recently renamed O.R. Tambo), it's not hard to know what is on the minds of Guatangers and South Africans everywhere. The World Cup in 2010 is bringing new roads and a sense of international recognition to the country. I was there for four weeks of field work and for a nine-day holiday to Krueger Park afterwards. My next few posts will be about my trip to ZA. If you are headed off to the World Cup, be sure to do some research about South Africa before you go. Most things are inexpensive, especially outside of Johannesburg. In my experience, few places outside of the cities accepted American credit cards. ATM machines are available, but often don't have any money in them, so take advantage and get cash when you can. There is often a 2,000 Rand limit, but you can swipe your card more than once. Don't expect speedy service anywhere. At restaurants, if you use a card to pay, you must indicate your tip amount before they run the card. Tips are not requisite, but remember that most folks in the service industry are supporting several others—so don’t be stingy like the Brits; tip like you would in the U.S. Negotiating prices is commonplace in South Africa, so don’t be afraid to ask for lower prices on arts and craf
ts in the markets. I didn’t try to negotiate too much because the initial cost is not high and the wages in South Africa are low for many artisans. Part of the philosophy of bargaining is that by participating in the discussion the buyer gives time and therefore importance to the seller, rather than throwing down some cash and walking away with the goods. Instead of negotiating price, I prefer to talk to the artisan or seller about their life and take their picture. Usually, people are more than happy to talk about themselves and accept full price. There are several outdoor markets and you will see many of the same kinds of things at most of them, so be sure to look around before settling on the quality and price at the first stall. Common arts and crafts are beaded wire animals, batik, bamboo leaf art, embroidery, wood carvings and metal arts. I managed to get a rental car without a reservation, but don't recommend it. Try to get a rate that gives you lots of mileage per day. Don't forget that even though they refer to "mileage," distance is measured in kilometers. Two hundred kilometers doesn't stretch too far outside of the city. Rental cars will be manual unless you specify automatic transmission and reserve well in advance. Not one gas station I used in five weeks accepted cards other than “garage cards,” a gas card for that particular company. Even if you have a BP card from the U.S. and it is a BP station, American cards are not accepted. Driving is a bit chaotic. I learned how to drive on the wrong side of the road amidst droves of pedestrians and speeding bus taxis packed past capacity. Drivers pass where there is any opening in oncoming traffic, obscuring hills and curves or not. The N4 outside of Krueger is marked as a two lane road but turns into four lanes with use of the shoulders and passing in the middle. Breath deeply and avoid pedestrians.
Cellular phone coverage is fantastic and fairly inexpensive. The few places I visited that had no service were very remote. Getting a SIM card in ZA is easy. Ensure that your phone can use a SIM card; some U.S. phones do not. Another option is to buy an inexpensive phone there. There are several companies that supply cellular phone service. You can buy extra time to top up your phone at several outlets in gas stations and service centers.
Buy an up-to-date map. Several place names are being reassigned to a new non-imperialistic name e.g.: What was Warm Baths in English or Warmbad in Afrikaans is now Bela-Bela to all. Also, be aware that even though some locations have been renamed, there is still signage with the old name. The renaming makes online booking a bit challenging. Places may have both an English and Afrikaans name as well as a new name. Guides such as Lonely Planet are helpful, but many businesses change hands frequently, so be sure to ask for the correct phone number and name of the place if you call and get an unexpected connection. Each province has a Tourism Authority Information Office and these are fantastic sources of information. Just ring up and ask for recommendations.
Just like anywhere else in the world, the differences between the city and rural areas are vast. Dining out in Johannesburg, there are several options in variety and price. In rural areas, it is quite limited. Many places allow you to self-cater and the most popular way to do that is to braai. A braai is an outdoor bbq of any of several designs, but most have an open fire area and a grill that can swing over the coals. I got to have a proper braai with a few colleagues from The Witswatersrand University while doing field work on the Blood River (Bloed Rivier). Like the US, a lot of corn is grown in South Africa and it is a staple. Grits, cooked until just a bit dry, covered in a canned tomato sauce is essential to the braai menu. Of course in ZA you would ask for mealy pap with sheshebo. Other essentials on the braai menu are lamb chops and boervors. Vors means sausage. Boers are the Dutch farmers who settled the region after the East India Company figured out that they couldn’t trade with the Africans and needed people to supply ships coming into port. Boervors is farmers’ sausage. It is very popular and found in most stores and butchers’ shops (slaghouis). It is beef sausage with a distinct hint of coriander and other seasonings. Be choosy when buying meat from stores in rural areas. The slaghouis is often your best bet, but be sure to ask someone where the best meat is found. Other treats to try out on the road are biltong and droevors. Biltong is dried sliced meat, similar to jerky and is made of several different game me
ats and beef. Droevors is dried sausage, similar to summer sausage, but softer. It is basically dried boervors. Another outdoor cooking treat is a potjie. It is a large cast iron pot with a lid and legs that stands over an open fire simmering a stew of meat and vegetables inside and similar to what we call Dutch Oven cooking in the U.S. We were treated to a poitjie by the lovely folks at Otters' Haunt at the Vaal River in the Vredefort Dome. Graeme and Karen are long time whitewater and outdoor enthusiasts and we had a great time rafting, kayaking, hiking, and talking about river conservation. You can book whitewater, biking and walking tours of the Vredefort Dome through Graeme's Riverman website or just hang out at the Otters' Haunt for fly fishing, birdwatching and a stay in a bush camp for the authentic African experience. It was a highlight of the trip.
Despite the lack of convenience, bad air quality, and risk of theft, traveling in ZA is a great experience. The people are some of the friendliest anywhere and they like Americans. There are several parks operated by the government that are home to the best in scenery and wildlife. If traveling there, or anywhere, just relax, don’t be in a hurry, and talk to people with a smile. Most things are negotiable in South Africa. The next posts will be about field work in ZA and saving the best for last, Krueger National Park. Until then, a few of my favorite Afrikaans/ZA words:
Lekker: pronounced similar to “liquor” or "like-ah", means really, really good. A lekker jol is a great party.
Gutvol: pronounced like "hut full" but with a guttural h, means fed up, literally a gut full. As in I’m gutvol of the UK.
Yebo: “yeah bo” means hi, what’s up?!!
Dankie: “donkey” means thanks.
For all the lack of convenience Traveling in ZA If you're headed to ZA for the World Cup or anything else
P.S. I’ve been asked why I abbreviate South Africa “ZA.” South Africa was settled by the Dutch who spell it Zuid-Afrika so the official postal abbreviation and domain ending is ZA. Also, SA is the abbreviation for Saudi Arabia. I don't know why Australia is called OZ. Their postal abbreviation and domain is AU and OZ doesn't make any sense at all. I think it is just word play.
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