# Leaving soon for 4 weeks in SA timeshares



## Tomg

We leave next week for four weeks in South Africa.  Timeshare resorts we will be staying at are:  The Peninsula, Wilderness Dunes, The Breakers, and Sanboanni.   I will do reviews of each resort for TUG and post highlights on this board.


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## Carolinian

Sounds like a great trip.  I enjoyed the three weeks I spent in SA some years ago, and would like to go back.  Are you going to Kruger?  How about Cape Town?


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## EWSteyn

That is a fantastic trip! The Peninsula is in Cape Town in the Western Cape province, then you are visiting the Garden Route (Wilderness Dunes), thereafter going to Durban in the Kwazulu Natal province (The Breakers), and then at Sanbonani which is next to the Kruger National Park! Welcome to SA and I hope you will enjoy it!!! :whoopie:

And another bonus for you is that the dollar is a bit stronger against the rand - the rate is now R 7.40 for each dollar, a couple of days ago you would have gotten only R 7.00 for each dollar. Thank the Greeks!


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## Margariet

Tomg said:


> We leave next week for four weeks in South Africa.  Timeshare resorts we will be staying at are:  The Peninsula, Wilderness Dunes, The Breakers, and Sanboanni.   I will do reviews of each resort for TUG and post highlights on this board.



These are the great resorts to go to! Good you can make it. You will enjoy it! Great time to visit Kruger. I'm glad finally to read a posting of a Tugger who's actually going to SA.


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## Carol C

I agree with Margariet...it's so great to read of a TUGger going to South Africa. This is one of my fantasies for "retirement"...to go for a month or maybe more, piggybacking weeks to experience the diversity of the country's topography and cultures. Please do report back on this forum with some highlights, as I'm sure many others on TUG would like to go for an extended stay someday. P.S. Please do some wine tasting so you can report back on that experience as well!


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## rundmc

*tugger in Ontario to SA*

Hello.

We leave 10/3 via London direct to Cape Town.  We are visiting our son who is hoping to move permanently, but still is waiting.

We will be staying in the city bowl for six nights, flight to Kruger for three nights, back to Cape Town for maybe two nights in Hermanus for some whale watching, and departing Cape Town 10/21 again via London direct.

I know that the SA wine areas are very beautiful; not sure if the wine is better than that from Ontario.   

Our daughter visited in April and they both did the Old Mutual half-marathon.

Our stay in Cape Town will be a rented apartment and a "house sitting".  No timesharing until December in Orlando.

Cheers,  David

Kruger = www.arathusa.co.za
www.hermanus.co.za
www.twooceansmarathon.org.za/


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## CarlK

Great planning!  I wish I had the time to do a similar trip.  Enjoy!
Carl


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## Dori

Have a great time, David and TomG!

Dori


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## bass

We will be staying at the Peninsula in Cape Town next September.

Nancy


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## Tomg

*Back from South Africa*

Hi we got back from this month in South Africa a few days ago.  I've posted reviews of all 4 resorts.   Loved Cape Town and Krueger Park.  Garden Route and Durban were nice, but not worth flying 8000 miles for.   All and all a great month and great adventure.


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## rundmc

*awesome trip to an amazing county*

wow, just back.

Stayed in Cape Town and did the tourist thing [recommend the two day red bus sightseeing]; whale watching in Hermanus; climbing the sand dunes in De Hoop Nature Reserve; wine tasting in Stellenbosch [+ buying]; seeing the big five in Sabi Sand Private Reserve; hiking Cape of Good Hope.

We were not able to take advantage of a timeshare, but go there however you can.  Great inexpensive food and wine.  Many fine restaurants.

Looking forward to our return.  David


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## Chicagoland

*I have always wanted to visit SA*



rundmc said:


> wow, just back.
> 
> Stayed in Cape Town and did the tourist thing [recommend the two day red bus sightseeing]; whale watching in Hermanus; climbing the sand dunes in De Hoop Nature Reserve; wine tasting in Stellenbosch [+ buying]; seeing the big five in Sabi Sand Private Reserve; hiking Cape of Good Hope.
> 
> We were not able to take advantage of a timeshare, but go there however you can.  Great inexpensive food and wine.  Many fine restaurants.
> 
> Looking forward to our return.  David



David - sounds like you had an incredible trip!

