Very detailed Africa travelogue with lots of information for anyone planning a trip. Indexed for easy reference. 11 Countries over 3 months.
3 months in Africa -- detailed travelogue, travel tips, indexed
Larry2006-05-27 03:11:54
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a car, so hitching is common. It's especially
difficult for people in rural areas to be able to get somewhere if someone
doesn't stop to pick them up. In a way, speeding down the highway in my
rented Honda, I felt it was almost my responsibility to stop every once in a
while to give people a needed lift. That being said however, picking up
hitchhikers can be dangerous anywhere in the world, and South Africa is
certainly no exception. The times I did stop, I felt it would be reasonably
safe to do so, though in the end, one can never be absolutely certain.
Still, on one level, it's a way to meet the people of South Africa that you
might never be able to meet otherwise as a tourist. Even after spending a
few months in the country, as a white tourist, it's very easy to see only
the "white" side of South Africa: all accomodations (B&Bs, hotels, hostels,
etc.) are invariably run by whites, your fellow travellers will be white,
the restaurants you eat at and the cities you explore will be predominately
inhabited by whites... and until time passes and South Africa becomes truly
integrated in day-to-day living, you almost have to go out of your way to
see the country as it really is. Today, I picked up three hitchhikers
separately, all black. The first was a middle-aged fork-lift operator on a
nearby farm who was going home to spend Christmas with his family, and had
been walking the distance in the heat. Later on, I picked up another man,
then a woman. It was one of the few ways to have good conversations with,
and meet people other than white South Africans, though I certainly did not
just stop and pick up everyone I saw.
Arriving into Calvinia where I'd spend the night, the police stopped me
at the Shell petrol station for a routine check (as violence tends to occur
on Christmas Eve). Taking the Indian officer's
...
See photographs from:
Botswana Gallery
,
Cape Verde Gallery
,
Kenya Gallery
,
Lesotho Gallery
,
Malawi Gallery
,
Mauritius Gallery
,
Swaziland Gallery
,
Tanzania Gallery
,
Zambia Gallery
,
Zimbabwe Gallery
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I just thought it might be helpful for you to know how i am finding your system.
Thank you
Susan J, 2008-01-28 14:00:20