Holiday Decisions....

Headhuunter

So, I'm off to South Africa in November. Going to spend some time with a South African friend who lived in London for many years but has now moved back. She helps manage her dad's land (Five Assegais) estate, see below (shameless plug)

http://www.fiveassegais.co.za/

Anyway I'm going for 2 weeks, can't really get any more time off work. She suggests we spend a few days hiking round Five Assegais and then head to Kruger National Park. After that I'm not sure.

People say I should go to Capetown but she has said we could continue the road trip through Swaziland and Mozambique and then back to Jo'burg for my flight home.

Capetown's supposed to be amazing but then again it's pretty straightforward (if expensive) to catch a flight from London to Capetown any old time whereas having a local at my disposal with a car, offering to chauffeur me up to Mozambique is a bit more unusual...

What should I do?

kelsen

Headhuunter wrote:

So, I'm off to South Africa in November...screw you lot who'll be stuck here battling the wind and rain! Ha ha ha!

FTFY

Headhuunter

kelsen wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

So, I'm off to South Africa in November...screw you lot who'll be stuck here battling the wind and rain! Ha ha ha!

FTFY

He he, enjoy the November commute suckers! :twisted: Unfortunately I'll be back mid to late Nov, come rain and snow....

mudcow007

i reckon you take the offer of the local guide etc

then maybe go back an do the stuff you want to do at a later date?

erm...not wanting to but a downer on things......but is south africa safe these days?

MonkeyMonster

Headhuunter wrote:

kelsen wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

So, I'm off to South Africa in November...screw you lot who'll be stuck here battling the wind and rain! Ha ha ha!

FTFY

He he, enjoy the November commute suckers! :twisted: Unfortunately I'll be back mid to late Nov, come rain and snow....

and slap bang into the shit after 2 weeks of sun and hot temperatures... your fall will be oh so tremendous - mwahahahahahahaha

rick_chasey

mudcow007 wrote:

i reckon you take the offer of the local guide etc

then maybe go back an do the stuff you want to do at a later date?

erm...not wanting to but a downer on things......but is south africa safe these days?

These days - what's changed?

People live there, its fine.

Don't walk around J'berg saying "my fifties are too big for my wallet and my diamond shoes are too tight!" and it's fine.

Headhuunter

Rick Chasey wrote:

mudcow007 wrote:

i reckon you take the offer of the local guide etc

then maybe go back an do the stuff you want to do at a later date?

erm...not wanting to but a downer on things......but is south africa safe these days?

These days - what's changed?

People live there, its fine.

Don't walk around J'berg saying "my fifties are too big for my wallet and my diamond shoes are too tight!" and it's fine.

Don't think I'll be spending any time in Joburg anyway and I'm not sure there's much danger out in the outback, other than from maurauding elephants or lions...

gbsahne001

don't wear a Rolex, like my friend did in Sao Paulo.... apparently they don't stay on your wrist too long.

asprilla

Mozambique rocks and the game fishing there is excellent.

The country is, however, riddled with landmines from years of civil war, so keep the off roading to a minimum.

Irvinet

mudcow007 wrote:

erm...not wanting to but a downer on things......but is south africa safe these days?

He lives in SE London mate.

asprilla

I've got family in Zambia and so I meet them in SA all the time and take in the likes of Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique and Namibia.

They are all beautiful countries and as long as you aren't dumb they are as safe as anywhere else in the world.

My folks were thinking about going in December but my mum was put off by fears about her safety so they are going to Florida instead. Personally I'd feel safer and find more stuff to do in Southern Africa than I would in the US.

Sewinman

Local guide all day...! Jo'burg is meh. Durban and Capetown are great, but the road trip proposed sounds much better.

Also - make sure you have two clean, side by side pages in your passport. If you do not you will be sent back to London. They did this to may father in January and he was not let into SA, he had to fly back and get a new passport and try again.... jobs-worth immigration types!!

Headhuunter

Irvinet wrote:

mudcow007 wrote:

erm...not wanting to but a downer on things......but is south africa safe these days?

He lives in SE London mate.

Yeah, I survived riots on my doorstep, South Africa got nuffink...

Headhuunter

Asprilla wrote:

I've got family in Zambia and so I meet them in SA all the time and take in the likes of Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique and Namibia.

They are all beautiful countries and as long as you aren't dumb they are as safe as anywhere else in the world.

My folks were thinking about going in December but my mum was put off by fears about her safety so they are going to Florida instead. Personally I'd feel safer and find more stuff to do in Southern Africa than I would in the US.

Yeah, friend says she knows some fantastic beaches with great seafood in Mozambique... I think I may give Capetown a miss...

asprilla

TBH, Cape Town is OK as are the Winelands (although I'm not a massive fan of most SA wine) but it's all a bit like being the US or Western Europe and there's not a lot special about it.

Headhuunter

Asprilla wrote:

TBH, Cape Town is OK as are the Winelands (although I'm not a massive fan of most SA wine) but it's all a bit like being the US or Western Europe and there's not a lot special about it.

And it's easier to get to from London than Mozambique or Swaziland... Yeah I think I'll do the road trip...

Applespider

Road trip is best. Capetown is amazing but you'd be better off doing that as a separate trip and exploring the area for at least a week.

I was in Jo'burg and the Kruger last Easter. Kruger was amazing - Jo'burg looked surprisingly like bits of SE London. We did an 'Intrepid' tour of the city with a local guide - just two of us and the guide in his car. The apartheid museum is worth visiting although it's one of the few museums where I've felt physically sick while walking around it. I wish we'd been able to spend a little more time there though.

The other thing that we did which our South African friends were a little freaked out by when we told them was a cycle tour of Soweto (run by a South African who runs a hostel in the township). It was the highlight of our trip to Jo'burg. A local guy hooks you up with some mountain bikes and takes you round some of the streets and shows you the key sights like Mandela's home and the Hector Pietresen memorial etc. He also takes you to a shebeen for some African beer and chat (in pidgin English) with the locals and they casually just leave the bikes lying outside as they take you in places.

itboffin

I'm in Florida ATM

No wind here, just lots and lots of sunshine and beer oh and a fair amount of food, mmmm USDA beef.

Must get back to the pool 8)