I have always wanted to go to South Africa.  I guess after researching, news articles, You Tube reports, etc, I decided that it was too dangerous and rather risky to go.  I tune in to a South African You Tube user, who goes by Reindeer, who rants about the dangers.  Other SA users on Yahoo answers want to move out due to rapes, car jackings, etc.

My above statement is not meant to offend anyone and I know crime happens anywhere, even in Chicago.  BUT, I would never wander off into the South side of Chicago in the Back of the Yards neighborhood due to the strong possibility of something unsafe happening.  I am on the Northwest side of the city and it is great here.

David, did you feel completely safe and secure there?  No worries at all?

I am curious...still would like to experience South Africa's beauty.


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## Margariet

Chicagoland said:


> David - sounds like you had an incredible trip!
> 
> I have always wanted to go to South Africa.  I guess after researching, news articles, You Tube reports, etc, I decided that it was too dangerous and rather risky to go.  I tune in to a South African You Tube user, who goes by Reindeer, who rants about the dangers.  Other SA users on Yahoo answers want to move out due to rapes, car jackings, etc.
> 
> My above statement is not meant to offend anyone and I know crime happens anywhere, even in Chicago.  BUT, I would never wander off into the South side of Chicago in the Back of the Yards neighborhood due to the strong possibility of something unsafe happening.  I am on the Northwest side of the city and it is great here.
> 
> David, did you feel completely safe and secure there?  No worries at all?
> 
> I am curious...still would like to experience South Africa's beauty.



We have been to SA about 5, 6 years ago. We loved the nature and the landscape. Timeshare is abundant. It's easy to travel around. We had a car for the whole trip and drove everywhere. Did we feel safe? We are always alert when traveling. We are from the Netherlands, a country that in the last decades strongly opposed against Apartheid, strongly supported the ANC and Mandela and we boycotted SA in several ways. Of course we do have our history and the Dutch who migrated to SA long time ago invented Apartheid and Afrikaans is still very much similar to Dutch, our language. When we traveled through SA we met white people who still were upset about the Dutch attitude against Apartheid and support of the ANC. They refused to speak to us. We also met black people who were grateful because our attitude, and we met black people who were hostile because we are white. Our rental car was scratched very badly by a black man because of that. I can't be mad at him because I feel awful about discrimination and Apartheid. But scratching our car was no solution and I am glad I was in the car and not outside the car. You don't know what might have happened.  Racial politics are very present. More present than in the USA. I still would visit SA again but not totally for relaxation.


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## Sirpa

*Why I can´t find your reviews?*

We are leaving SA in the beginning of December. We´ll stay two weeks at the Kruger district, first at Sanbonani and second week at Kruger Park Lodges. I´m enthusiastic to read your review about Sanbonani and all comments that you have of Kruger park and all attraction in the neighbourhood of Hazyview. 

Because we are from Finland, we have long flights to Johannesburg (via Istanbul), but we are happy that there is no time difference between countries. This is our first time at SA, so I´m really waiting for this holiday!


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## Carolinian

When I was there, the security situation varied around the country.  Jo'burg had the worst crime problem, while Cape Town and Pretoria were generally okay.  Durban was also not so bad.  I had a rental car, and so got a rundown on the rural areas that should be avoided (the Transkei and Vaal triangle at that time) and made sure to give them a miss.




Chicagoland said:


> David - sounds like you had an incredible trip!
> 
> I have always wanted to go to South Africa.  I guess after researching, news articles, You Tube reports, etc, I decided that it was too dangerous and rather risky to go.  I tune in to a South African You Tube user, who goes by Reindeer, who rants about the dangers.  Other SA users on Yahoo answers want to move out due to rapes, car jackings, etc.
> 
> My above statement is not meant to offend anyone and I know crime happens anywhere, even in Chicago.  BUT, I would never wander off into the South side of Chicago in the Back of the Yards neighborhood due to the strong possibility of something unsafe happening.  I am on the Northwest side of the city and it is great here.
> 
> David, did you feel completely safe and secure there?  No worries at all?
> 
> I am curious...still would like to experience South Africa's beauty.


