What's Africa like?

I reckon Africa is great..I made a trip there around 1974-1975...
Mauretania,Senegal,Mali,Upper Volta(now Burkina Fasso)
Ivory Coast,Niger,Algeria,Tunisia...lots of adventures,my friends...:2thumbsup:
Africa is mysterious=grigris,griots,the music,the culture,habits etc..
definately a challenge for any traveller...
and certainly very interesting..just GO for it..
just get a look into my journal if you wish??

 

I'm from South Africa, and it is actually quite safe if you stay out of Gauteng. (Meaning Johannesburg, Soweto, Pretoria, ect...)

I love it here, it is beautiful. If you want trance parties, go to Cape Town...

 

yip,I heard of the dangers around Jo'burg..
I reckon it frightens a lot of tourists to come over to S.Africa..
I got some friends from my village here who went to S.Africa..
and took that blue train from Pretoria to Cape Town
bit expensive,i've heard..not for me wallet then??
I reckon if I ever come direction South Africa
I would like to travell by cheaper options..
and visit Bloemfontein,Durban and Capetown..ah ja..die raves,trance,goa trance parties..wooh
en een goeie braai soals ze zeggie in 'tsuid Afrikaans..leuke taal

 

My german neighbour went there and was quite disgusted by german peoples' attitude (land owners), they talked about "negros" and stuffs, she hated that, told me there were a big difference between black and white peoples' wealth

 

I know a couple people FROM NIGERIA and they are the sweetest people ever!

I sadly lost touch with one of my friends i used to know who lived in Phili.. I duno where he is now but i would LOVE TO GET A HOLD OF HIM AGAIN (He is a lawyer (Or was anyway))

 

I've heard it's pretty easy to find a groovy trance in the Sahara, especially without water.

 

the Sahara,Asmodean..is not what it used to be..
all these tales about getting lost,fata morgana's etc.
when I travelled between Tam-El Ghardaia-In Salah..in Algeria..
it was still track..I mean desert sand...:devil:
probably now they put a tarmac rooad on that stretch...who knows??
the real Sahara...must be a big adventure..woohh:sunny:

 

I'm sure there are some pieces to get lost in, it's ridicilous large after all. As is Africa, which is why this thread is hard to take serious at first. Or did the op ment the country South Africa?
Personally, I'm mostly intrigued by the northern parts from Marocco to Ethiopia. To go southwards as far as Ivory coast and Nigeria then go east and up again would be a dream travel if it wasn't for the mess in countries like Sudan and Chad.

 

You're very right,Asmo...in what you say about countries like Tchad,
Sudan,Ethiopie,Erithrea..political tension,rebels etc..
make it almost impossible or ar least very risky to travel..as a foreigner..
I would not risk my neck for a handful of politcal fanatics..
the South of Algeria;..the Assekrem landscape..
is a dream... I have missed it...pity..lack of time...and money..well??:devil:
the op meant South Africa...but we derailed a bit..Africa..is Africa...:2thumbsup:

 

Yes it is and its sad OBAMA is trying to throw his crap around in that country also!!

 

He flew over my house I think, there were two noisy as shit chinooks and some normal chopper, looking rather insignificant, flying overhead and blocking out my music. Fucker.

And since when were stripped restaurant floors and wooden kitchens a tourist PoI?

 

Fear mongers, BAH!
I live in Pretoria (South Africa), work one job in Pretoria and one job in Johannesburg. Yes, it's not safe to walk around with your R7000 (not sure what that would be in dollars) iPhone or your new Gucci handbag mid-city - but isn't it like that any place in the world? Any where where people are poor it is not only dangerous, but also disrespectful, to flaunt your wealth. You would get robbed because someone who is struggling to feed their children would feel that taking a valuable item that is replaceable from a tourist is justifiable. So yes, if you visit - don't carry around valuables in the city or walk around after dark.

The Townships should also be steered clear from unless you have friends living their - I've been in Mamelodi quite a couple of times to visit friends squatting there.

But how is South Africa (or Gauteng at least)? Well the weather's always good. In Winter it reaches lows of about 10 degrees Celsius during the day, in Summer it reaches about 30 degrees Celsius in the day. It is a constant party. Around every corner there is a "kuier plek" (Afrikaans for somewhere to party) and quite a lot of these places cater to people living Alternative lifestyles (Aandklas in Hatfield Square for example). Drumming Circles galore (since African drums do actually originate from here, it's part of the culture) - they usually have fire dancers at places like these too.

Though drugs are still illegal in SA, their use is quite wide spread and public. Smoking Marijuana is about as common as smoking cigarettes. You'll easily spot a dealer as they're quite open about their occupations too.

People here tend to be very friendly. You'll find absolute punks/anarchists hanging out with conservative Christians - we all mix and generally every one is respected. We like to braai (BBQ) and drink beer (that's pretty much the weekend routine)

As for Racism, obviously it will always exist (as it does in the USA and Europe too) but it is not as common as people would like to believe. Inter-racial couples are just as common as same-race couples and as for the name calling, it is often in friendly jest. In SA people don't say "negro", they say "kaffer" or "houtkop", but just as there are names for black people - white people are often called "pinkies" and older white people "madalas". But like I said, it is common for these to be used between friends - and thus though it might sound like blatant racism to an outsider, it is actually not.

The population is very diverse - but everyone goes to great lengths to understand each other culturally. Most of us can speak 2 or 3 languages fluently - some speaking up to 11 or 12 different languages fluently. For example, I speak 3 languages; Afrikaans, English and German.


These are all mid-city Johannesburg (also called Jo'burg or Jozi)

 

Very Informative Post, Thank You...



Cheers Glen.

 

Please do yourselves a favour and check out the calibre of party here in SA by watching the Youtube link I'm about to post. Oppikoppi - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU54zOEYlfE