters is gold.