South africa sapsdusa: I am an American and Yes, I have been to Cape Town, South Africa. It is truly a hidden gem. Besides petty crime (pick pockets), there's not much to worry about. Just use common sense which comes naturally if you have been to any developing countries. Western Cape has a lot to offer including world class wineries, Big Games, Beaches, Cape of Good Hope, Table Mountain (One of the newest 7 wonders) and Robben Island where Late Nelson Mandela spend 18 years in a small prison cell. The tour was an amazing experience if you are a history buff like me. dave3974: If madness and genius are separated by the thinnest line, then so, perhaps, are heaven and hell. And if you want an unforgettable illustration of the extraordinary juxtaposition of paradise and a contemporary inferno, you have only to go to Cape town after a few years of black majority rule. First, the apocalypse. A prosperous-looking white man in his late forties is driving his car home from work. Richard Walsh is married with two children, and a third on the way. He lives, like a growing number of white South Africans, in a security-guard-patrolled, perimeter-fenced community with his second wife Sheila, a schoolteacher. Walsh is a broker with a downtown insurance house; he has worked hard to move his family to a secure neighbourhood beyond the range of black crime. On his way home, he stops at his neighbourhood McDonald's to pick up his regular self-indulgence, a Big Mac and fries. When he returns to his car, a newish BMW, he is surrounded by four men, who ask for his keys. It's not exactly clear what happens next, but witnesses said that Walsh, who had been mugged before, appeared to resist what was probably just a routine car-jacking operation. A single shot was fired. The gang jumped into the BMW and roared off. Walsh lay dead on the tarmac of the McDonald's car park. It was five minutes before the police arrived. When they found the car, it was a smouldering wreck by the side of the highway to Pretoria. The Cape Town police went through the motions of searching for the suspected killers (said to be dark-skinned outsiders from Rwanda), but no one was terribly optimistic. Dick Walsh soon became just part of South Africa's chilling statistics, one of the country's daily 65 murders. SO YES YOU ARE SAFE ---BUT STAY IN YOUR RESORT OR HOTEL. (Edited by dave3974)  Motati: It is a beautiful country and you will enjoy it, as long as you stay safe, and avoid going to all unsafe places. If you are not in a group, find some local friends to show you around. Another important one, don't go around patting on lions at the parks, they will eat you up. Wild animals are wild animals, don't take a chance, always keep your car windows closed and your doors locked. Some wild animals can open the car doors.  The giant midget: Didn't know that wild animals could open up car door That can come very handy if you happen to lock your car ,with the keys inside Just look around for a wild animal eh Motati: hahahahahhahahahahahaha! It doesn't happen often. There was an incident at the Kruger National Park, where a lion opened a car door. So to play safe rather keep your door locked, a good aircon is also essential because the place can get extremely hot. | Travel Chat Room Similar Conversations |
