The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force

I’m back in Mabalane after 3 weeks in South Africa. There were many highlights and things to tell. Here is only a quick run through of what I did.

Forrest and I traveled down to Cape Town together and met up with Donna and Luis, a couple that just finished their Peace Corps service. On our way we stayed in Johannesburg with Drew at a fancy hotel by the airport. Forrest, Donna, and Luis all left me in Cape Town but that night Helen flew in to join me for the rest of my/our trip. I rented a car, and was waiting for her when she landed.

We spent a couple more days in Cape Town then traveled along the Garden Route, tasted a bit of the Wild Coast, and cut up to the Drakensberg Mountain range before dropping off the car in Nelspruit. We saw penguins and whales on the Garden Route. I went surfing at Jeffrey’s Bay. We went canoeing; slept in a tents; had great views; saw sunrises the best after cooking a warthog breakfast spaghetti; and hiked among other things. Hiking for a couple days in the mountains was my favorite part of my trip besides Helen’s company.

South Africa is beautiful here are some pictures for those with Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100382487309358.2448514.19717384&type=1&l=b45a617db0 http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100374515959008.2446851.19717384&type=1&l=6c98e3be90. The camera died and we lost the charger, so there aren’t as many photos for the second part of the trip.

Besides the geography, I didn’t like the country very much. There was a racists vibe, and the country is extremely segregated. The rich areas are almost completely white with black servants. The poor areas, extremely poor, are completely black and colored. I heard these crazy stories from white South Africans about how all the blacks are going to rise up and try to kill all the white people after Nelson Mandela dies. Some people are building underground shelters, storing food and ammo. We picked up some hitch hikers on our journey, trying to pay it forward from all the hitch hiking we do in Mozambique. They all seemed friendly and grateful to get a free ride. Some of these hitch hikers gave me a better understanding of South Africa than my tourist view.

The following is my opinion based off the limited time and interactions with the people of South Africa. I was visiting tourist sites and only staying in nice areas. But everywhere I went was predominantly white with black or colored servants/workers. South Africa is only about 9% white but all the nicest places to go are all white. Everything we did costed a fee, or a form of racism because most of the black and colored people cannot afford such luxuries. Socialist roads and parks, like in the US, are pretty nice!

Occasionally we saw townships, I heard the more rural you go the worse they get which is difficult to imagine. I couldn't help wonder what the government does with all money from the never ending fees? Even their sales tax was high, about 14%. I asked some hitch hikers and they said there is welfare for children and old people. It is 250-450 rand (30-55 dollars) a month. They also said people in the rural areas never get any of it. I was told the president has five wives, numerous girlfriends, twenty something kids and two private jets for his family to travel. They say people gave up on voting because candidates come in with free shirts and food then they make a bunch of promises and once they get elected they never return. Instead elected officials buy a new house and car and take care of their family. This I witness in Mozambique, the people at the top seem to take advantage of their positions while the people at the bottom remain in need. 

We picked up this boy hitch hiking by himself. He is a primary school student who hitch hikes 30 km (18 miles) to and from school every day because the school in his town is too expensive. His father passed away and his mother stays at home to take care of his siblings. He seemed a bit awkward. I wish I remembered his name and knew more about him. I bet he has such interesting perspectives. I wonder how many white people give him rides? Will he remember me, as I suspect I will remember him?

South Africa is a very rich country, they produce a crazy amount of the worlds diamonds.There economy is significantly better than their neighbors if not the rest of Africa. But even with all that money there are serious problems. The people are not happy with the government, there are tons of crime, and extreme racial tension. At least, all the beautiful places are really developed, safe, and white. Got colonialism? Was this America in Jim Crow days?

There were many other things that I will try to add later. I’m getting tired of typing. Peace, love and do good things

Jimmy