We have just returned from a month in South Africa where we attended our son's wedding in East London. What I would like to do is to relate our experiences in South Africa. Firstly a word about the airlines: we found that South African Airways was not the cheapest carrier either internationally nor internally. On this subject we found that it was cheaper to break our flight into two legs, i.e. Canada to Europe on one carrier and then Europe to Africa on another carrier. Via the Internet we discovered the carrier, Nationwide airlines owned by Sabena. Although restricted to certain routes in South Africa it was much cheaper to fly on this carrier to a point, rent a car and drive to our destination than to fly direct on South African Airways. The lack of competition in the South African skies has led to South African Airways monopolising the trade and bullying the competition. Prior to leaving we had heard horror stories about Johannesburg International Airport. Apparently you had to pay the locals for the privilege of using one of the carts which they had commandeered from the airport management. We were also warned that we would be virtually dragged into a taxi to be taken to our destination. Luckily none of the above proved to be the truth. We found the airport very clean and efficient. Traffic in Johannesburg was more or less the way we remembered it, except of course for the taxis. I do not have enough room on my hard drive to list the traffic infractions, lack of foresight, courtesy and common sense which greeted us on the roads. It was brutal. The aggressiveness that is so apparent in all aspects of the South African life is nowhere more apparent than on the roads. On numerous occasions it appeared to us that many drivers had a death wish, travelling at speeds in excess of 160 kilometres an hour with their Gauteng earring (cell phone) affixed to their ears they would flash by with not a care in the world, nor any consideration for anyone else on the road. Although we were aware of the high crime rate in Johannesburg we were lucky enough not to be caught up in it. This once again gave us hope that we would be able to bring fellow Canadians over for a holiday to South Africa, provided that we keep them well away from certain areas. Something of particular annoyance to a tourist in SA is the fact that no bank will change travellers cheques without levying a heavy exchange fee. Rennies was the only place we could change travellers cheques without being charged an additional fee. This is not conducive to good tourist relations within a country. As for South Africans, they are still the same people except for the following: 1. Racism: There appears to be more blatant racism now then ever in the past. I can only speculate as to the reasons for this, but one reason which is readily apparent, is the fact that families and their ancestors who spent decades building this country into the powerhouse of Africa are now seeing it being torn down about the ears plus having many of their friends and relatives murdered to boot. 2. Class consciousness: This of course is what South Africa, thanks to its colonial roots, is based on and people are dying because of it. There is this obsession to own the best car, home, jewellery etc, which leads to hijackings and robberies. Secondly the stress that this "trying to keep up with the Jones's" syndrome places on the average South African often leads to suicide, family suicide, heart attack, cancer and stroke. It became very apparent to us that 9 out of 10 South Africans are dying due to these stress related illnesses, unlike Canada where your average Canadian gets old, their systems shutdown and they pass on. 3.Many South Africans still believe they are living in paradise. This unfortunately is an illusion and it is only people such as ourselves who have had the benefit of living and working in another country who are in a position to rationally compare the lifestyles of two countries. I often told South Africans that the only thing they have which we do not here in Canada is better weather. I like to draw the parallel between our Canadian winters and the South African crime rate -- both can kill you, but both Canadians and South Africans alike have adapted to these dangers and therefore no it longer poses a problem. For the poor souls trying to get out of the country and start anew, watching their currency fall against all other major international currencies must be heartbreaking. On this topic, while speaking to various friends and acquaintances, we discovered that many of them would love to leave country, but were not prepared to lower their standards nor give up their material possessions and be prepared to start at the bottom again. On the positive side, South Africans still remain, despite all their problems, the most hospitable and friendly people on this planet. As a testament to this I picked up 15 pounds during the month we spent in South Africa. Meat and booze are much cheaper than in Canada. On a personal note, both my wife and I came to the realization after this, our latest trip back to South Africa that we were both looking forward to coming "home" to Canada, this after living here for seven years. After our last trip three years ago to bury my father, we came back feeling very depressed and home sick.
|