Safety seems to be a perpetual concern. For e.g. When you go to an ATM, there are (almost) always some random dudes hanging around. If you step out after sunset, even in a decently-sized town, you encounter all the loitering Night Owls. Hotels and Resorts have their security personnel advise tourists to NOT venture out in the nights. Etc.
Location in the World map …
Some interesting tidbits about South Africa…
Minerals, Wildlife and Scenery. South Africa has it all.
To say South Africa has a “complex history” (And present as well?) is an understatement.
Africa’s largest economy (Natural Resources. Agriculture. Tourism).
Atlantic Ocean to the West and Indian Ocean to the East.
Home to the famous Kruger National Park.
One of the major Wine producers of the World (7th largest). Wine region stretches from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth (Which goes by “Gqeberha” nowadays. How to pronounce this 🙂
The 9th largest Country in Africa.
Afrikaans is a common language, outside of English. South Africa has 11 (!) official languages.
South Africa follows UK driving system (On the left side).
South Africa has a trio (!) of Capitals. Pretoria (Administrative), Cape Town (Legislative) and Bloemfontein (Judiciary).
My 1st impressions:
South Africa is quite cool, 12C-16C, in June-August timeframe.
Cape Town has nice roads … The ride from Cape Town International Airport to the Central Business District was super smooth.
While walking along the streets, you get a lot of locals talking to you 🙂 Found the accent a tad tough to understand.
Largest City: Johannesburg-Pretoria
Capital: Pretoria (Administrative), Cape Town (Legislative) and Bloemfontein (Judiciary)
Population: 62M
Language: Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans (SA has 11 official languages!)
GDP: 400 Billion USD
Ethnicity: 81% Blacks
Religion: 80%+ Christian
Currency: South African Rand (“ZAR”). 1 ZAR (South African Rand) == 4.66 INR. 1 USD == 18.35 ZAR.
National Animal: “Springbok” (Remember that term, Cricket fans?), a kind of Gazelle.
My Experiences
No:60 – South Africa: gattokaran.com: Mission-193: One step at a time … Very excited about the next one month. 1st time in Africa, World’s 2nd largest Continent with 54 Nations, 1000+ languages, and occupying 1/5th of the World’s land surface.“Small step for a man … Giant step for George Attokaran” 😁 Atto in Africa! Cape Town, South Africa.Cape Town International Airport (CPT), South Africa.“Mother City”: Cape Town was the site of the 1st settlement in this part of Africa.Hmmm … Quite a portfolio of incoming flights. Cape Town International Airport (CPT), South Africa.Cape Town International Airport (CPT), South Africa.The cab ride from Cape Town International Airport (CPT) to my Lodge … What a sunny and bright day it was.Are the tomatoes colorful or what? 🙂Local bus … Cape Town, South Africa.My 1st day in Africa was a gorgeous day! The very next day? Not so much 🙂Between Central Business District (“CBD”) and the bay, there are some nice colonial houses … Cape Town, South Africa.South African Rand (ZAR). 1 ZAR == 4.66 INR.Since it was quite early and all restaurants were closed, had breakfast at a gas station. Meat Pie! It was delicious …Hey CapeTownians, anyone want to mess with this dude 😁 07:23 and still (!) dark … While waiting for my Cape Town Day Tour pickup. Locals are walking around me, giving me a wide berth 😂 Various bags (“6 pack”), black mask, hoodie … 😎Maiden’s Cove, Cape Town, South Africa. Alas, the 12 Apostles were masked by the !@%! clouds 🙂 But it was a nice view nevertheless. This locality has some real expensive houses it seems.One of the many Tidal Pools near Cape Town, South Africa. I felt quite cold in the cloudy weather. A few folks, obviously disagreed 🙂Colorful beach cabins … At one of the many Tidal Pools near Cape Town, South Africa.Penguins!Boulders Penguin Park, Cape Town, South Africa. The African Penguins are quite small in size. The authorities have made many small covered structures where the Penguins could raise their little ones. Get too close, they can poke you with their beaks. The elevated walkways helps one get around without disturbing their habitat. There is an excellent Visitor Center as well, from where I bought my 1st set of African souvenirs 🙂 (Have brought a special duffel bag just for it).Simon’s Town, South Africa. A chilled small town (Village?) … Catering to the many tourists.Harbor View Restaurant was not kidding when they claimed “great views” 🙂My 1st local Beer in Africa!During the fantastic seafood lunch, Harbor View Restaurant, Simon’s Town, South Africa. Mussels Pot and grilled Fish.Adventurous eating, anyone? 