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## Margariet

Cape Town is okay in the tourist areas. So are places on the tourist trail like Franschhoek, Stellenbosch, Kruger park, and areas in KwaZulu Natal around the Drakensberg region. Cities like Durban and the seaside area like Umhlanga Rocks are more prone to crime. The locals are careful not to bring anything on them to the beach, they all go in their bathing suits and leave everything in the car, even their wallets. In those places you can get car protection by locals. By the way you will find these private car protectors on many places in SA. Use them: pay them a bit before and afterwards, they will look after your car and will see that nobody breaks into your car or damages your car or cuts your tires. You really need them in certain areas where there is no security or police around. They are even around at parking lots near restaurants, sightseeing objects, beaches, or even at our TS resort.


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## Tomg

*Reviews submitted*

Sipa, I've submitted all the reviews.  Not sure how long it takes to get them posted.  Sanbonani and KPL are only a few km apart, and both quite nice.   If I can get you direct email I can send a lot more information.  

A few suggestions for Hazyview.
1.  The Checkquers supermarket (north of the main traffic light), seems to cater most to European visitors.  The smaller Rendevous and Bridge shopping centers have several comfortable dining places for Europeans.  The big Blue Haze shopping center seemed overwhelming at times.
2.  If you want to a "night safari" at a private game reserve, book at the Rendevous Center, Big 5 Travel.  Book early in your stay as space is limited.
3.  We did a combination of guided "game drives" and driving ourselves in Krueger.  While, the guides are very knowledgable and you sit up high in their vehicles, we saw just as much game driving ourselves.

Have a great trip.





Sirpa said:


> We are leaving SA in the beginning of December. We´ll stay two weeks at the Kruger district, first at Sanbonani and second week at Kruger Park Lodges. I´m enthusiastic to read your review about Sanbonani and all comments that you have of Kruger park and all attraction in the neighbourhood of Hazyview.
> 
> Because we are from Finland, we have long flights to Johannesburg (via Istanbul), but we are happy that there is no time difference between countries. This is our first time at SA, so I´m really waiting for this holiday!


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## Tomg

*Felt safe about 95% of the time.*

We drove about 6000 km during our month in South Africa.  I won't recommend that to anyone planning a trip, but we felt safe about 95 % of the time, and had no incidents or issues.

We spent a night in Amsterdam on the way over so we wouldn't arrive so tired, and flew direct to Cape Town,  We didn't pickup a car until we had been there a few days.  (Like others mentioned we enjoyed the Red Hop-on, Hop-off bus, doing two days and could have used a third day.)

When we met South African's, of all races, and they knew we were visitors they were very warm and welcoming.  Black South African's always wanted to know if we liked President Obama. 

When you are in your rental car you look like white South African's and the situation was more uncomfortable at times.  We drove from East London to Durban on a Saturday, this goes through a very poor area, and each town was having market day with the streets filled with black faces, and us trying to carefully drive through, but getting some very hostile looks.   If I were to do our 4 week trip again, I would fly from George to Durban.

We tried to avoid driving at night, both for security reasons and because there are many people walking and many free range animals.

We had been warned so many times about Jo-burg during the trip, that we avoided going there.   We stayed in a nice B&B in Sandton and did day trips north to Pretoria and to a private game reserve west of Pretoria, never going to downtown Jo-burg.

We did a guided "township tour" while in Cape Town, and wouldn't go driving to the townships on our own.

We were careful not to leave anything of value in view, even while we were in the car (smash and grabs at stoplights are common).

I wouldn't let security concerns scare you out of visiting South Africa, but would confine your trip to Cape Town and Krueger (you can fly between them) and I think you would be comfortable almost all the time.  It is a beautiful country and the wildlife is fantastic.





