Winter break in South Africa
By George Qu (PC Fall ’14) and Dinesh Ganesan (PC Fall ’15)
George: Dinesh, Keshav, Leslie, Nikhita and I started our adventure in South Africa before Christmas in 2017. To a lot of us, this was the first time traveling to Africa and we were exhilarated by what this continent could offer. The group first spent four days at Tshukudu Game Lodge, a safari 280 miles away from Johannesburg. The weather was awesome and we were lucky enough to see rhinos, giraffes, lions, cheetahs, zebras, springboks, hippos, crocodiles, warthogs, and all kinds of birds. The most magical moments included witnessing a newborn zebra stand up for the first time in its life, feeding water to a cheetah with our hands, and watching the sunset together.
After four tiring yet exciting days at the safari, we headed south to Blyde River Canyon. Here, we enjoyed the scenic views of the world’s largest green canyon. We then went on a canyoning trip where we hiked through the bushes and jumped off several waterfalls. The last stop for the group was Cape Town, the southernmost city on this continent. Some memorable moments include visiting Cape of Good Hope and watching sunset there, seeing cute penguins at Boulders Beach, having an enjoyable brunch at Simon’s Town, tasting delicious South African wine at different vineyards, and watching sunset on top of Lion’s Head Mountain!
Dinesh: South Africa as a country has a beautiful and unique array of cultural attributes. To begin with, the accent and core languages all offer an amazing glimpse of the mixture of cultures that the country has been built upon. The city of Cape Town is home to immigrants from Europe — Germany, Holland, Belgium, and the United Kingdom — Asia, and Northern Africa. Through our travels we also discovered how positive and free-spirited most of the locals were. A large majority of the population is extremely active and fit. And because the major cities are located around the coast, there is always something to do. There is a multitude of mountains to hike, beaches to surf, cuisines to taste, and vineyards to indulge in.
While the country is home to many startups and individuals competing for the next big idea, as a whole, everyone seemed to be very collective and familial in nature. Dinner parties and big weekend adventures are a commonality. Some say that there is more than one capital in South Africa and it was very clear that each city had its own mode of operating. Cape Town was certainly both culturally European and can also be analogous to the lifestyle that people experience on the West Coast of America. Johannesburg on the other hand was New York City-esque where most businessmen and bankers flock to. During the Christmas time period, Johannesburg felt relatively dark and almost eerie as most people had left the city to be with their families, while Cape Town was full of life and indulgence.
From a tourist’s perspective, South Africa is a fantasy land. It would appear that nothing is wrong with the country. However, after speaking with locals more, it was evident that for a citizen, there are two main issues at the base of the the economy and government that still have not been corrected, even 20 or so years after the apartheid. These issues were the heavy unequal distribution of wealth and racism. Jobs, salary, safety, access, and overall utility are all affected by these challenges. Road tripping from beach to beach in the Cape Town area, we would constantly pass by the slums of South Africa hidden further inland, on the sides of the highways. The level of poverty witnessed was far worse than expected from a seemingly stable emerging economy. Corruption and a highly unpopular Zouma were what some South Africans claimed to be the source of a slow addressing of these problems. In Cape Town, there was one level of homogeneity that spanned across all citizens: access to clean water. It is predicted that in 2018, Cape Town is going to be the first major city in the world to run out of clean water due to a lengthy drought that has plagued the city. It was shocking to see that rationing was required for one of the most basic necessities for life, once again, in such a big metropolis.
Nonetheless, the problems are by no means an indicator of the overall level of happiness in South Africa. One of our friends who lived in the country went so far as to say that the water problem only gave reason for more wine to be had! Everyone on the trip agreed that South Africa was one of the most fascinating, eye-opening, and enjoyable experiences. It is safe to say that not only would we recommend it to be your next tourist destination, but Nikhita, George, Leslie, and I will definitely be going back sooner rather than later.
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Originally published at gtakpsite.com on February 23, 2018.
