After being in the country for more than a month, it's a timely chance to reflect upon the things we've learnt in South Africa.
One very valuable lesson from early on was the flashing green man who tells you its safe to cross a road: he means nothing here. Waiting for him to flash green; drivers honk and gesture frantically that you should be walking...walking when he IS green = a false sense of security and a very real chance of being flattened. So, when crossing roads, look ALL ways twice, and then go for it!...the exact same applies to pedestrian crossings... Also, giving way to vehicles seems to be a little hit and miss (we've already seen 2 hits) so take much care at all intersections when driving. Keeping with the traffic theme, 'robots' are the coloured lights that tell you whether to stop or go and 'traffic circle' is the best way to describe a roundabout without getting puzzled looks. Oh, and turning right on a red light seems standard practice. Beware!
Vegetarianism won't get you far here. These people have mastered the art of turning every creature into a cut of meat, a sausage (boerworst) or something called 'biltong'. If it's not biltong, it's braai'd. You can bring and braai, you never interfere with a braai and if you don't braai, you are more than likely going to be hungry. Camp sites are super well equipped for braaiing (NB: braai = BBQ...biltong is jerky that no one ever calls jerky. Ever.)
"Howzit" is about the same as 'g'day' and "a hundred percent" seems to mean something like 'yeah, nah pretty good'. "Plus minus" is the South African equivalent of 'about that much I reckon' and we think "jol" might mean 'bloody big pissup'. "Nè" is a bit like 'huh'. It can mean a sentence ending in a question, agreeing with what you said, checking that you understood, a yes, a no....basically, anything 'huh'can do, "nè" can do too. "Lekker" is 'good' or 'nice'. It can refer to anything from food to a road or a scenic vista.
Telling people you're Aussie will likely be met with sympathy, bad jokes and cricket commentary. Insults to intelligence (not helped by poorly worded Aussie cricket commentators!) will be many. Telling people that you're from New Zealand is a much better conversation starter.
Everyone actually listens to politics. It's even on the top 10 countdown radio channels, which is quite fitting, because so far it's been very entertaining. Dealing with any authority working for the government however, not so entertaining (see previous post).
South Africans are even better than Tasmanians when it comes to eating, drinking and shopping local. Everything is generally made or grown close by, and this fact is well promoted in stores. We could learn a lot.
South Africans are super friendly. Definitely right up there with the nicest folks on the planet. They are up for a chat, and will regularly tell you far more than you had anticipated.
Whilst the whole place has a very laid back 'Africa time' feel, people are actually very punctual. That loud banging at midday in Cape Town is the 'noon gun', so you can all set your clocks accordingly and precisely. If you suggest a time with 'ish' on the end, the 'ish' part doesn't gel and you'll be queried on your tardiness.
Finally, whilst safety and security seems to be an industry beyond massive here, most of the things we've seen, heard or read about the place has been a little off the mark. It's super pretty, super friendly and not a minute has passed where we haven't felt safe. Which is why we've not left yet. We've ditched plan A - heading up the west coast and out of the country, for a plan B - heading up the east coast and enjoying more of what South Africa has to offer.
Lekker Nè?
