going to south africa in november

i cant stop thinking about it. very excited.

are there any international travelers here?

south african consolate dont play. you need to have your passport valid for 30 days after your return date with 4 blank pages. a bank statement from me. a letter from my job saying i am employed and will be after i come back. a letter from the dude i am staying with saying i am invited and he will be responsible for my room and board. proof of return flight.
pretty sure thats it. dont need a travel visa.

that is the scary part for me. 24 hours of either shuffling around or sitting in a flying tube.
not looking forward to that at all.

i am excited for the moment i step off the plane at my final destination.

i never would have thought i would ever be in africa for any reason and now i cant wait.

just thinking about looking up at the sky is tripping me out. all the different food.
place looks like paradise.

only place i know i am for sure doing that is a tourist type of deal is the drakensburg mountains.

Why on Earth would you want to go there? Forgive me if I am ignorant but isn't that a very dangerous place?


iTruthSeeker

originally posted by: iTruthSeeker
Why on Earth would you want to go there? Forgive me if I am ignorant but isn't that a very dangerous place?


iTruthSeeker

some places are. i am going to durban. major city. it does get crazy there though.
i am only going to be on the ground in durban 6 days. i am staying with a native and of course he will be my guide.

im just feeling the need to get away...had a lot going on this year. i met this dude last year and we spent a lot of time together. kept in touch and it kind of just fleshed itself out.

might be a midlife crisis kind of deal but i dont care. i have the money and the time. this is one of those things that i have the chance to do and actually do it and if i dont i never will have the chance again so i am going to jump on it.

South African here, where in SA are you going.

Nvm, see its Durban.

originally posted by: iTruthSeeker
Why on Earth would you want to go there? Forgive me if I am ignorant but isn't that a very dangerous place?


iTruthSeeker

It's not that bad if you keep to the good neighborhoods.

know what im saying? i have to see that.
there are a few things i specifically want to do.
for sure going to eat kudu and warthog sausage.

for sure going to hold a baby lion. for sure going to take a #2 in the bush.
going to cruise the coast on a motorcycle. not the kind of my choice but its what i have access to.
the drakensburg mountains. that would cover the bush.

mostly just want to see how life is and relax in his backyard. he is always cooking killer #. big techie dude so he has a killer setup with that.
going to basically do what i do here except do it there with a couple things tossed in.
i want to go to a bazaar.
mind enhancement/relaxation at night except in africa. it will be freezing where i am from and i will be in 75 degree weather.
going to be awesome

originally posted by: Quaria
South African here, where in SA are you going.

Nvm, see its Durban.

originally posted by: iTruthSeeker
Why on Earth would you want to go there? Forgive me if I am ignorant but isn't that a very dangerous place?


iTruthSeeker

It's not that bad if you keep to the good neighborhoods.

what part are you in?
going from jfk(new york) to johannesburg to durban.
he says he has a few places he wants to take me but mostly the mountains and durban.
i wanted to go to capetown but i would have to fly from durban and i want as little time in the air as possible.

a reply to: TinySickTears

Good for you!

Have a safe trip and enjoy.

might be a midlife crisis kind of deal but i dont care. i have the money and the time. this is one of those things that i have the chance to do and actually do it and if i dont i never will have the chance again so i am going to jump on it.

Exactly, who cares? It's your life so enjoy it! Tomorrow's not promised and if you have the opportunity/means to live your dreams today, I say go for it! Adventure awaits!

a reply to: TinySickTears
I'm from a farm on the south tip of Mpumalanga, about in the middle of Joburg and Durban actually.

along with the kudu and warthog i have to have some of this bunny chow

en.wikipedia.org...

Some of these images are sooo stunning. I would be all over the fishing and diving.

www.google.com...

Have a great time.

Thats perfectly normal to make sure you don't stay there or will be working there.
Also make sure you have a return ticket out f the country within the permitted visa period.

You will LOVE STH Africa!
I hope you get to Capetown and head to Krueger National park , You can also dive off Capetown with sharks.
Some great wineries round there too.

Post pics!

a reply to: TinySickTears

Lol I'm in Durban and wish one day to go to New York! Well a happy welcome for November! All the things you want to do sound amazing (I live here and haven't done half those things) well I've stayed in the drakensburg mountains a few times absolutely beautiful and you should try horse riding. Just a causious word please just don't flash expensive jewelry or anything like that. If you're sensible and don't travel alone then you're going to have an awesome six days.

The surf culture here is happening and you can ride a rickshaw (google durban rickshaw).

You must try a bunny chow and have a lekker braai!

Your excitement is catchy! The drive from the airport into town is very green and open and scenic.

Which part of Durban does your guide stay in oh just a quick word of advice though. Don't buy any black market rhino horn or ivory. Lol!

a reply to: TinySickTears

Wow, give your head a shake. I lived there before it became really stupid, but I still have good friends, in joburg, Capetown, Port Elizabeth, east London, Pretoria and nelspruit, they can't escape.

Do not go out at night, unless you are in a large group, meaning 10 or more and most of you are armed. 357 and 44 magnums work best but a glock 40 will certainly do the trick or a 9mm Parabellum. Hollowpoints and fragmentation Hollowpoints work best. Assume when driving you will probably get carjacked, locked doors don't stop bullets or broken windows. I have a friend in Capetown who gets carjacked 3 times a year. Do not stop when driving, rolling stops only so you can speed away. Make sure your peripheral vision is not blocked. You can be killed for a cell phone, when I was there the value of a human life was about 20 rand.

Always be armed and aware of your surroundings, exit points, materials to use as weapons. I am well experienced in South Africa and provided more than my fair share of unhappy endings to criminals and terrorists, don't be one of their unhappy endings. I could tell you some of my real life experiences about babies/muti, necklacings, civilian torture, etc, but I am quite sure it would scare the living s##t out of you.

I have to ask why you would risk your life going to the murder, rape and HIV/AIDS/xtb capital of the world?

Cheers - Dave

a reply to: TinySickTears

I met a girl from S.A. once. She had this unfamiliar accent which I thought was quite intriguing...

Happy Travels..

Have a fun, safe journey and come back with lots of pics!

originally posted by: HD3DSURROUNDSOUND


Which part of Durban does your guide stay in oh just a quick word of advice though. Don't buy any black market rhino horn or ivory. Lol!

i thought i replied to this.
im not sure what part. he sends me pics all the time from his backyard. its his yard, then a roof or two and then the water.
he works on balfour rd and i know it is not a long trip from there to his house but i dont know any other particulars.
i have his address somewhere but it really means nothing to me at this point.

i know its durban in the kwazulu natal province.

ive got a couple books coming so i can teach myself afrikaans. i have several months so i should be able to get by.
couple things i have to look for down there so speaking afrikaans would help a lot.

another benefit is the people that run my company are all from durban. i deal with them a lot but when there are a pair of them they start going back and forth in afrikaans and i would love to be able to know what they are saying

moved the trip to the end of january. gives me a few more bucks and a few extra days on the ground.

i will be staying about 7 miles away from the victoria street market. not sure what direction.
he wants to go horseback riding in the drakensburg mountains but im not in great shape and im no viking warrior so thats not happening. i dont want to be too sore to move around the whole time i am there. the mountains are happening but not riding a horse for 2 hours.

so the dude i am staying with in january is coming back to the states for another technical issue we have to deal with and will be staying with me for 4 days at the end of july. thats awesome.
trip is still on.
still trying to plan on exactly what to do.
just working on getting all my travel papers and passport together.
need to figure the best way to travel to and from with meds. dont need to get tossed into some joburg prison