Chicagoland said:


> David - sounds like you had an incredible trip!
> 
> I have always wanted to go to South Africa.  I guess after researching, news articles, You Tube reports, etc, I decided that it was too dangerous and rather risky to go.  I tune in to a South African You Tube user, who goes by Reindeer, who rants about the dangers.  Other SA users on Yahoo answers want to move out due to rapes, car jackings, etc.
> 
> My above statement is not meant to offend anyone and I know crime happens anywhere, even in Chicago.  BUT, I would never wander off into the South side of Chicago in the Back of the Yards neighborhood due to the strong possibility of something unsafe happening.  I am on the Northwest side of the city and it is great here.
> 
> David, did you feel completely safe and secure there?  No worries at all?
> 
> I am curious...still would like to experience South Africa's beauty.


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## Margariet

Tomg said:


> ... When you are in your rental car you look like white South African's and the situation was more uncomfortable at times.  We drove from East London to Durban on a Saturday, this goes through a very poor area, and each town was having market day with the streets filled with black faces, and us trying to carefully drive through, but getting some very hostile looks.



We drove that route as well and spent some time in some towns along the road. Yes, I guess we were the only whites in some places. And often we saw no whites at all in the streets. We spent a night in Mandela's hometown. However it didn't feel that uncomfortable over there. It was one of the places where we had the most contact with South Africans. Like I mentioned before: several times we met hostitly from white Africans. Americans will not have that problem.


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## EWSteyn

Margariet said:


> We have been to SA about 5, 6 years ago. We loved the nature and the landscape. Timeshare is abundant. It's easy to travel around. We had a car for the whole trip and drove everywhere. Did we feel safe? We are always alert when traveling. We are from the Netherlands, a country that in the last decades strongly opposed against Apartheid, strongly supported the ANC and Mandela and we boycotted SA in several ways. Of course we do have our history and the Dutch who migrated to SA long time ago invented Apartheid and Afrikaans is still very much similar to Dutch, our language. When we traveled through SA we met white people who still were upset about the Dutch attitude against Apartheid and support of the ANC. They refused to speak to us. We also met black people who were grateful because our attitude, and we met black people who were hostile because we are white. Our rental car was scratched very badly by a black man because of that. I can't be mad at him because I feel awful about discrimination and Apartheid. But scratching our car was no solution and I am glad I was in the car and not outside the car. You don't know what might have happened.  Racial politics are very present. More present than in the USA. I still would visit SA again but not totally for relaxation.



Hi Margaret, I have seen this post and your more recent post. I am sorry that it is your experience of white South Africans. In our defence, we have ended apartheid almost two decades ago without any bloodshed. We have basically given South Africa, a first world country back then that we have built up from nothing, to the locals on a silver platter. Isn't that a miracle and a very generous action? You should be proud of what your descendents have achieved in South Africa, instead of coming here with an attitude of shame and awefulness. Be positive and future-oriented, maybe then you will get a better reaction from white South Africans. 

I must also tell you that the discrimination is now working more and more in reverse. It is also being expanded to include all Western companies, etc. The violent crime, bribery, corruption, government failures, anti-business attitudes, discriminatory labour practices, additional taxes, outrages demands, secrecy laws (legislation), rising costs, etc are things that we now have to struggle with everyday.


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## Laurie

EWSteyn said:


> In our defence, we have ended apartheid almost two decades ago without any bloodshed. We have basically given South Africa, a first world country back then that we have built up from nothing, to the locals on a silver platter. Isn't that a miracle and a very generous action?


Um, no. :annoyed: 

If I were to virtually enslave you thru legalized oppression, repression and brutality, forcing you to work for my benefit for barely subsistence ... would you consider it a miraculous act of generosity on my part if I had to ultimately give back a pittance of the wealth I'd gained in that way in the first place?

The lack of widespread bloodshed initlally at the transition was because of the leadership of Mandela and his policies of amnesty and forgiveness with acknowledgement of past crimes. The ending of apartheid was prompted as well by the political and economic pressure of the rest of the world. Hardly a generous gift, given willingly.


