Today's South Africa

As I am about to leave the beautiful country that South Africa has been to me with great sadness, I wanted to write this last post to keep a little part of the country with me for right now.

The People

After Nelson Mandela's gain of power in 1994, the country has experienced an enormous transformation and only for the better. Apartheid and racism is no longer a part of everyday life in the country and people of all colors live together in peace. People are mostly positive and VERY friendly and warm and I'm going to miss them immensely.

Culture

South African music is a mix of pretty much every country and/or tribe that has set foot on the land. Music does definitely surround everyday life, you will see more than one street musicians playing outside on a busy Cape Town street. The music is mostly dominated by drums, influenced by jazz and gospel.  

Dance in South Africa is very expressive with a lot of intense movements. It is heavily influenced by old tribal ritual dances.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paGBMeCdPyE

Religion

When it comes to religion the number of South Africans who consider themselves religious has decreased from 83% of the population in 2005 to 64% of the population in 2012. Christianity is the most common religion with 73% considering themselves Christian in 2007. 

Economy

Even while in such big global economy crisis, South Africa has managed to stay on his feet. And that with the help of it's political stability, well capitalized banking system and abundant natural resources just to name a few factors. It seems as though the country's economy is only getting better with a growth of 2,7 % this year and it is projected to be at 3,5 in 2014 and 3,8 in 2015.

Budget:
Now that I am at the end of my trip I can finally estimate my budget.
 4110 (plane)
 4829 (hotel)
   530 (reserve)
+ 530 (safari)
     90 (Mandela cell)
   300 (for utilities throughout the 2 weeks)
   350 (toys, things I have bought, souvenirs)
___________
10739 kr
^ and worth every penny! I would pay even more for all the amazing experiences and all the beautiful friends I have made here. Thank you South Africa, I'll be back!

GOODBYE YOU LOVELY SOUTH AFRICA!
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https://www.google.no/search?q=south+african+people&safe=off&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=JeWLUq6cKKaQ4gSK9oHYDQ&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1241&bih=592#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=cPWSvnLjJl239M%3A%3Bi04HnkgNNNDxDM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.makingchangenow.com%252Fwordpress%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2009%252F06%252Fsouth-africa-mix-978.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.makingchangenow.com%252Fwordpress%252Fmy-journey-to-south-africa-%2525E2%252580%252593-what-a-country%252F%3B1928%3B1253
http://www.southafrica.info/business/economy/econoverview.htm#.Uovl0MQz3z4
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_South_Africa

MADIBA

Hello! Or should I say Aweh! I am still here in South Africa and couldn't be enjoying myself more!

This week I met up with Johnny for dinner. He let me in on the fact that Nelson Mandela day was coming up and invited me to celebrate with his friends and family. I could obviously not pass this opportunity up, so I joined them on July 18th to celebrate Madiba.

The timing was just about perfect as I was at Robben Island and Mandela's cell just last week and am more than eager to learn more about this fascinating and fearless man. None the less celebrate him!

This is good timing for you too as I just wrote about Mandela in my last post, so you have some background information as well, even though I am sure that just about everyone knows something about Nelson Mandela.

Mandela day is celebrated on July 18th each year. That is Mr. Mandela's birthday. People gather for festivities, concerts and to do good deeds. The motto is "Nelson Mandela dedicated 67 years for doing something good, can you dedicate 67 minutes?" 

Me and Johnny went down to the Children's Hospital in Cape Town with a bunch of toys and coloring books which we gave to the sick children, but most importantly, we spent time with them. And I saw that that was what made them the happiest. It was such a rewarding experience and I was balling when we had to leave!

Later on in the day, right before sunset, a lot of people gathered in downtown Cape Town to celebrate Madiba. There was music, dancers and people singing well known traditional chants. It was so much fun, I wish it never ended!

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Oh my, I am just listening to the TV in my room in the background and news is on. Apparently there has been a shopping center that has collapsed in Tongaat, near Durban (eastern SA). So far they know that at least 2 people have lost their lives and dozens more injured. Please keep these people in your prayers. 

Talk to you soon!

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http://www.capetownmagazine.com/social/67-minutes-for-Mandela/118_22_18197
http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/mandela/2013/07/19/the-world-celebrated-mandela-day---photos
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/19/world/africa/south-africa-building-collapse/index.html?hpt=iaf_c1

CLASSIC AFRICA

Hello! I am back with an update, and I am so excited!
I haven't really been doing many ordinary things lately. In the past week I went on a little safari, went to a Wildlife reserve and to Robben island!

One of the main reason for my traveling all the way to South Africa is for me to see some unusual animals in which I have always been interested, but never gotten the chance to experience first hand. I especially love giraffes, so you could only imagine how anxious I was when I got to SA. The absolutely first thing I wanted to do was visit the animals. So I decided to take a trip to Sanbona Wildlife Reserve. It's a 2,5 h drive from Cape Town. There is saw some of my beloved giraffes as well as cheetahs, lions and zebras.

