South Africa
1999

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Cape Town & Table Mountain: V & A Waterfront, Cable Car, Robben Island

Cape & Garden Rte (ish) Cape of Good Hope, Cape Point, Winelands, Knysna

Information: Background; Townships; Links; & Maps [Check out Lonely Planet]

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Background:
This was a different holiday than I usually take.
From what I saw of South Africa, it's a huge, beautiful country. The people were genuinely friendly, scenery was spectacular; the February summer, & weak Rand certainly add to the attraction.
I didn't witness any crime.
But..
I believed all the people who warned me about the security situation.
With very little (if any) local public transport, I often found myself frustratingly isolated in 'tourist' areas. Ok, I am a tourist, but I never really think of myself as one.
Maybe I just didn't get into the right groove.

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Townships:
I visited townships in Port Elizabeth with a young teacher as guide. I believe it's not safe to do so without being accompanied.
My guide was very friendly, as were most of the people to whom I was introduced. I wasn't comfortable being a tourist in this kind of situation; sometimes feeling like a zoo visitor, sometimes like an attraction.
My tour included lunch served through a hatch in a transport container on the street, but helped down with a bottled beer in a homely bar, and an embarrasingly formal interview with some church elders. The day was rounded off with a short visit to a less than homely hooch-den; 40 gallon drum of home-brew stewing in the yard.
A must-do, if hardly enjoyable experience, and no pictures!

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Links:
http://www.backpacking.co.za/main.html
All you need resource, links for accomodation-train timetables. Very Good; saves me typing everything on my page!

http://www.icon.co.za/~bazbus/Hello.html
The Baz Bus is a Hop-on, hop-off service : Cape Town-Durban-Jo'burg-Vic Falls (New)

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/
Say no more.

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