🙂Bo-Kaap neighborhood Cape Town. The locals painted their houses with various colors during the British rule, as a sign of protest and individuality.Ostrich pair crossing the road … Cape of Good Hope, Cape Town, South Africa.The Cape of Good Hope, Cape Town, South Africa. Compared to yesterday’s awesome weather, it was a lousy weather day (Rains!) for my Cape Town Day Tour. The small group had 50% Americans (Whites and Blacks), a British couple, two Kenyan ladies, an Asian-Canadian lady and yours truly, representing India 🙂 Had a lot of nice discussions, especially during the seafood lunch. To get to the main lighthouse one has to walk and climb a bit. To get to the smaller lighthouse, it is even more adventurous and I had to run a bit as well due to the tour time constraints. Very pretty area with some amazing views …Got to see a bit of wildlife inside the Cape of Good Hope Park. Gazelle, Ostrich and Baboons.The Southernmost tip of the African Continent … Near Cape Town, South Africa.Still very popular … How much can a person sacrifice for the greater good.Liked this painting in a small Art Gallery inside the Langa Township … Cape Town, South Africa.Our guide Mendoza (Who grew up in Langa Township) explaining the life inside a typical house of the Township … That guy behind him is his childhood friend.The kids in Langa Township loved having their pictures taken … 🙂The souvenir shop in Langa Township. The items were made by locals … Really wanted to buy a wooden “Africa Map” wall hanging, but could not agree on a price.Meats being grilled away … Nomzamo Butchery, Langa Township, Cape Town, South Africa.The lunch in Langa Township, Cape Town, South Africa. Not a huge fan of Lamb, ate as much as I could … That is Pap (a kind of Maize porridge).About to start from Cape Town, South Africa. In this Bad Boy … 8000km+ of “Immersive African Experience”. Me and 5 Australians, for now. Another 7 to join us in a week’s time 🙂Tour through the Langa Township, Cape Town, South Africa. Townships in Cape Town are “No Go” areas for tourists, except through conducted tours by the locals. What a tough life the natives have had and are having 😞 The Social Divide is plainly obvious and unemployment is significant. Langa Township has its own small businesses, schools (10 of them) Etc. and has a population of around 100K.Photos from my Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa. Cape Town many years back …Loved this artwork with real metal scraps … Depicts the daily life in the Township. Langa Township, Cape Town, South Africa.The Butcher Shop in Langa Township, Cape Town, South Africa. We had lunch there. There were customers buying the raw meats as well as food from the restaurant …Scenery of the Western regions of South Africa. Came 280km North of Cape Town, close to the town of Klawer. It was a bright and sunny day (But still in the low teens in terms of temperature 😬).South Africa is one of the major Wine producers (7th largest) in the World. Wine Tasting with my Australian fellow-travelers. The ambience, the company and of course the wine and food were 👌The food supplies, gas stoves and utensils Etc. are all kept beneath the seating area. Some of our meals are self-cooked or community-cooked. Its fun to chat with fellow-travelers and make meals. Yesterday night we made Spaghetti and Minced-Meat Stew.Our truck chugging along the barren landscapes of North-Western South Africa. Isn’t that an artistic photo? 