South Africa part 2

How to get around

To start with it, the common language used in Cape Town are either english of afrikaans. 

Those travellers coming from countries with limited language barrier can explain them selves easily with gestures and with a vocabulary with only 50 words. This is a common fact. 

I was travelling with 3 Serbians and one Croatian  and each time they used gestures, I got a hint of what they were talking about, due to my language skills of nearly 7 languages, and none of them is Slovenian nor Russian. 

So to arrive to the Cape Town, I could take a bus, a taxi or a shuffle bus most hotels offer by booking it in advance, or hire a car. We took a cap. Our driver Andy fit us all with our suitcases in a family car of 5 and we had really a good time during the trip to our hotel that was situated jus under Table Mountain in the district of Gardens. 

I usually have this huge amount of energy after a long flight that can be associated of adrenaline, and thanks God our flight landed in the afternoon, so that we only got ourselves settled to the hotel and headed to a diner. 

To visit Cape Town we walked mostly; nearly 12 km each day, from our hotel to V.A. Waterfront. The trip isn't that long. Only 3,5 km but walking here and there the daily balance was over 10 km anyway. And that is good for the health. 

Cape Town has hills and it is challenging to walk around. 

Taxi from our hotel to down town cost 50 rand and to the waterfront 100 rand.  

We took one of those hop-on-hop-off busses to get an idea of the town. There are 4 routes to take, and by purchasing two day ticket the company gives more benefits. We took just one day ticket. 

Other way to get around is to hire a car. We took one Volkswagen Polo for 6 days and payed proximately 2000 rand for it. But again, VW Polo is really small for 5 adults to sit on it. 

Later on to visit the famous Garden Route, we hired a larger car; Toyota Cruiser and payed 6000 rand for the hire of 6 more days. Gasoline cost nearly 35% less than in most EU countries, or like in US or in Australia. If you add the insurance, get ready to pay like the car hire. 

Check out your travel insurance. Some companies include car hire. (Not a boat or heli thought) 
Check also out that the car rental really fits all your requirements. We insisted by telling the the car would be delivered at the airport instead to down town and later on, so that if there were to add an extra day, we would have payed that straight away. This wasn't taken in consideration, and at the airport we got charged more. 

There is also trains that go to various places. We didn't took any, but Simmons Town where is a settlement of penguins, a rail way goes direct from the Cape Town, and if you wish to take sun while in the cost line get out at St. James and swim in the rock pool. 

Just do not bring any guns or do anything else mentioned in the chart

There is a train that goes from Cape Town to Johannesburg and it takes 24 h travelling through savanna. You may just sit in a train and admire the African wild life. 

South Africa has huge amount of mountains and although we tried to "compare" them to something we have seen elsewhere, I advice not to do so. Comparing is impossible. They are unique and beautiful. 

Most roads go through these massive rocks and roads are not always straight. The speed limit is in a highway 120 km/h and in smaller roads up to 100 km/h  In one of the roads we had no one, it was straight for kilometres to go on and it felt like in the moon. We took a little speed up to see how it is to drive fast in such road.  

The large emergency pad in the left is used by bicycles and by letting faster cars to pass by. I wouldn't use it near areas where there is some settlement, because most of the local population walk from work or shop to home. It is a common use that slower driver pass faster to go by without any request like flashing lights. 

This brings me to think of those who loves mountain bikes. In January there are several competitions to partecipate with. One we saw was from Oudsthoorn to Mossel Bay: A distance of proximately 80 km. 

In case you don't feel custom by the left hand side driving, there are plenty of travel agencies that can provide tours to visit national parks, safari and so on. Even for several days. The price is affordable.

I counted that the fatigue for two travellers by getting around hiring car and one of those tours are nearly the same. In that case I don't have to drive, or think of the roads I need to take. 

I also have the assistance of a local guide, food, drinks and bed where to sleep in.

I trust at tour leaders and tour guides: I'm one of them. 

All photos are from the author; please ask a permission to copy and paste elsewhere. 

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