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## EWSteyn

Laurie said:


> Um, no. :annoyed:
> 
> If I were to virtually enslave you thru legalized oppression, repression and brutality, forcing you to work for my benefit for barely subsistence ... would you consider it a miraculous act of generosity on my part if I had to ultimately give back a pittance of the wealth I'd gained in that way in the first place?
> 
> The lack of widespread bloodshed initlally at the transition was because of the leadership of Mandela and his policies of amnesty and forgiveness with acknowledgement of past crimes. The ending of apartheid was prompted as well by the political and economic pressure of the rest of the world. Hardly a generous gift, given willingly.



Your point is valid and true. Sorry, I shouldn't have stated that part like that. I also want to state clearly that I do not support apartheid, and that I am glad that it has ended.   

Thank you for sharing.


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## robbiefields

This thread puts the lie to the old barb about the difference between a tourist and a racist in South Africa, about 3 weeks goes the saying.

Ironically, I detect more anti White bias in this thread.  All I can say is that I have met the greatest white people in the world in RSA;  shame that the 80% good ones have to live with the 20% local white trash who seek any chance to cheat their fellow countrymen.   

As many of you may know I have a house in South Africa.  I have lived there for most of the past 10 years.  That said,  I am relieved to be spending this year in my Phuket, Thailand cottage.  I miss my life in the _Platteland_, small town South Africa.  I will go back eventually hoping that my latest security measures will finally allow me to relax in my own house.

Phuket deservedly is getting bad press these days for awful stuff going on.  
But it is a simple matter to avoid unpleasantness in Thai society.  It just isn't so in South Africa, unless you isolate yourself behind the security cordon that the elite enjoys.  During the FIFA World Cup last year, I got to experience that level of security on several occasions and it was quite reassuring, far beyond levels of VIP security I have experienced in other countries.

Most tourists on self drive holidays are lulled into complacency by the apparent normalcy of South Africa and the superb highways once you get a few miles beyond the shanty towns surrounding the airports.

The truth of the matter is that the infamous crime infested places like Johannesburg (and Sandton is Johannesburg!) have had more than 15 years to evolve from "open" cities, as in Europe to "fortress" cities (most U.S. downtowns).   The crime wave has now enveloped previously relatively untouched cities and areas.  Port Elizabeth is a minefield of serious crime.
South Africans refer to the Garden Route as "paradise" ... not for much longer as first Plettenberg Bay and now Knysna and George are rocked by big city crime.   

Some solid advice here about not driving at night in South Africa.  But in most parts of the country, you do not casually pull over to the side of the road.  Once outside metropolitan areas, you do not allow your petrol gauge drift below half.  Yet if you break down, the next put down upon _Boer_ will stop to assist.

Just as you might inspect a hotel for fire suppression sprinklers and smoke detectors, gauge the hotel's overall security set up.  If not impressed, make other arrangements.  Second tier game lodges  (i.e. those not within a doubled game fence) are not a good deal in South Africa.  A good one tends to be very expensive (but offers low season availability to locals at 75% off).

What happened to the ubiquitous beggars in South Africa?  And I don't mean the diligent parking wardens.  It's amazing that in Phuket, not once this year has someone stopped me in the street, at a restaurant or knocked on my door seeking alms or a chance to grab.


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## Carol C

robbiefields said:


> This thread puts the lie to the old barb about the difference between a tourist and a racist in South Africa, about 3 weeks goes the saying.
> 
> Ironically, I detect more anti White bias in this thread.  All I can say is that I have met the greatest white people in the world in RSA;  shame that the 80% good ones have to live with the 20% local white trash who seek any chance to cheat their fellow countrymen.
> 
> As many of you may know I have a house in South Africa.  I have lived there for most of the past 10 years.  That said,  I am relieved to be spending this year in my Phuket, Thailand cottage.  I miss my life in the _Platteland_, small town South Africa.  I will go back eventually hoping that my latest security measures will finally allow me to relax in my own house.
> 
> Phuket deservedly is getting bad press these days for awful stuff going on.
> But it is a simple matter to avoid unpleasantness in Thai society.  It just isn't so in South Africa, unless you isolate yourself behind the security cordon that the elite enjoys.  During the FIFA World Cup last year, I got to experience that level of security on several occasions and it was quite reassuring, far beyond levels of VIP security I have experienced in other countries.
> 
> Most tourists on self drive holidays are lulled into complacency by the apparent normalcy of South Africa and the superb highways once you get a few miles beyond the shanty towns surrounding the airports.
> 
> The truth of the matter is that the infamous crime infested places like Johannesburg (and Sandton is Johannesburg!) have had more than 15 years to evolve from "open" cities, as in Europe to "fortress" cities (most U.S. downtowns).   The crime wave has now enveloped previously relatively untouched cities and areas.  Port Elizabeth is a minefield of serious crime.
> South Africans refer to the Garden Route as "paradise" ... not for much longer as first Plettenberg Bay and now Knysna and George are rocked by big city crime.
> 
> Some solid advice here about not driving at night in South Africa.  But in most parts of the country, you do not casually pull over to the side of the road.  Once outside metropolitan areas, you do not allow your petrol gauge drift below half.  Yet if you break down, the next put down upon _Boer_ will stop to assist.
> 
> Just as you might inspect a hotel for fire suppression sprinklers and smoke detectors, gauge the hotel's overall security set up.  If not impressed, make other arrangements.  Second tier game lodges  (i.e. those not within a doubled game fence) are not a good deal in South Africa.  A good one tends to be very expensive (but offers low season availability to locals at 75% off).
> 
> What happened to the ubiquitous beggars in South Africa?  And I don't mean the diligent parking wardens.  It's amazing that in Phuket, not once this year has someone stopped me in the street, at a restaurant or knocked on my door seeking alms or a chance to grab.



Hi Robbie...nice to see you posting again. Congrats on dumping all your timeshares too!   Since you are now in Thailand, mind if I ask you if Chang Mai is relatively safe? I've a good friend who is female, retirement age and living off her social security check and just got a cottage in Chang Mai. She seems ecstatic...but should she do anything extra for security? (P.S. Also she is Black, and so I hope there's not rampant racism in Thailand that would threaten her safety.)


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## robbiefields

Carol C said:


> Hi Robbie...nice to see you posting again. Congrats on dumping all your timeshares too!   Since you are now in Thailand, mind if I ask you if Chang Mai is relatively safe? I've a good friend who is female, retirement age and living off her social security check and just got a cottage in Chang Mai. She seems ecstatic...but should she do anything extra for security? (P.S. Also she is Black, and so I hope there's not rampant racism in Thailand that would threaten her safety.)



Carol, 

I'm not hearing particularly negative things about Chiang Mai.  Nothing like the Phuket chatter.

As you may know,  Thais revere the elderly.  Grey is good!  In South Africa, she would be a sitting target no matter her age, her race, as a single lady.  In Thailand, she should be fine.

That said,  Thailand is not safe off the beaten track for young white women, even traveling as a twosome and some might argue not safe even when accompanied by another non Thai male.   

And, yes, you can have a fantastic lifestyle here on a social security check.  Even in Phuket, a modern furnished studio can be rented for not much more than $100 per month, $200 tops.   

My only real advice is for her :  Don't talk politics.  When the national anthem plays, stand up in the cinema and if you hear the national anthem out on the street, say at 6pm daily, just stop and be respectful even if life carries on around you.  The locals will notice.

Practical advice :  The new American Express pre paid cards are absolutely the best way to get cash at the ATM. They seem exempt from the $5 charged by the local Thai banks per withdrawal and the first $200 withdrawal per month incurs no fee by AMEX.  All the big stores I use here accept AMEX, too.


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## Carol C

robbiefields said:


> Carol,
> 
> I'm not hearing particularly negative things about Chiang Mai.  Nothing like the Phuket chatter.
> 
> As you may know,  Thais revere the elderly.  Grey is good!  In South Africa, she would be a sitting target no matter her age, her race, as a single lady.  In Thailand, she should be fine.
> 
> That said,  Thailand is not safe off the beaten track for young white women, even traveling as a twosome and some might argue not safe even when accompanied by another non Thai male.
> 
> And, yes, you can have a fantastic lifestyle here on a social security check.  Even in Phuket, a modern furnished studio can be rented for not much more than $100 per month, $200 tops.
> 
> My only real advice is for her :  Don't talk politics.  When the national anthem plays, stand up in the cinema and if you hear the national anthem out on the street, say at 6pm daily, just stop and be respectful even if life carries on around you.  The locals will notice.
> 
> Practical advice :  The new American Express pre paid cards are absolutely the best way to get cash at the ATM. They seem exempt from the $5 charged by the local Thai banks per withdrawal and the first $200 withdrawal per month incurs no fee by AMEX.  All the big stores I use here accept AMEX, too.



