Have a great time in South Africa!
Clothing:
1. Pack light, don't over do it. You do not need your whole wardrobe in your backpack. Make sure you pack a couple of t-shirts, couple pairs of jeans, sufficient underwears, a warm jumper, jacket, and LOTS of socks. Socks do not take up a lot of space; having clean socks make trips much more pleasant.
Food:
You can have some fun with this one. When I travel, I like to eat well, eat healthy, and try local specialties...while not spend a lot of money. Food won't be an issue if you're traveling in Asia, you can get AMAZING food for pennies. In South Africa, a moderate place in term cost, you can use a couple of tricks.
1. Light, light, heavy. Most of us are used to eating three meals a day. The way to eat well cheaply is to plan out your meals. I usually eat two low quality meals and one nice one. For the morning I usually down a 500g/1lb of yogurt from Pick n' Pay (they're everywhere). It's healthy, it gives you the living culture to keep your stomach happy a long time. For lunch, I'll have a couple pieces of bread or pastry. For dinner, I'll go to a nice restaurant and get a specialty plate to satisfy the stomach.
2. Chew gum. When you're hungry but unable to attain food, chew gum.
3. Juice. Fruit juice is inexpensive in South Africa. You can get 100% fruit juice and have that as a meal replacement. 100% fruit juice has all the nutrients and vitamins to keep you healthy.
4. KFC. If you can't resist the temptation of hunger, have a meal at KFC; $3 would get you pretty far there.
*Pick n' Pay, SPAR, SHOPRITE, are your best friends.
Accommodation:
Accommodation seems to be very inflexible, yet it cost so much. I find it very stupid to spend a lot of money to sleep. You are absolutely doing nothing when you sleep. During World Cup, hostel rates tripled! Being forced to come up with ways to survive, I'm going to give you some alternative ways I've used to get through the night safely without spending too much money.
1. Hostels: unadvertised hostels are cheaper than those advertised.
2. Go to a restaurant for dinner, stay at a bar till 12 midnight. Check-in past midnight, and you'll get cheaper rates.
3. Go to the train station, tell the security guard you're tired and but your train doesn't come in the morning. Take out your mp3, put on your headphones. Then sleep on the bench while being safely guarded.
4. Clubs don't close till 3AM. If you're a college student, this isn't a big deal. The next day? Go to the beach in the morning, and wake up in the afternoon. That's life...just like in college.
5. 24-hour cafes are rare in South Africa, but you can always find 24-hr INTERNET cafes. Go to one, and surf the night away. Beach it the next morning.
6. If you rented a car and on the road, you can save a night's accommodation. Choose your spot wisely. I recommend you park at a fancy hotel, rich residential area, police station, but here's my favourite: car dealership. Whatever the make of car you drive, find its dealership and park there. You'll be unseen. Oh right...of course, did I mention you are sleeping in the car?
7. Going to the bathroom may not be as comfortable as the one at home. If you are in downtown Cape Town, you can go to Mandela Rhode place. On the first floor, there's a 5-star bathroom with lots of room, clean toilet and sink, and sufficient toilet paper. Other places, you'll have to use your general traveling senses.
*Sleep and Go hostel (5th floor, 112 Long St., Cape Town, cheapest place to stay)
Transportation:
Going from Point A to Point B isn't as easy in a foreign country. In South Africa you have many options. Using these options, I've traveled around 4000KM in and around Cape Town.
1. Walk. Downtown Cape Town is pretty small, you can anywhere within 20 mins. Walk as if you are a local and know the place inside and out. Do not turn your head too much, that shows insecurity. Make eye contact with the people passing by, especially those who look like they're going to rob you. Show ZERO fear.
2. Train is not recommended for any tourist. But they're too cheap and convenient to be passed up. If you take the train, make conversation with the person besides you as soon as you sit down. You are less likely to be robbed if you are actively engaged in a talk with a local. It makes it hard for the robber to decide your relationship with the local.
3. Mini-taxi. These things are everywhere. They'll yell at you on the road trying to get you to take it. Mini taxi looks like a minivan, they'll have anywhere from 1 to 20 passengers inside (VERY crowded at times).
4. Rent a car. Do some research online, the online rates are A LOT better than what they would give you at the desk. My rental had been R170 ($23) per day (including taxes). Relatively speaking, a night at hostel cost R100.
5. If you decide to rent a car, there are a few things I should tell you. In South Africa, people drive on the LEFT side of the road, and most cars are equipped with MANUAL transmission. You might be turned off by this if you can't drive a stick-shift. BUT, remember this is South Africa, you can bribe the keys-person at the car rental place to get an automatic. Hand him a R100 ($13) bill and say something clever like "I think that Benz there needs some fresh air this weekend". Why not just book the car with automatic tranny in advance? Because they cost around R250 more...per day.
But, if you're a guy, you'll probably take that 5-spd manual like I did and learn to drift while you have it for the weekend ;)
5. Taxi. Too expensive in my taste, never took one.
*Tempest Car Rental, book it online
Safety Tips:
Tourists receive a lot of unwanted attention in South Africa. The way to get around this is to present yourself as a local - since South Africa is very culturally diverse, you can pull it off doesn't matter which country you came from.
1. In crowded places, such as at some outdoor show, have your backpack in front of you. Not only you prevent pickpocketing, but also create a comfortable space between you and the person in front of you. This will give you an ultimate view to the front stage.
2. Learn to say "Hello" in the local language. In South Africa, you can say "Molo". Say that when unwanted strangers approach you, they'll think twice before robbing you.
3. Research the proximity. If you're traveling in a big city, look up the names of some very very small towns near the big city that only the locals would know. Guaranteed you won't be seen as a tourist.
4. Wear dirty clothes at night. If you're dressed like a homeless person, no one is going to bug you.
5. Act and walk comfortably, speak/laugh loudly. Use your body language to intimidate the person giving you unwanted attention.
6. Do NOT, and I repeat, DO NOT show any fear wherever you are. Robbers look for insecure and weak individuals as easy targets.
7. Robbery happens when a beggar ask for $1, so you take out your wallet, and next thing you know, your wallet is gone. Do NOT give money to beggars. Ask them if they want food instead. If they say 'yes', then simply tell them you are hungry as well. Unless you have some food in your hand, NEVER open your backpack. I've heard bad stories when people did this...Use your common sense in deciding whether or not to give some food.
8. Carry R200 ($25) in your wallet (you can have more money in your backpack). In an armed robbery, it's enough to satisfy the robbers without too much financial loss to you. However, if you follow tips 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, you won't encounter an armed robbery.
9. Have a retreat point, my is the Greenmarket Square Store. I got to know the owners and staff, if I ever need a place escape to, that'll be it. They can offer me food, water, and security.
With these tips in mind, you're ready to footprint South Africa!
