Passionate about South Africa!
Here is a story with a happy ending…! A 4-month language course in South Africa, 3 months of travel in the ‘Baz Bus’ from the Mozambique border to the Cape, a multitude of good tips and fabulous memories… a first-hand account of an amazing experience!
Did you say…Africa?
You hardly will have finished pronouncing the word Africa when your friends and family will already start to talk about misery, drought, famine and civil war.
This will be your cue to slip into the conversation the fact that you have studied English in South Africa! Silence will fall around you and you will thus be able to give your friends a few good tips for discovering this fabulous country.
Play the Adventurer…
… and start by visiting one or two of the national parks in a hire car. For example, Umfolozi – Hluhluwe (pronounced chouchloui), a day’s drive north of Durban. Smaller than the Kruger park but not so frequented, it has nothing to envy its big brother. Time will stop and you will have the impression that you have stepped right inside a picture book from your childhood. You will feel vibrations that have long been forgotten in Europe. For those who love peace and tranquillity, you even have the option of visiting on foot the valleys that can’t be reached by car, under the direction of guides who will show you treasures that you can’t even imagine…
Surfing in South Africa
So you’re young, dynamic and passionate about surfing: then try out the impressive waves of the Indian Ocean that crash on the beaches of Durban. Spare a thought for the sharks that watch you from outside the nets protecting you from their hungry jaws. Participate in one of the many surfing competitions organised on Sundays for the young people of Durban. I saw 11 year-old kids tackling waves several metres high…
Recipes and specialties…
Before savouring an Indian, Malaysian or African specialty at Wilson’s Wharf, go and pick up a few things at Victoria Street Market. But don’t stay there too long… the real Africa is found around this touristy market. Dare to stroll down the surrounding laneways and take the time to speak to the shopkeepers. And if you are feeling homesick, a local doctor will be glad to offer you a snake and bat-based concoction…