Thank you Robbie. I feel better now...and heck maybe one day I will be able to take her up on her invitation for me to visit. I have more gray hair now too!


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## Tomg

*No bias intended.*

Robbie, did not intent any anti-white bias.   We throughtly enjoyed all the white South Africans we met.  I know some of the items on the thread got pretty political, but our there was a good month.



robbiefields said:


> This thread puts the lie to the old barb about the difference between a tourist and a racist in South Africa, about 3 weeks goes the saying.
> 
> Ironically, I detect more anti White bias in this thread.  All I can say is that I have met the greatest white people in the world in RSA;  shame that the 80% good ones have to live with the 20% local white trash who seek any chance to cheat their fellow countrymen.
> 
> As many of you may know I have a house in South Africa.  I have lived there for most of the past 10 years.  That said,  I am relieved to be spending this year in my Phuket, Thailand cottage.  I miss my life in the _Platteland_, small town South Africa.  I will go back eventually hoping that my latest security measures will finally allow me to relax in my own house.
> 
> Phuket deservedly is getting bad press these days for awful stuff going on.
> But it is a simple matter to avoid unpleasantness in Thai society.  It just isn't so in South Africa, unless you isolate yourself behind the security cordon that the elite enjoys.  During the FIFA World Cup last year, I got to experience that level of security on several occasions and it was quite reassuring, far beyond levels of VIP security I have experienced in other countries.
> 
> Most tourists on self drive holidays are lulled into complacency by the apparent normalcy of South Africa and the superb highways once you get a few miles beyond the shanty towns surrounding the airports.
> 
> The truth of the matter is that the infamous crime infested places like Johannesburg (and Sandton is Johannesburg!) have had more than 15 years to evolve from "open" cities, as in Europe to "fortress" cities (most U.S. downtowns).   The crime wave has now enveloped previously relatively untouched cities and areas.  Port Elizabeth is a minefield of serious crime.
> South Africans refer to the Garden Route as "paradise" ... not for much longer as first Plettenberg Bay and now Knysna and George are rocked by big city crime.
> 
> Some solid advice here about not driving at night in South Africa.  But in most parts of the country, you do not casually pull over to the side of the road.  Once outside metropolitan areas, you do not allow your petrol gauge drift below half.  Yet if you break down, the next put down upon _Boer_ will stop to assist.
> 
> Just as you might inspect a hotel for fire suppression sprinklers and smoke detectors, gauge the hotel's overall security set up.  If not impressed, make other arrangements.  Second tier game lodges  (i.e. those not within a doubled game fence) are not a good deal in South Africa.  A good one tends to be very expensive (but offers low season availability to locals at 75% off).
> 
> What happened to the ubiquitous beggars in South Africa?  And I don't mean the diligent parking wardens.  It's amazing that in Phuket, not once this year has someone stopped me in the street, at a restaurant or knocked on my door seeking alms or a chance to grab.


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## Margariet

Tomg said:


> Robbie, did not intent any anti-white bias.   We throughtly enjoyed all the white South Africans we met.  I know some of the items on the thread got pretty political, but our there was a good month.



Like I said: Americans won't have any problems regarding sentiments of white Africans.


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## EWSteyn

Here is some information from official sources about tourist trends to SA:

http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/Content.aspx?id=161928

Interestingly, the UK, US, Germany, and countries in Africa make up the list of top 10 countries whose citizens visited South Africa in Dec 2011. Unfortunately it is not ranked and no comparison per country is given to last year, but overall the trend is positive.

