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I am South African , and in the last few years I have travelled extensively to all parts of the globe including North America and Europe. Speaking to people on my travels , I realized that there are allot of misconceptions that exist regarding South Africa. Most notably that it is unsafe for travel and that lions and elephant roam our streets. If you are planning a holiday to South Africa (or even sub Saharan Africa where I've also travelled extensively) or are even just interested in our Politics, Economy, Travel destinations, Emigrating, Studying, things to do, cost of living and traveling etc. ask me and I'll do my best to answer your question I have foreign friends visit me on a regular basis, so I believe I'm qualified to answer most of your questions.
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Aug 1, 2014 12:14
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tbp posted:WHat's the most beautiful city in South Africa? From like an architectural standpoint I mean I would have to say Cape Town. Both from a natural standpoint as well as from an architectural standpoint. The Castle of Good hope (which was built by the Dutch in the 1660's) still exist today. There are also many nice examples in the smaller towns surrounding cape town. Sandton ((close to Johannesburg) is our premier business center where most of the large companies have their headquarters where you will be able to see more modern architecture.  Sandton Johannesburg also has some nice architecture but in my opinion it's an ugly city.  Johannesburg
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Aug 4, 2014 08:57
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December Octopodes posted:Is it true that you don't stop at red lights at night? Is this just large cities, or is this a common problem throughout? Hijacking is a big crime in South Africa and these normally happen at traffic lights. There was a myth that a few years back that the police will not arrest you if you skip a red light after a certain time at night, this was definitely not the case though. In the Cities just like any big City there are places you definitely want to avoid at night, and I wouldn't be in those places at night in the first place, but should I find myself there though I would definitely be skipping some traffic lights(after slowing down and looking obviously) In the suburbs it is usually a bit safer but I still find myself looking around for people approaching my car. One of our investigate journaling tv shows did a documentary where they found that most Hijackings in South Africa are actually pre planned. The thieves track your movements because they have an order for your specific make and model of car. Once they learn your routine they will try and Hijack your car.
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Aug 4, 2014 09:10
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caberham posted:Do you say "ja ja"? All the time? Hahahah no not at all very much an exageration.. much like the gday mate australian thing. No such thing as bad biltong so your question makes no sense. It was pretty lovely actually.. i mean i could hear that he was trying.. but i haven't heard anybody speak with that acccent in South Africa. We do have quite a pronounced accent though.. especially when afrikaans people "try" and speak english
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Aug 8, 2014 20:28
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RocknRollaAyatollah posted:He was supposed to be Rhodesian fyi. If I remember correctly he did in fact play a south african working in Rhodesia.. I couldn't get through that movie.
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Aug 8, 2014 20:29
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Saladman posted:He played a Rhodesian working in Cote d'Ivoire or something as a smuggler. Huge differences, especially concerning accent and culture. Zimbabwe is to South Africa as Mexico is to the USA.
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Aug 11, 2014 23:01
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mobby_6kl posted:I'm considering going around Christmas-new year. The very early plan is to fly to Johannesburg, rent a car, and make a counterclockwise circle through Zimbabwe (maybe), then Botswana, Namibia and get to Cape Town around new year, while hitting the parks, waterfalls and all the other cool stuff on the way. How does that sound? Hey that sounds like a great trip. An absolute must see is obviously the kruger national park so I would personally budget at least a week there in one of the camps. mobby_6kl posted:How's people feeling wrt. ebola Hasn't much affected people in the suburbs. I believe in some places up in africa they are taking it quite seriously though The airports are taking measures though to stop Ebola coming into South Africa. http://thenewage.co.za/134674-1009-53-South_Africa_takes_precautions_on_deadly_Ebola_virus mobby_6kl posted:[*]What's the cheapest I could realistically get a car for B Class model cars (4 door sedan) typically go for around R1500 per day which is around $95. There are cheaper options available if you are renting the car for an extended period of time though. I suggest Avis car rental as they are pretty much everywhere. You will obviously need a 4x4 to get to some places in africa and you will also require special permits and insurance. The car rental company and the Automobile Asociation of South Africa can assist you with this. mobby_6kl posted:[*]On a scale of Saudi Arabia to Norway, how expensive is fuel Fuel is quite expensive in South Africa. Work at around $1.5 per litre. To drive from Johannesburg to Cape town is about R1500 in fuel one way which works out to $95. Obviously this will be more expensive if you drive in a 4x4. mobby_6kl posted:[*]Would it be crazy to go alone if I fail to convince any friends Not really, but these trips are obviously more fun with friends. Luckily people from South Africa are known for their hospitality so it won't take long to meet people and make friends here. Even if you cut out Zimbabwe,Namibia and Botswana out of your trip you will have a great time in Johannesburg and Cape Town. Once you are here you can definately drop me a PM and i'll show you some nice spots over a weekend.
