Wild Eastern and Western Cape, 3 Weeks in South Africa, September 2017 (page 8 of 8)

Hey again Michel,

I’m devouring your travel journal—it’s as great as always and super informative. And the icing on the cake? Those mouthwatering photos! You should totally get paid by the South African tourism office!!🤪

Don’t hesitate to tell them

And glad to hear from you!

So glad to hear from you!

Thanks.... Same here!!! I just finished your travel journal and really enjoyed it. When you said the photos didn’t do justice to the landscapes you saw in the Karoo, I totally get what you meant. Those wide-open spaces are so hard to capture. It’s like the photos of Lesotho..... And now you’ve got me feeling that call of southern Africa again...

Thanks, Michel.

In 2000, I set foot on this African land Since then, it’s had a special pull on me Madness or wisdom? Doesn’t matter—I’ll be back

You're lucky if it's just South Africa. You should do like Le Voyou: move there.

Me, it's the whole world that has that effect on me. Well, the part of the world that has much cooler temperatures than here and is a bit desert-like!!! 😄

For me, it's the whole world that has that effect. Well, the part of the world that's much cooler than where I live and a bit desert-like!!! 😄

That rules out a big chunk of the world 😏

The whole world has that effect on me. Well, the part of the world that has much cooler temperatures than where I live and is a bit desert-like!!! 

That rules out a big chunk of the world

You mean the tropics and the equator make up a big part of the world. I totally agree with you there. But since I already live there......😮 🤪

Hi Diamina

The whole world has that effect on me. Well, the part of the world that has much cooler temperatures than where I live

Same here... except I replace "cooler" with "hotter" 😎. Well, actually, it's the other part of the world 😉. Muriel

A message to myself to revive this travel journal

This brings back great memories of our 2016 trip—5 months in Southern Africa with our Ford Ranger and its camper shell. We fell in love with these regions a bit off the tourist trail: Cederberg, Cradock, Mountain Zebra NP, Graaff-Reinet, Nieu Bethesda, and more... Can’t wait to go back!

Oh yeah This place is gorgeous Part two of the new travel journal A foray into the Cederberg

Hi Michel, given the contacts you’ve had with South Africans, what’s the vibe like between Black people and the Boer and British descendants living in South Africa? I imagine the communities don’t really mix or get along? I often read about "secure places" or not... is that linked to the tensions that can exist between Black and white people? As tourists, how are we perceived by them? Just walking wallets, or can we hope for genuine encounters? 🤔 You’ll probably say it also depends on how we behave...

Hello, Work contacts are cordial, But private contacts are far fewer, especially for older people. However, this is changing with the younger generation. Travelers and French people are very well received. There’s a bit like in the USA—often a kind of somewhat fake friendliness. But members of the Black community are quite keen on connecting with foreigners. Otherwise, it’s mostly indifference. There’s still an underlying mistrust between the three communities: Black, English, and Boer. But the same goes for relationships *within* the Black communities. There’s also significant immigration, not always friendly, especially in tourist areas. Between being natural, straightforward, warm but firm, and not naive. Safe places: It’s mainly: The areas around tourist spots, The rougher neighborhoods, Times when only troublemakers are left in the streets. Would you go Into the townships as a tourist? Are the areas around major train stations safe? It’s outside the big hotels in Durban where troublemakers hang around.

Thanks for the details. What do you mean by "les zozos"?🤪

Hey The guys who kinda hang around to beg, drink, or more or less look for trouble