Closing thoughts on South Africa
South Africa exceeded expectations in some ways, and fell short in others.
Definitely the highlight was the Kruger safari. Being out in nature, taking naps in the warm afternoons, showering and looking out at the bush, and falling asleep to an orchestra of singing, chirping, and howling... I would love to do another safari sometime.
Value was another highlight. I've calculated my final expenses, and my daily spend rate (including the 5-day safari) were 20% lower than my Argentina and Brazil daily spend rate. I loved my room in De Waterkant Village complex's The Charles guesthouse. I was expecting very basic accommodation for US$40/night including taxes, but was met with a beautiful four star room. Highly recommended for both accommodations and great location.
Where it fell short was in the area of personal safety and security. I was coming from Brazil, which is also a very dangerous place - gang violence, armed muggings, etc.-, but in South Africa I really felt trapped after dark (about 5 or 6pm). In Pretoria and Johannesburg, the safer places to stay are in the suburbs, and they are really driving cities so you're totally stuck if you don't have a car. I felt like all of the electric fences and armed response systems were fencing me in, rather than keeping danger out.
Cape Town's a bit better, since it's more compact with the tourist sites in close proximity to one another (and De Waterkant's pretty safe, with shops and restaurants in dense clusters). But still, when I was having dinner with my fellow Kruger safari mates (we all had the same itinerary - safari then fly directly to Cape Town to spend the next week!), there was a mugging and attempted car theft right on the street in front of us.
Plus the culture quotient wasn't very high. I exhausted all of the art exhibits that interested me in half a day. My other barometer has become bookstores. In Sao Paulo, I found awesome bookstores, and for my needs specifically, a great range of travel books. I held off on buying some books for Turkey, so as not to lug around the safari. But when I got to Cape Town, the bookstores were seriously Reading Rainbow-level bookstores. Slim pickings.
