Hi

Here is a short travel "teaser" from South Africa. My wife and I are here in Johannesburg to visit family but we have also had some time for some tourist activities as well

We had a few days in Cape Town and I can really recommend that. It is a beautiful city and it reminds me a bit of Norway with the mountains, ocean and beaches. In the Cape Town area we rented a car for a day to drive around on the Cape pennisual, we took a tour of the wine lands (Stellenbosch, Paarl etc) and we got to taste some wine along the route, we took a trip up to Table mountain, we took a walking tour in the downtown area where we followed in the foot steps of VOC .

In Johannesburg we have also had some time to play tourists. Yesterday we took a trip down in the Cullinan diamond mine. This mine is still in full production and this is where the worlds largest diamond of 3106 ct was found It was very cool to be in a mine that is still in producation and we met people working there and we got to check out the lowest level of 763 meters below the ground.

South Africans are big on beer and we went downtown to get a tour at
SAB (South African Breweries). Their tour is called World of beer and you get info about tradtion, making of beer...and you get a couple of beers at the end of the tour of course. SAB also owns and makes Miller beer if I'm not mistaken.

Outside Joburg you can find the Sterkfontein caves. Here they have found fossile and remians that shows that humans have been around for a long time in South Africa. They have also created a new center called Maropeng where they try to give you an overview about the origin of life and it was pretty well laid out.

When on vacation you should also relax. So the other day we took a trip to a spa in the middle of town. The place is called Mangwanani (see www.mangwanani.co.za) and we got a full day spa from 9 am to 5 pm and we were rubbed, scrubbed, massaged etc...with some breaks to get some drinks and snacks of course. The price was 950 Rand per person...120 USD. For a Norwegian this is extremly cheap.

The price level here in South Africa is great for a Norwegian. The South African Rand has gotten weaker to the Norwegian Krone which is good for us as visitors. The other day we went to a restaurant called Linger Longer and it is on the topp 10 list of restaurants in SOuth Africa. The meal cost of 120 USD and that was including a bottle of good wine. Even at very nice restaurants you can find a bottle of wine starting at 15 USD

Well, I hope that this have give a little impression of our stay in South Africa. If you are going to Johannesburg I would like to recommend that you rent a car as it makes it so much easier to get around. I brought a GPS this time and it made it a lot easier to find stuff. Yes, they do drive on the "wrong" side of the road and their driving culture is different but it is not a problem to adapt

Johannesburg is often refered to as the most dangerous city in the world. We have not had any problems but we keep hearing about break ins, smash and grab from cars etc. So if you come here...use common sense and follow the recommendations and hopefully you will not experience anything bad.

I will post more info with pictures and links on my homepage.

Here is one picture of me from Table Mountain in Cape Town

Thanks Gard, I always enjoy your trip reports and recommendations. Safe travels! Barb Cabot

I hope someone in South Africa will offer me a home exchange I can't refuse sometime!

I'll be in Johannesburg in a few days but I don't know if I'd dare venture out of the hotel.

Hi

Check out my trip report from Joburg http://gardkarlsen.com/johannesburg_south_africa_2004.htm . Maybe you can find some useful info there. Where in Joburg will you be staying?

I think I'm staying around Sandton? My main concern is getting in and out in one piece.

Gard can probably help more with specific information regarding Sandton. I checked the neighborhood write up on Frommers and it sounds like it is a good option. I haven't been to Jo'burg yet.

We stayed a week in Capetown and I did a lot of research regarding the different areas to stay. We ended up in a suburb neighborhood Newlands which was near the wealthier areas such as Claremont. It was a good option. We studied the roads and access to motorways to know what areas we would be going through when traveling by car. It was very easy to get on the motorways - in fact a bit too easy since our rental ended up being located directly on the main road. We had more traffic and noise than I expected although it was only in rush hour.

We didn't travel at night. I think it would have been fine in our area. I did study the area and locate restaurants so I knew our options. We ended up eating in our rental which is normal for us anyway. We ate out at lunch time instead.

We also rented a cell phone. It gave us peace of mind while we drove. We drove for over two weeks throughout the western cape with no incidents what so ever. It wasn't too expensive to rent a cell phone but we didn't use it much. Now I have an unlocked quad band and I'd probably just purchase a SIM instead.

I also second Gard's recommendation of using common sense. "Inconspicuous consumption" is also a good recommendation. I think my biggest concern was my camera (digital slr). I kept it out of sight most of the time when I walked around.

And yes, we do hope to return. It is a great country.

Hi

Yes, areas like Sandton and Rosebank are the northern suburbs of Joburg and seems to be pretty safe. The problem is the lack of public transportation if you want to get around to e.g. check out the apartheid museum, constitution hill etc. At Sandton it is where you find the big shopping mall Sandton City, large hotels and convention center, offices etc.

I stayed in Sandton about 5 years ago for just a few days on the way to and from Kruger National Park.
When I flew in from London a hotel limo picked me up, but on the way to and from the airport to Kruger and home to Australia I caught The Magic Bus. This picked up from all the hotels in Sadton and was cheaper and a good service.
http://www.magicbus.co.za/

Marta, Gard, & Fletch,

Thank you for your advice. I am feeling a bit better but still quite nervous. Well, I will stay focused on all the wonderful wine I might have the change to sample.

Hi. Yes, most restaurants that we went to had a pretty good selection of wine and they were affordable to. Some even allow you to bring a bottle of wine on your own for a corcage fee :-) In the Sandton area you can easily go to the restaurant Linger Longer voted to be one of the top 10 restaurants in South Africa.

I'm back and completely exhausted but just wanted to drop a note so say that I had a great time! I ate and drank well (almost too well) and I got to play with lion and tiger cubs. The trip was certainly too short but I might return in 10 days or so; if not, I'll try to go back next month.

Wow, you've been there already? Why such a short trip? Are you going there on business trips?

Back already? You must live closer to SA to be able to travel so quickly. I'm glad to hear that it went well.

I live about 30 hours of fly time away from S. Africa but I've been telling everyone I meet that they must go to S. Africa; I feel like a walking advertisement.