 

Later on in the week I went on an actual safari where we actually road our own ATV's. That is where I saw all of "The big five". (On this trip I made a good friend by the name of Johnny, who was very helpful and with whom I made a deal to meet again. I asked him if he wanted to show me around later on, since he lives in Cape Town as well.)

The view from our drive

Prices for both of these trips were around 530 for each and that included food and drinks.

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Next on my agenda for the week was a trip to Robben Island, the former penal colony where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years of his life. Nelson Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist who was put in prison for his work to end racism in SA. In 1964 he was jailed and spent 27 years behind the bars, 18 of which at Robben Island. After being released from prison in 1991 he turned to politics and became the first democratically chosen president of South Africa. He was also the first black president. Nelson Mandela is a hugely iconic figure for S. Africans, so I was more than strongly advised to visit Robben Island and his cell.                                             

Mandela's cell
(Price for the trip to Robben Island is R150 which translates to 90kr, which is just about dirt-cheap and worth going there 3 times...)

Thank you for reading, talk to you soon!

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http://www.go2-safari.no/safarireiser/safari-sor-afrika/sanbona-wildlife-reserve-montagu.htm

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g1214939-d654947-r147729430-Aquila_Private_Game_Reserve-Touwsriver_Western_Cape.html

http://goafrica.about.com/od/southafrica/tp/besttodosa.01.htm

http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fil:Nelson_Mandela%27s_prison_cell,_Robben_Island,_South_Africa.jpg

http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fil:SafrikaIMG_8414.JPG

http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela#Fengsel

South Africa pt. II

Hello again!
After 20 hours of travelling I have finally touched down in Cape Town and settled into my hotel. I traveled with Turkish Airlines and started my journey in Oslo where I took an 18:15 flight to Istanbul where we had an intermediate stop before boarding a 00:55 flight to our final destination - Cape Town, which we did not reach until 13:10. The overall price for my tickets was 4110 kr.

The hotel in which I am staying at here in Cape Town is the "Double Tree by Hilton Cape Town" and it is located in the Upper East Side of the city. I am planing on staying here for a two full weeks and the price I am paying for a single room is 4829 kr for all 14 nights. I am rather surprised with the hotel here! It is much nicer than what I had anticipated.

(Sidenote: The currency here is South African rand, so be prepared with those once you get here!)

South Africa is, as you would have already guessed, located in the south of the continent of Africa. It has borders with Swaziland, Lesotho, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. South Africa has a huge coast line which makes the country an attractive tourist destination. The population stands at about 53 million people today which makes South Africa the 24th most populated country in the world.

Around 80% of South Africans are of black African ancestry. 9% of the population today is white which is a result of South Africa being a colony of multiple European countries.

During my stay in South Africa I have planned on going on a little journey, possibly a Safari, and then we'll see what this beautiful place will bring to me. I want to visit a couple of different places other than Cape Town. I am not interested in just staying at my room the whole time, I am here to experience new things.
Now I really need to go to bed, I can barely keep my eyes open.
Talk to you soon!
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https://www.google.no/search?q=south+africa+map&safe=off&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=o5OLUq7NOOiO4ATjtIE4&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1241&bih=592#q=south%20africa%20world%20map&revid=766200151&safe=off&tbm=isch&facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=9sEsfxoZa8GqZM%3A%3BxMcZp1DWbbLhBM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.worldatlas.com%252Fwebimage%252Fcountrys%252Fafrica%252Fzaafrica.gif%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.worldatlas.com%252Fwebimage%252Fcountrys%252Fafrica%252Fza.htm%3B320%3B350
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa

My Journey to South Africa pt. I

Hello!
I am about to leave for South Africa in about 4 hours and I just realized, I have not packed any diaries or notebooks with me. This seems really stupid as this journey is one of the most exciting things that I have ever done. However, I do have my laptop with me so I thought, "Why not just create a blog and use that as a diary and write down my experiences?" And that is exactly what I am doing.

I am going to South Africa all alone. The journey is my early birthday present from me. It is also a personal dare towards myself as lately I have felt like I was stuck in a bit of a rut. South Africa has always been number one on my dream destinations list and that is why I chose to go there.

I realize that traveling alone will be hard, something that will make it easier is the fact that South Africa is an English speaking country. This makes me more comfortable and less scared leaving home.

To give some background history the Dutch settled into South Africa in 1652 later on in 1815 after the Napoleonic wars the British took over the country and colonized it. There were a lot of wars happening between the white settlers and the black natives until 1910 when South Africa became a union, a coalition between the English and Afrikaner states. In 1960 the country became independent from English rule and got a status as a republic. But that wasn't the end of hardships for the blacks as Apartheid was a big factor in their lives. And it was that way until Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990. Since then South Africa has experienced an enormous transformation. But I'll tell you more about that later. Now I have to get going.

Talk to you in South Africa!

 (sources: http://www.larktours.com/brief-history-of-south-africa)