Here’s why—

1.  The people we met were friendly and interested in Americans.  Most speak English and, of course, we were usually in tourist areas but the people still seemed humble and anxious to talk with us.  They were anxious to tell us all about their countries and cultures.
2. The cost of everything is much cheaper than here.  A glass of wine in a U.S. restaurant is $8+.  In Southern Africa it’s about $3—and that’s a great bottle.  Food, hotels, transportation, and consumer goods are much cheaper and your dollar goes a long way.  (Zimbabwe uses the American dollar as their currency)  The African art work in markets and galleries is so original and colorful.
3. The countries are beautiful—from oceans, beaches, mountains, rain forests, deserts, and, of course, thousands of big game to view.  Cape Town is European in culture and one of the most stunning cities in the world.  “Like San Francisco except more of it in every way.”
4. You can see lots and lots of the biggest game on the planet in Southern Africa.  They’re wild, majestic, and you can actually get pretty close to them.  It depends on the animal, especially something like hippos that don’t like humans (or anyone) too close to them.
5. The food and wine are different from ours but still delicious.  The wine produced in Southern Africa is some of the best in the world and was established long before our vineyards in California.  Want to taste grilled meat like kudu, warthog, impala, and dozens of different kinds of sausages?  Try Southern Africa.
6. The weather is more extreme than the U.S. and is wonderful to experience.  Cape Town has a mild, Mediterranean climate.  Zimbabwe and Botswana are dry with temperatures that often go over 100 degrees.  When the rainy season starts (late November) the land explodes in lush, green growth along with more animal activity.  Sluggish rivers gush over their banks flooding dry areas and bringing life to everyone.
7. You can experience the ancient symbiotic relationship between humans and animals that goes back thousands of years.  The animals are well protected in these countries and the herds are growing.  Where can you experience this in the U.S?  If you get the chance—go!!  It’s worth the cost and even the long plane ride.

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1.  In South Africa the majority of people are black or colored (mixed racial background) in contrast to the U.S.  As a result, whites interacted with blacks in official situations although the apartheid laws prevented “after hours” friendships and socializing.  In the U.S. many whites still don’t have much contact with blacks.  Race relations in South Africa were already more advanced with more understanding between the two groups before apartheid ended.  One of our white guides (a cinematographer)  told us a delightful story.  During apartheid, he had a black assistant who was forced to stay in bad hotels while the white person got a nice hotel.  To get around the law, the white guide had the assistant carry the camera case up to the white’s room.  The case contained the black person’s clothing and he was able to share the room overnight.  If anyone came to the room to check if the law was followed, the black man simply hid in the bathroom.
2. Apartheid was a system of laws that created separation and oppression.  Both blacks and whites emphasized the struggle was against the system, not blacks against whites.  That meant all races could work together to over-turn a system.  In contrast in the U.S. we, unfortunately, often pit whites against blacks—which makes cooperation and understanding more difficult in our race relations.
3. The townships were the poor areas, shantytowns, where the apartheid laws forced blacks to live.  They were really suburbs of Cape Town—which was starkly different.  What surprised me was the variety of poor and wealthy who still live in these suburbs.  In Langa, for instance, there was an area called “Beverly Hills.”  It contained larger houses, cars, and yards where the doctors, lawyers, teachers, and engineers lived.  Although these residents could afford to leave—they didn’t.
4. In our country, many people who have been surveyed think our race relations are getting worse.  In South America, I sensed optimism.  Everyone referred to the “new” South Africa (after apartheid) and how good the future was going to be.  Maybe the best example was our middle-aged black guide who complained his college-aged kids were so integrated with whites and colored people they couldn’t understand the oppression and struggle their parents had experienced.  They thought dad was nuts!  That’s progress and hope for race relations in South Africa.

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