🙂An “artistic” (🤭) photo of the road ahead … The terrain is becoming more barren as we get closer to Namibia. Gone are the never-ending farms of Western South Africa.Beer Line-Up 🙂The 2400km Orange River, which starts in Lesotho and flows into the Atlantic Ocean after traversing South Africa and Namibia.Liked this Clock Tower on the South African side … Beitbridge, South Africa.Trucks galore … Zambia and Zimbabwe depend a lot on South Africa (For trade). I am told that some of these trucks take more than a week (!) to clear the border. Beitbridge, South Africa.Town of Musina … South Africa.Tried this semi-sweet Bun …Back to the long African roads 🙂 Leaned out of the window to take this photo. It is cool to have a 24-seater for 3 people. Lots of space … 8 of the seats have table access.We passed through several valleys … On the way to Tshipise, South Africa.After seeing my Aussie tour mate chug down Gin & Tonic regularly, I have taken to it as well 🙂 Tshipise, South Africa.The bar was filled with White South Africans. I stood out like a sore thumb 🙂 South Africans love Rugby! That is clear … South Africa was playing Ireland and the small group of people were making a mighty ruckus.Had grilled Hake Fish for dinner. Tasty fish! Tshipise, South Africa.Hmmm … Crocodile skin. In the bar … Tshipise, South Africa.Nice depiction of a Baobab tree … Tshipise, South Africa.The thatched ceiling of the restaurant in Tshipise, South Africa.As soon as we left, Tshipise, we reached the Highlands of this part of South Africa.Passed several small towns on the way … South Africa.Loved this building (Church?) … South Africa.Bought some Malva Pudding and Koeksisters as well, for Dessert … Tzaneen, South Africa.Got tempted by the Chicken Stew (Lower Left) in one of the supermarkets, after 4 weeks of “almost zero Spice” 🙂 Bought it. Big mistake! The container leaked all over the place and the cleanup was a real chore … (The stew was nice, though). Tzaneen, South Africa.Arrived back in South Africa 🙂 I am now in the small town of Hazyview (The name makes sense, as there are a lot of small fires around and the air is hazy 😁). We reached the resort at 5:30pm and I thought I will step out to the town and get some takeaway food and eat in the room. When I walked to the main gate (It was 6pm by then), the security staff told me that I cannot go out alone. Me: “Why?” Security: “It is dark” Me: “So?” Security: “It is dangerous” Me: “Hmmm … What if I get someone else to walk with me?” Security: “Hokay” (Very reluctantly!) I then had our driver accompany me. The whole f***ing town was shut down at 6pm! All we did was a 2km walkabout for nothing. There were all kinds of nightcrawlers lurking (Good thing that I am an expert in Karate, KungFu, JuJitsu and Taekwondo 😂💪) An utter ghost town at 6pm 🤦♂️😱 And that too on a Sunday!? This is the situation in the “Best Economy of Southern Africa” 😳Scenes of North-Eastern South Africa … Highlands. Some traffic jams were there as wedding parties blocked the roads with their slow moving vehicles (for photos of Bride and Groom sitting in a convertible car) 😳The beautiful Baobab trees … They were all over the place. The resourceful Africans find various uses for the leaves, fruit Etc. The tree reminds me of “heavy dudes” like Hippo, Rhino Etc. 😁“Diabetes in a packet!”: Koeksisters … A highly sugary snack in South Africa.Loved these trees which are all over the park … Reminds me of “The Conjuring” 🙂 Kruger National Park, South Africa.A large group of Elephants crossing the road … It was interesting to see how they waited for vehicles to pass, observe for some time, only then cross. There were many baby Elephants as well. Kruger National Park, South Africa.These colorful birds (We saw the same ones in the Elephant Sands Camp of Botswana as well) came to collect the leftovers while we were having lunch … Kruger National Park, South Africa.The 4×4 that took us through Kruger National Park, South Africa.Had a haircut at the “Legendary” place 🙂 Way more expensive than in India. Hazyview, South Africa.Kruger National Park, South Africa. At 20000 Sq.Km, slightly smaller than Etosha National Park of Namibia, but way more popular. Named after former Afrikaaner leader Paul Kruger. Gets a million visitors every year. If we had seen Rhino as well, it would have made the “Big 5” (Elephant, Buffalo, Lion, Leopard & Rhino) just in Kruger itself 😳 Our Safari Guide mentioned that his group saw Rhinos the previous day. Oh, well … These wild animals! 