"Why would I choose to spend my 6-week sabbatical in South Africa?" you might ask. I grew up in South Africa. My family immigrated to South Africa from Czechoslovakia in 1970 and I lived there until I completed high school and left for the United States in 1981. I hadn't been back since then and I wanted to bring my experience of the place up to date. My understanding of the present and historical realities of South Africa was grossly amiss in part due to the revisionist and sheltered nature of the South African high school educational experience and in part due to the naïve and overprotective upbringing bestowed on me by my parents. My sister, whom I hadn't seen since 1980, still lives in Cape Town and since I was twelve the last time I really spoke with her, I really didn't know her or her two grown children, Angela and Mark, who are now 18 and 15 respectively. Additionally, there's the cycling angle of a vacation. Getting to cycle tour for 4 weeks is my idea of time well spent.
Preparation
I planned to be in South Africa for 6 weeks starting around the middle of January. South Africa is in the Southern Hemisphere so December through March is summer and high tourist season. The local Christmas holiday is from the middle of December through the middle of January. During this time most of the country descends upon coastal beaches and resorts and hence is a time for the visitor to avoid visiting South Africa, unless sharing campsites with millions of "Vaalies" "braaiing dead beasts, inhaling beer, and chopping wood into all hours of the night" is your idea of a good time. Campsite prices are also sharply increased during this time. However, the rest of the summer is a fine time to visit. Students have returned to school and their parents back to work.
With a bit of research and reservations made sufficiently in advance, good fares are available on flights between San Francisco and either Cape Town or Johannesburg, though there is no significant cost advantage of either destination. I chose to fly into Cape Town because I wanted to spend the first week with my sister, and also Johannesburg is not the best place for orienting oneself to South Africa. I waited until 4 weeks before my intended departure time, and ended up spending $2000 for a round trip ticket on British Airways, with a stopover in London. Other US airlines do fly through Miami and various European airlines fly through Paris, Amsterdam, etc. Look around; I've seen prices as low as $1400.
US citizens don't need a visa for stays of less than 3 months. No special vaccinations are required other than the normal childhood inoculations -- mumps, rubella, measles, polio, etc. Malarial prophylactics are recommended if travelling into the lowveld areas of northern Kwazulu-Natal and northeastern Mpumalanga provinces and especially the Kruger National Park.
Prices, in Rands, for goods and services are about 2 to 3 times the numerical equivalents in US dollars. However, because of a favorable exchange rate (5 rand to the dollar, in February 1998) South Africa is quite a bargain for foreign travelers.
Following the peaceful transformation of South Africa to a democratic state, it has become quite the destination for young travelers on a budget. Consequently the number of inexpensive (by foreign standards) youth hostels has mushroomed. Every medium to large town boasts at least one backpacker hostel and in those towns with no explicit hostels the city tourist office will arrange a "backpacker special" in the local hotel. The hostels are private affairs and the quality and services offered are variable and unstandardized. All offer dorm-style housing, showers and cooking facilities and some with sufficient space will allow tent camping for those with the desire or a lack of funds. Dorm rooms typically cost between R25 and R35 with tent camping being discounted by about R10 from there. All hostels have piles of brochures advertising "partners" in other towns so planning a network and finding your next stop is easy.
You will no doubt hear and read a lot about the escalating crime rate in South Africa and though I won't discount it outright I would advise that this should not scare you from visiting the country. Granted, the common causes of crime exist in South Africa and one therefore needs to be aware of the reality; 45% unemployment, 65% illiteracy, 50% of people living below the poverty level. However with a little traveler savvy and common sense one should have no problems. Be aware of your surroundings, act in an assertive and confident fashion, get local advice about places and routes to avoid and don't "act like a tourist". The last point is the most difficult because an accent and loaded touring bicycle will typically give one away. The point is not to dress and behave in a way that would attract too much attention to yourself and certainly don't advertise your wealth. Be aware that even a small amount of cash is a fortune to an unemployed squatter living in a tin shack in one of the many teeming "townships" surrounding most medium to large towns.
Even though South Africa spans more than one physical timezone, the same time is told throughout the country. This makes for less confusion but variable sunrise and sunset times.
Unless one is willing to religiously prepare one's own meals, being a vegetarian in South Africa can be quite challenging. It is most definitely a country of meat eaters. I am a semi-vegetarian for health reasons but I made a conscious decision to liberalize my eating practices while in South Africa.
Those travelers wishing to correspond with loved ones back home will find an abundance of "Internet cafes" in most larger towns. Most charge between R10 and R15 per half-hour and those located in bars are the most pleasant, or maybe it’s just the beer talking.
A time well spent
I was in South Africa for roughly six weeks and spent the first and last weeks in Cape Town, the second week in Gauteng and Mpumalanga Provinces, and the remaining 3 weeks cycling down the coast from East London to Cape Town. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to sufficiently explore the rest of the country particularly Kwazulu-Natal and the Northern and Eastern Cape.
What follows is a day-by-day account of my travels. The reader interested in cycle-touring only might want to skip to the account starting on the 29th of January through the 2nd of February and then again to the account starting on the 6th of February.
A cast of characters
| Kathy | My beloved wife. |
| Jana | My sister, living in Pinelands near Cape Town. |
| Jimmy | Jana’s husband. |
| Mark | My nephew. |
| Angela | My niece. |
| Deon | A high school buddy, now living in Johannesburg. |
| Trevor | A junior high school buddy, now living in Pinelands near Cape Town. |
| Marc | A French cyclist on an around-the-world tour. |
A day-by-day account