South Africa, Overview - meganotravels
Author: http://www.facebook.com/meganotravels1
Description: Overview of my first trip to South Africa to see the World Cup 2010, go on safari, visit a cultural village, and see hippos!
Date: 2012-04-25T15:00:57+00:00

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#### SOUTH AFRICA

# South Africa, Overview

My trip to South Africa was probably the most epic trip ever. It was a lot firsts: my first time to Africa, the furthest I’d ever traveled (over 9,000 miles), my first safari, my first World Cup, my first time seeing Bill Clinton in person (and I grew up so close to Washington, D.C. when he was in office!).

The main purpose of this family trip was to see the 2010 World Cup. Thankfully though, my boyfriend’s family travels much like I do: if you’re going somewhere new, pack in as much as possible because who knows when you’re ever going to get back to that particular place? So, we did just that: packed in as much as humanly possible in a three-week trip.

###

### The itinerary was simple (on paper, anyway):

- Tickets to five World Cup matches (in four different cities)
- A safari outside of Kruger National Park
- A whale-watching tour in St. Lucia (which ended up being a hippo-watching tour)
- A stay at Lesedi Village
- Stop at Lion Park
- And whatever else we could find in between

To be perfectly honest, I was a bit scared to go to South Africa. I read so many horrible and scary things about it that I was convinced that at least one, if not all, of the following things was going to happen: I’d be raped, I’d be murdered, I’d have my things stolen, I’d get stabbed by an AIDS knife or needle, etc. (Yes, these were all things that I read had happened there before I went.) The worst thing that actually happened on the trip? I lost a pair of shoes. Awful, isn’t it? Granted, I didn’t venture into areas that I was warned against, and I made sure we all locked our doors when we got in the car, and as always, I was very aware of my surroundings.

I have to say that South Africa was one of the coolest places I’ve ever been. I met so many wonderful and nice people on that trip. And driving between cities and seeing shanty villages and the poorest of the poor was truly eye-opening and put a lot of things into perspective for me.

###

### Worth Mentioning (And Remembering):

- I’d never heard a call to prayer before stepping foot in Durban. It was nothing short of amazing to hear. (Still gives me goosebumps to think about.)
- A lot of people were selling hangers on the side of the road. I’m not entirely sure why, but I’d like to find out!
- I loved all the British English terminologies: robot (stop light), dustbin, queue, lifts, “abnormal” instead of wide load on trucks.

### Author: Megan

Megan is an ordinary girl who outgrew her small town and decided to try the world on for size. She's on a mission to travel, photograph, and write about the world.

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- Very nice post. I just stumbled upon your weblog and wished to say that I have really enjoyed browsing your blog posts.
  In any case I’ll be subscribing to your rss feed and I hope you write again soon!

  Reply

  - Thank you so much for your comment! I’m happy to hear that you like my blog. I hope that you’ll keep reading.

    Reply
- Pingback: Lesedi Cultural Village - meganotravels

- I like your observations and this piece. Did you find out why they were selling hangers?
  JulianG recently posted..A Newbie’s Account of SXSW

  Reply

  - I didn’t! I tried to do a bit of research afterward and found that a lot of people have mentioned it in various articles/blogs. Most common reference is that the job market is so bad in SA that it’s the only way for people to make money–to sell random things at traffic lights.

    Reply
- Pingback: Bizarre Encounters with Cabbies - meganotravels

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### Who is Meganotravels?

Hey, I’m Megan! I’m a full-time consultant and run
a non-profit on the side. And when I’m not doing those
things—I’m traveling! I’m on a mission to travel,
photograph, and write about the world.

Hope you’ll follow along!

### What is “Megano?”

An “Italian” name (rhymes with “Figaro”) given to me
by a friend before I studied abroad in Rome. I had to be
more Italian, you see. It’s stuck ever since.

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