You
can never be too clever ! 
"Twenty years from now you will
be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones
you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor.
Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain
Sunny South Africa –
Where the Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and Good Friends Meet !
South Africa has been
given the nickname “The Rainbow Nation” due to the
colorful composition of warm and friendly people, and their vast range
of ethnic diversity, cultures, beliefs, languages and origins. Nelson
Mandela has also become an icon respected all over the world. Globally,
people who had never heard of South Africa before, are now aware of the
country largely due to the magical presence of Nelson Mandela, or as
South Africans fondly refer to him, "Madiba" ! The
population of just less than 50 million is spread evenly over more than
1.2 million km² of urban and rural areas.
South Africa is proudly approaching a decade of economic upswing, is
seen as the powerhouse of Africa, and is fast becoming a favorite in
tourist destinations. In less than two years, South Africa will host
the FIFA 2010 World Cup (the first time ever that the FIFA World Cup is
to be held on African soil) ! The majority of South Africans are sport
fanatics, especially where it concerns football, rugby and cricket.
This subtropical country boasts sunny skies and warm weather for the
majority of the year, has a coastline of about 3,000 km with some of
the world's best surf, and provides spectacular attractions ranging
from the world's oldest rock paintings to technologically advanced
cities with skyscrapers equal to those in any first-world country. It
has over 2,000 km of dual carriageway providing a smooth drive from the
southern-most tip of the continent to the northern-most tip of the
country. Delightfully though, nature reserves are within
minutes or hours from all the cities and towns, all with world class
accommodation and amenities, and have an amazing range of wild animals,
including the ever popular big five (lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo
and rhino) in their natural environments. The Cape Floral Kingdom, one
of the world’s six floral kingdoms, contains more plant
species than the whole of Europe.
South Africa produces
the majority of electricity for the African
continent. It also has the best telecommunications network in
Africa, including wireless, satellite and cellular technologies, with
the majority of the population having access via the cellular network
providers. The TV network has almost 100 digital channels to choose
from. The water is of superior quality and of the best to be found in
the world. Tap water is palatable, available almost everywhere in the
country, and is safe and suitable for consumption (almost better than
bottled water) !
Tourists are astonished at how favorable the exchange rate is for
international currencies, and agree that South Africa offers great
value for money, and is one of the least expensive holiday destinations
in the world. There are 11 official languages, and although English is
the first language of only 8.2% of the population, it is the language
most widely understood, and the second language used by the majority of
South Africans. The majority of the population speak at least 2
languages, but many can speak between 3 and 11 different languages !
The South African tourism industry is blooming and is waiting eagerly
in anticipation for the mass of tourists that will descend on the
country in 2010 for the first FIFA World Cup to be held in Africa.
Hope to see you there ! Click here for a map to
choose your destination, or on one of the links below to get
going !