😁 Kruger has the following different species: 336 trees, 49 fish, 34 amphibians, 114 reptiles, 507 birds and 147 mammals! There are 12 rest areas (Accommodation, Restaurants, Lodges Etc.) within the massive park and it is way more developed than Etosha of Namibia, Chobe of Botswana and Matobo of Zimbabwe.My lunch of Pork Ribs Burger and Cream Martini … Kruger National Park, South Africa.Different shades of Kruger National Park, South Africa. At the beginning itself, we told our Safari Guide Levi that despite covering several National Parks (Etosha National Park, Namibia. Chobe National Park, Botswana. Matobo National Park, Zimbabwe), we were yet to see a wild Leopard. After a couple of hours of driving/observing/seeking (during which we saw countless other animals and birds), we had our 1st sighting. A Leopard eating a small Impala (I believe) on a treetop. There was a large Hyena at the foot of the tree, waiting for scraps. Hyena left after while and the Leopard came down, cleaned itself (Of blood?) and went for a nap. Apparently, Leopards avoid fighting Hyenas. Later in the day was when we saw a Leopard for the 2nd time. This time, it was walking around (a river bank) and even walked by very close to our 4×4 😳Hippopotamus, Kudu (With beautiful horns), Giraffe and Zebras. Kruger National Park, South Africa.Warthog (Saw it just before lunch, and I felt real hungry 😉 ), African Buffaloes, Hyena (Hyenas had made an underground hideout in that area) and African Elephants (Notice the tiny baby, probably the smallest I have seen in this entire trip). Kruger National Park, South Africa.Leopard! The highlight for me in Kruger National Park, South Africa. Though we saw countless Elephants, Giraffes, Zebras, Hippos, Buffaloes, Lions, various Antelopes, Hyenas, Crocodiles, Monkeys, Birds (Vultures/Eagles/Etc.) Etc., seeing the Leopards (We saw two different ones) was the most exciting … Kruger has between 1000 -2000 Leopards.Been seeing this fast-food chain all over … Tried it. Nothing to shout about 🙂 Hazyview, South Africa.Different shades of the “Horror” trees … Kruger National Park, South Africa.Electrified fence? Did not touch to find out 🙂 Makes sense, since the Resort was next to “Greater Kruger” area. Hazyview, South Africa.Like White folks all over, South African Whites really LOVE the outdoors. You can make out from the way they put up their tents, pack up Etc. that they have done this a million times.“eMalahleni” … Liked the small-case “e” in front 🙂One of the Rest Stops kept some animals like Zebras, Kudus, Oryx, Ostrich Etc.There were several “Rest Stops” on the way. Restrooms, Cafes, Restaurants, Convenience Stores, Gas Station Etc.Yet another fire … Does it not impact the air quality?South African Toll Roads seem to have ample support. There were regular signs warning of Crime.Like in North India, they burn crops, after harvest, here as well … Somewhere between Hazyview and Pretoria.Oliver Reginald Tambo (“O. R. Tambo”) University. Named after the Anti-Apartheid and ANC Leader. Pretoria, South Africa.Embassy of the United States of America … Pretoria, South Africa.The queue for water did not seem to move at all … I.e. Hours to get basic water. Pretoria, South Africa.Hmmm … “Armed Response”. Every house and establishment had heavy security arrangements. Pretoria, South Africa.During an afternoon walk through Pretoria Central District … Did not see a single White pedestrian. Only Blacks. With my hoodie and tanned color, I blended right in 🙂 Pretoria, South Africa.Had this lousy “Meat” Pizza and some lousy “Long Island Iced Tea” (Note the weird color) for dinner … Did not want to step out in the night and instead just ate at the 100% empty restaurant 🙂 Pretoria, South Africa.The bucket of water the hotel gave me 🙂 What should I do for a mug??? Needed some help carrying the heavy bucket to my room. Pretoria, South Africa.To be Democratic (😂), took photos by reaching out of the window on both sides of the truck 😁 Roads (Toll Roads, mostly) were nice throughout … Hazyview to Pretoria, South Africa.The 8hr ride from Hazyview to Pretoria, South Africa. Scenes changed from highlands to the plains.The 8hr ride from Hazyview to Pretoria, South Africa. Scenes changed from highlands to the plains.The 8hr ride from Hazyview to Pretoria, South Africa. Scenes changed from highlands to the plains.Mahindra! In Johannesburg, South Africa. Apparently, “Mahindra SA” was established in 1996. This particular model is quite popular here, as I saw several of them in JoBurg as well as in Durban. There are definitely more Indians in both JoBurg and Durban. Through Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe, I did not come across a single sign of India (Except that large USA-Gujju family at Livingstone). Definitely NOT the case here, especially Durban. Indian/Bamgladeshi/Pakistani people and establishments. In fact, had Chicken Tikka Masala yesterday 😁 Felt like some spice after so many days of “Spice-free life” (Like “Goat Life” 😂). In the flight also, I got two Indian-origin senior ladies next to me. They were returning to Durban after some function.A relative of Faf Du Plessis? 