So, I’ve compiled a bit of the signs (and other written things I saw in my two months in Africa. Enjoy.
Asked a guy in the grocery store in Cape Town if they had a type of wine called “Pinotage.” He points to a whole wall of this amazing South African wine.More poor people in SA now than under the Afrikaans government. Thanks ANC!The rafting was fun, but terrifying. The hard part was hiking down the canyon wall… and then up it at the end. I thought I would have a heart attack. Took me over an hour to climb up the canyon wall. Never again.Sign along the road near Chobe National Park, Botswana. One day we had to stop due to a herd of elephants crossing the main highway.Sign at the summit of Table Mountain, Cape Town. They get it.We’re not in Napa (or even Temecula). The MOST EXPENSIVE glass of white wine at this amazing winery in Stellenbosch, South Africa is less than 8 bucks!Didn’t know so many people wanted to become Botswanan (sign at the immigration office to enter the country)Quiz time: Bottom row, fifth across? Bottom row, last one? On the side of the hop-on-hop-off bus in Cape Town, South Africa. Answers: Zulu, Kid (simple language for children and public school graduates)Supermarket aisle in Cape Town. A whole aisle of Nuts and Biltong (like jerky-) available in beef, ostrich, kuzu, and warthog)Cafe in Victoria Falls town, Zimbabwe. Ok, very touristy.After two days of complaining about no hot water in my (free- thanks HiltonHonors) room at the Hilton Joburg AND after being told repeatedly that it was fixed, they finally moved me to a room with hot water. Notice the name of the staff member who helped: Beauty. And a nice plate of snacks and a bottle of wine.Tshirt seen at a gift shop at Kruger National Park. What? SA established in 1994? That was the year Mandela was elected, but the country became independent in 1934. Like saying the US became independent in 1865. Nice revisionist history, SAUsipa, a small salted fish (here dried in a bag in the grocery store). It is a staple in Malawi, consumed with the bones and all. Very salty. Like a tiny sardine. Undelicious, IMHO.Placemat at a chain restaurant found in South Africa, Spur. The “Secret Tribe” is their kiddy club- a play on American Indians. Very unPC. http://www.spur.co.za/secrettribe Steak with Monkeygland sauce at the airport was delicious and supercheap.Grocery store, Kesane, Botswana. Some sort of maize (corn) based drink. Let’s all salute the spirit of ubuntu (African term for being nice).in Joburg Int’l airportIn Botswana. Two other nations are just a short drive away.In Joburg. Inside there were couches, rock memorabilia, and classic rock playing. Nice going MickyD’sSAin a parking lot in Lilongwe, Malawi.In the Pieterson Museum, Joburg. Apparently Afrikaans is a “daredevil” language. Daredevil language sounds kinda cool to me.I’m loving my Braai sauce on my McFeast!In my motel room in Vic Falls, Zim. All the normal ones, plus insect repellant. Nice touch. By the way, no bugs when I was there.“Respect and obey the taboos”Typical menu while on my fancy safari. Not too African.Clever marketing at an amusement park in Joburg, Gold Reef City. The colder it gets the cheaper (BTW, $1US= 13 SA Rand). So the MOST expensive ticket is about US$13. About 87 bucks less than Disneyland.Enjoyed delicious Monkeygland sauce! Actually not from a monkey gland at all. Just a delicious barbecue sauce.I scored my ultimate souvenir! My collection of circa 2008 Zimbabwean currency. Bought the bunch on the street in Vic Falls town. US$10 for over Zim$50,000,000,000. Not a bad exchange rate.In Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. Rules for how to alight from your car.
Now that I’ve spent some time there I call it Jozi, but you can call the largest city in South Africa Johannesburg or JoBurg, if you’re feeling friendly.
Below are some photos from both Jxxxxxxx and Pretoria.
(After my time in Malawi, I entered Part II of my time in Africa- South Africa and Safari vacation)
Beautiful weather, interesting sites. South Africa has been on my bucket list since I was 10. What is surprising is the amount of crime- not that I’ve seen any, but hotel staff, tour guides, and every local person I met told me it’s not safe to walk in any area of the city at night and some places not even in the day time.
Interesting site at the massive Nelson Mandela statue near the Union Buildings in Pretoria. In the US, this boy would be immediately tacked by some Secret Service agent. In SA, I guess this is just an homage to MandelaOut with the old, in with the new. This massive statue of “Comrade Mandela” (that’s what I heard numerous people call him) was quickly erected in front of the Union Buildings (executive branch capital of SA), Pretoria, just shortly after his death in 2013. Oh, by the way, there is a systematic movement to change all the signs that say Pretoria to the new name, Tshwane, even though no city besides Pretoria ever existed on the site. So much for history. Long-live the revolution!Me in front of the massive Vroortrekker Monument in Pretoria. The massive structure houses what is said to be the largest marble frieze in the world. see http://www.gauteng.net/attractions/entry/voortrekker_monument/At the entrance to the SOWEstern TOwn. Come here to see the mansions of Nelson Mandela and Bishop Tutu in the nicer parts and the shocking poverty of the poorer parts. More poor people living here than under the prior Afrikaner governmentTypical scene in Soweto. People just make a tin house and connect up to any nearby power line. More poor people today under the ANC than under the Afrikaner government prior to 1994. Poverty rate in SA, 54%Amazingly delicious South African Rump Steak at the Butcher Shop @ Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton. And with the SA Rand at the lowest exchange rate against the US Dollar ever, ridiculously inexpensive.Artsy photo I took inside the Apartheid Museum. “No photos allowed,” so I took this when a guard wasn’t looking.Nice welcome snacks a bottle of South African wine from the Hilton SandtonDelcious dessert with ingredients I’d never heard of‘hangin with some cubs at Lion Park Johannasburg. This is the same park where that idiot woman rolled-down her window with adult lions near by. BTW, that lioness is still there (I saw her) and content. The lioness did what was natural- protect her territory.Apparently this cheetah injured its eye and can’t really live in the wild. Cheetahs are supposedly ok with people. This one was cool with me petting it.Ok, I know you can do this most anywhere, but it was fun feeding the giraffe at Lion Park, Johannasburg
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The Adventures of Rafiki Steve 