Rumour and Reputation

-

Johannesburg to Cape Town Road Trip - Part 1



Maboneng is a trendy district in Johannesburg; the streets are lined with hipster cafes, moody restaurants, artisan stalls, and boutiques. There are sculptures in the lanes and murals on the industrial brick walls. Maboneng is also only as big as two blocks and security staff man each entry, making the district a European-style island haven surrounded by dodginess. In fact, it was recommended that we Uber it to anywhere outside of Maboneng, even to another "safe" neighbourhood just 1 km away. We felt stuck and needed to leave, despite the welcome cheap offerings of excellent food and coffee, and planned to navigate our way out of dodge in a surprisingly affordable rental car. After a few nervous wrong turns, thanks to closed on-ramps and an inaccurate map, we raised our arms on the freeway bound for Cape Town, wooting, "Road trip!"

Rob had been to Cape Town several years ago and considered it one of his favourite cities. An Australian couple we met at Victoria Falls also claimed Cape Town a favourite of theirs. "Be careful, though," they said, and recounted to us the recent stories of violent protests, cab drivers being stabbed in turf wars, and the torching of subway cars en route. Yet, they felt it was a place they imagined they could live. I was intrigued, but we had over two weeks of country to discover before then.

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for taking the time to comment. Don't forget to choose Name/URL from the drop down menu if you are not logged in.

Popular posts from this blog

A Bus Ticket Is Not Enough

-
The bus terminal of Guayaquil is much like an airport, with three storeys, shops and a boarding pass system that gave me trouble. I found my way to the boleterias to buy my ticket and had no problems there, though the boletero told me to hurry as the bus to Salinas was soon to leave. Thinking that one of the two pieces of paper that was given to me was only a receipt, I binned it and proceeded to the platform on the top level. Unfortunately, the "receipt" turned out to be my boarding ticket and the woman at the gates said I had to return to the boleteria and get another. Honestly, why doesn't simply having a bus ticket grant me access to the bus? What is so wrong with flashing your ticket to the driver at the bus door? Do we really have to clog things with extra useless procedural steps? Sheesh. Irritated, I hurried back down to the boleteria and the boletero looked at me with a " What the hell are you doing back here? The bus is leaving!!" I cursed my poo
Read more

Beware Of Conmen, Thieves And Daydreams

-
I was warned by everything and everyone about safety in Latin America. Websites, guide books, my family, friends, even total strangers would warn me not to trust anyone, to set cab prices before getting in, to watch my luggage at all times, to keep my valuables within sight... all of the sensible things one should do when traveling. So I was well informed about various scams, guarded about pick-pockets and bag snatchers. It was inevitable that I would encounter at least one loss due to unscrupulous human activities. I had heard many stories, but have been lucky so far. But no one warned me about that which I would end up losing my things to. My forgetfulness. I have a terrible memory. If I just met you, I won't remember your name, even if we've been hanging out for the last four days. I don't remember birthdays unless you're direct family, nor do I remember anniversaries, long weekends and other important dates. I have a terrible sense of direction which is mostly due t
Read more

So You Want To Start A Travel Blog

-
Travel blogs may be  informative ,  entertaining, or introspective like a diary , but perhaps more importantly, they can  serve as a key communication tool between the travelers and the ones that were left behind. Why travel blogs are better than email: People can choose to read about your adventures when they want. Comments and feedback are in one place rather than several individual emails that you may have to respond to.  Better navigation system More appealing aesthetics and readability Customisable Built-in features such as maps and albums There are many free travel blog services. Some are basic and easy to use, while others allow customisation if you are familiar with  HTML and CSS.  I've had a look at several of the popular ones and review them briefly here to help you decide. GetJealous : For absolute novices. The most basic travel blog site I've come across. It has some major limitations in that there is no design freedom and a maximum upload of 40
Read more