🙂 On the way to O. R. Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, South Africa.Trafiic jam on the opposite side … On the way to O. R. Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, South Africa.Next place 🙂As you can see, the Twin Cities of JoBurg and Pretoria are typically cooler (in Winter) than Cape Town …FlySafair had people sitting in the 1st half of the plane enter through the walkway itself and the rest through stairs in the rear … (After exiting the walkway). Johannesburg, South Africa.A long-winding river … JoBurg to Durban flight.FlySafair. Established in 1960s under some other name. Very efficiently run. Durban, South Africa.Durban!These bulls were staring at me … 🙂 King Shaka International Airport, Durban, South Africa.King Shaka International Airport, Durban, South Africa. Named after the famous Zulu King-Warrior of the Zulu Empire (18th-19th Century).The cab ride to the Hotel from King Shaka International Airport … Smooth and picturesque roads. Durban, South Africa.Durban waterfront area … Though there were clouds, it was a beautiful day. Durban, South Africa.During a walk through the neighborhood … Saw a lot of South Asians. Durban, South Africa.Durban waterfront area … Though there were clouds, it was a beautiful day. Durban, South Africa.Because crime appears rampant, there were a lot of street cops around … Durban, South Africa.A local bus … Durban, South Africa.Closer to the O. R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, there were these huge warehouses …Liked these paintings … Durban, South Africa.Kids on the way to school … It was a chilly morning. The schools looked fancy. Almost all the kids I saw were Black. Johannesburg, South Africa.Newspapers in Johannesburg, South Africa. The “China Daily” was the most interesting one. USA bashing? ✅ NATO bashing? ✅ Xi praising? ✅ Russia/India “Handle with care”? ✅ China ❤️ Africa? ✅ China’s “Innovation”? ✅The FlySafair flight from Johannesburg to Durban, South Africa. FlySafair, established in 1960s (With some other name), is a low-cost Indigo-like airline here. Their boarding and disembarking processes were very efficient (A few things IndiGo could pick up to improve their already good performance even further 🙂). The terrain moved from plains to highlands to, obviously, the coast. From the Top-Right.Mahindra! Mahindra! Mahindra! 😁South Africa Border Post …No “Copyright” issues? 🙂The Mahindra Scorpio SUV that took us from Durban to Lesotho border …Liked this row of trees … As if in a March-Past 🙂 Underberg, South Africa.Lights of Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.Bunny Chow 😁 What a name … Since it is of Indian roots, the Beef (Mutton was the other choice) was quite spicy. Basically Curry in a hollowed-out white bread. Durban, South Africa.To say that the 3hr drive from Durban, through Pietermaritzburg and Underberg, towards Lesotho is scenic will be a gross understatement. A few pictures from my phone …King Shaka International Airport, Durban, South Africa. Very few International flights operate from here (JoBurg is waaaayyy busier).More Newspapers … Durban Editions 🙂My Loyal Friend 😘 A cute “Baby”, just a few months old. Took it on a whirlwind Stress Test. 8500km and 25 days over never-ending and (sometimes) bone-shattering African roads (Excluding side trips of Cape Town, JoBurg, Durban and Lesotho) , Climbing multiple 100m+ Sand Dunes (Getting filled with sand multiple times), 6 more Countries, Desert walks, Wild animal tracking with rangers, City walks, Multiple rock climbings, Lugging around multiple “growing” duffel bags without wheels (Souvenirs!) through Hotels/Lodges/Camps/Airports/Etc. Well Buddy, Vacation is over! 😂 Back to the grind till the next time (If you last till then 😉) …