Not stated in the article above, but something that I have read elsewhere is that tourism makes up just over 10% of the Western Cape province's GDP, and this percentage is also growing.

Thanks to everyone here that visited or intends to visit SA - it makes a huge difference in our economy and people!!!


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## Tomg

*Very appreciative of tourists*

EW, we found this to be very true.  The truism that tourists are good for local economy seems to be understood by everyone we met in South Africa.




EWSteyn said:


> Here is some information from official sources about tourist trends to SA:
> 
> http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/Content.aspx?id=161928
> 
> Interestingly, the UK, US, Germany, and countries in Africa make up the list of top 10 countries whose citizens visited South Africa in Dec 2011. Unfortunately it is not ranked and no comparison per country is given to last year, but overall the trend is positive.
> 
> Not stated in the article above, but something that I have read elsewhere is that tourism makes up just over 10% of the Western Cape province's GDP, and this percentage is also growing.
> 
> Thanks to everyone here that visited or intends to visit SA - it makes a huge difference in our economy and people!!!


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## beejaybeeohio

*Glad I found this thread*

Thanks, Tomg for your reviews, and other posters for their comments.
It's planning time for us- thinking about 3 weeks to include Capetown, the Krueger area and possibly near Victoria Falls.  Any months to avoid?  I'm aware that the different regions will have varied weather even at the same time of year.


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## Tomg

*Good places for three weeks.*

If I were to do our trip over again, I'd do these three places, flying inbetween.   Of course the best time for Krueger, the dry season (May-to early October) is the worst time for Victoria Falls.   Capetown should be OK just about anytime, but only beach weather in the summer, Dec. to March.  

Given these three destinations, early in the dry season, May or June, might be the best compromise.  Maybe some of the South African's on this board can give their opinions.

Good luck with your planning! 
Tom




beejaybeeohio said:


> Thanks, Tomg for your reviews, and other posters for their comments.
> It's planning time for us- thinking about 3 weeks to include Capetown, the Krueger area and possibly near Victoria Falls.  Any months to avoid?  I'm aware that the different regions will have varied weather even at the same time of year.


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## Margariet

beejaybeeohio said:


> Thanks, Tomg for your reviews, and other posters for their comments.
> It's planning time for us- thinking about 3 weeks to include Capetown, the Krueger area and possibly near Victoria Falls.  Any months to avoid?  I'm aware that the different regions will have varied weather even at the same time of year.



For watching wildlife in Kruger I would say September, October is the best time of the year. But have a look at this thread, which will give you more info: http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=145749


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## beejaybeeohio

*Thanks for the latest tips*

If you read my latest post on the Europe forum, you'll see I've lots of persuading to do on DH!

I did find Mabula available in early August thru RCI- seems like a great resort as they include activities tickets with your timeshare.  Probably would have to eliminate Victoria Falls due to airfare there from J-burg.  I'm selling DH on South Africa as a "bargain" since the only big expense would be the r/t airfaire.

PS Forgive my post frowny face- it's meant for DH, not Margariet and Tomg!!!


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## cmh

beejaybeeohio said:


> If you read my latest post on the Europe forum, you'll see I've lots of persuading to do on DH!
> 
> I did find Mabula available in early August thru RCI- seems like a great resort as they include activities tickets with your timeshare.  Probably would have to eliminate Victoria Falls due to airfare there from J-burg.  I'm selling DH on South Africa as a "bargain" since the only big expense would be the r/t airfaire.
> 
> PS Forgive my post frowny face- it's meant for DH, not Margariet and Tomg!!!



I stayed at Mabula in March of 2010. What is it with these men?  That they don't want to go to SA?     Or travel as much as women do.  I went with my sister-in-law, and the two of us drove rental cars for 2 weeks in SA. She and I actually had a 3 bedroom at Mabula.  The first week we flew into J'burg, spent the night at a hotel and drove to Mabula the next day. There is a direct flight from Atlanta to J'burg. Later we flew from J'burg to Capetown and got another rental car for the 2nd week, spending a couple nights in the Winelands and the rest in Capetown.

I would love to go back to SA.  Wished I could talk my husband into it.


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