Dagmara
I'm so glad this book is getting love aunrod the blogosphere. It's an astounding story and Gilman is an insightful and entertaining writer. To Jenny above who asked if the book seemed gossipy about Claire, the traveling companion. I thought Gilman handled that aspect in a compassionate way. She's changed identifying details about Claire, and expresses gratitude to Claire for getting her out there to see the world. Also, throughout the book, she points out times where she must have been really annoying to Claire. So she's open about her own faults too.
Sai
I am a South African, born in Durban but now living in Joburg. SA has been hard at work gareing up for the World Cup, and quite honestly it has really pulled us together as a nation. There will be massive police presence all over, as safety for the tourists will be the focus. BUT you NEED to read up on safety tips. You NEED to know which areas to avoid. Only go on tours with registered and reputable companies. Dont venture out on your own. Do a little research and choose a cab company and stick to them.I recommend Mozzie Taxis in Durban and Roses in JHB. Otherwise you will be scammed out of your hard earned holiday money. Dont walk down the beachfront/street with your camera around your neck or your Ipod out in full view. Use SA Rand, avoid using Dollars as much as possible as you will be ripped off. Be aware of people trying to sell you items or beg for money, at robots (traffic lights), as this is a hijack and smash and grab tactic.Familiarise yourself with the closest police station, and if you get bumped by another car, hit by a stone or waved to pull over, drive to the nearest police station, dont pull over. Make sure you know which route you are taking and avoid taking turnoffs off the highway that you do not know as these could lead you into dangerous areas. When purchasing any items from markets or street vendors, be sure to check your purchase before you walk away as I have known foreign friends to buy what they thought was a cellphone but turned out to be a bar of soap in a box.Also remember you CANNOT walk around some cities, anytime. Ask a local, we are a very friendly nation, and your visiting our country is a priviledge, so Im sure they would be happy to answer any qyuestions you have.We have a community organisation in SA, called Mommies on a Mission, and we are happy to answer any questions or give advise where we can, on anything related to where to go in SA, from local South Africans. We are very aware that any incidents would negatively affect our tourism, which would create more issues fr the communities, so any little way we can help, we dont mind. Drop us a line if you want to know anything, and we'll let you know . Give us a day or so to answer as we do work on African time
Dagmara I'm so glad this book is getting love aunrod the blogosphere. It's an astounding story and Gilman is an insightful and entertaining writer. To Jenny above who asked if the book seemed gossipy about Claire, the traveling companion. I thought Gilman handled that aspect in a compassionate way. She's changed identifying details about Claire, and expresses gratitude to Claire for getting her out there to see the world. Also, throughout the book, she points out times where she must have been really annoying to Claire. So she's open about her own faults too.
Sai I am a South African, born in Durban but now living in Joburg. SA has been hard at work gareing up for the World Cup, and quite honestly it has really pulled us together as a nation. There will be massive police presence all over, as safety for the tourists will be the focus. BUT you NEED to read up on safety tips. You NEED to know which areas to avoid. Only go on tours with registered and reputable companies. Dont venture out on your own. Do a little research and choose a cab company and stick to them.I recommend Mozzie Taxis in Durban and Roses in JHB. Otherwise you will be scammed out of your hard earned holiday money. Dont walk down the beachfront/street with your camera around your neck or your Ipod out in full view. Use SA Rand, avoid using Dollars as much as possible as you will be ripped off. Be aware of people trying to sell you items or beg for money, at robots (traffic lights), as this is a hijack and smash and grab tactic.Familiarise yourself with the closest police station, and if you get bumped by another car, hit by a stone or waved to pull over, drive to the nearest police station, dont pull over. Make sure you know which route you are taking and avoid taking turnoffs off the highway that you do not know as these could lead you into dangerous areas. When purchasing any items from markets or street vendors, be sure to check your purchase before you walk away as I have known foreign friends to buy what they thought was a cellphone but turned out to be a bar of soap in a box.Also remember you CANNOT walk around some cities, anytime. Ask a local, we are a very friendly nation, and your visiting our country is a priviledge, so Im sure they would be happy to answer any qyuestions you have.We have a community organisation in SA, called Mommies on a Mission, and we are happy to answer any questions or give advise where we can, on anything related to where to go in SA, from local South Africans. We are very aware that any incidents would negatively affect our tourism, which would create more issues fr the communities, so any little way we can help, we dont mind. Drop us a line if you want to know anything, and we'll let you know . Give us a day or so to answer as we do work on African time