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Aug 13, 2014 14:34
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mobby_6kl posted:I was aiming at around a month, but none of this is nailed down yet so I'll consider this option too. Another option is "rentawreck" you can Google them. They rent out cheap cars for longer periods like a month etc
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Aug 14, 2014 00:14
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BlueBull posted:You should be able to rent a normal car for substantially less than advised below, R 300 / Day will EASILY get you a VW Polo or something similar through a normal car rental company with no hassles, the R 1500 per day is bullshit, even if you want unlimited km / cross border. Hey Bluebull, I was referring specifically to 4x4's. You are not going to drive to Namibia in a fw polo. Edit: Nvm I see I accidentally said sedan in first post.
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Aug 15, 2014 01:50
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Saladman posted:I guess that's how my friend did it then. She knew a bunch of people in Cape Town so it was also not difficult to find a lovely car. Going there as a tourist without knowing anyone and looking for reasonable second-hand cars actually sounds like a huge pain in the rear end and a great way to lose several days of your vacation with stress and I take back any recommendation of it unless you know people in the area. Guess it very much depends where you want to go. website with some useful info on road conditions in Namibia. http://www.resafrica.net/namibian-roads/report.htm
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Aug 15, 2014 18:13
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mobby_6kl posted:Rental cars tend to be surprisingly capable offroaders, in my experience Haha I guess that's true. Keep us updated on your plans.
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Aug 17, 2014 13:02
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I found a couple of interested people on a local travel site so I might still make this work. Thanks for the suggestions everyone.
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Geriatric Pirate posted:Going to Cape Town in September to run 42km. Have about 6 days there but that includes the run which will tire me out. Have been there before, visited Robben Island, Table Mountain, Cape of Good Hope etc etc. and have been to South Africa many times (so a safari near CPT is a bit pointless after Krueger) so, might as well ask here: any suggestions on things to do? I'll be crippled up about half my stay because of the marathon. Check out computicket.co.za for shows happening during your stay. Also check out long street in Cape Town for some awesome restaurants clubs and bars. Then there is also the V&A waterfront, but I assume you have been there.
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Aug 19, 2014 00:39
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caberham posted:How is the Cape Town goon scene? I love this thread Never heard of him.. and now that I have, I sortoff regret it. But that's probably just me. I listen to very little South African music.
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Aug 21, 2014 17:32
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BlueBull posted:
Also 100% agreed. I own 2 firearms myself and will one day inherit another 5 from my Father. There is a bit of added red tape, and the proccess sometimes takes months, but eventually if you follow the right proccess you will get a firearm. My security setup is very similar to Bluebulls and I also stay in a fairly "well off" area. I also have many friends that have been victims of violent crime. I will not leave South Africa for any ammount of money in the world though.. unless it's for an oportunity to go to NYC, but that's a different story all together.
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Aug 21, 2014 17:37
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| # ¿ Apr 23, 2024 09:36 |
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Crazy C posted:Checking in. Cape town has the mountain (and the nice views of the mountain) but (un)fortunately Johannesburg has the jobs and the money. What I love most about Cape Town is that people in general are just more relaxed. Johannesburg really has that rat race feel about it. If it wasn't for the whole money thing, I can definately see myself living in Cape Town.
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Oct 28, 2014 15:54
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