  Cape Town
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 2995 Cape Town Tips.5391 Cape Town Photos.1 Cape Town Videos. Cape Town Pages by mvtouring
| Page Views: 13,674 Last Visit to Cape Town: 2008 I Live Here | Cape Town by mvtouring - last update: Apr 14, 2008 |
Cape Town, the mother city of RSA. Living in Cape Town, probably makes me one of the luckiest people alive. Although I have not been born here, I grew up not far from the city, I just love this vibrant city with all its diversity. It has so much to offer visitors and locals that it is impossible to ever get bored or lonely in this place. Living in this diverse places makes one interested in the various different cultures both here and abroad. Even though RSA is a third world country, our cities are first world with excellent shopping malls.
Cape Town earns the name mother city in more way than one. Table Mountain is steeped in legends old & new, Hoerikwaggo, Adamsator, heart chackra, spinner wheel of earth energy. It is a place where natural sacred sites and spiritual shrines are found. You can do a lot of soul searching here in the mountains, at the ocean, in the forests or the magnificent gardens. Various spiritual groups practise regular medication. Many spiritual films are screened in a number of venues around the city. We have a number of holistic fairs. We have many world class health and wellness centres and spa's where you can go to get pampered, healed and natured.
So if treating your body, expanding your mind and celebrating your spirit, and connecting with your soul is what you are after then Cape town is the place to visit, where it is all on offer.
Cape Town summers is the high light of our year. We have some of the best beaches and the people is just great. |
| Strolling thru the garden |
|  | Tourist info Time:-
Cape Town's Standard Time: +2 hours (ahead of GMT). f*
Telephone Dialling codes:-
- Cape Town: National: 021
- International +27 21- f*
VAT Refund
South Africa has adopted a Value Added Tax system of 14% on purchases and services. If you are a foreign visitor to the Cape, you can reclaim your VAT on purchases over R 250, 00 that are taken out of the country unused. There are a number of VAT refund offices. You may find it convenient to use Airport offices or the VAT Refund kiosk at the V&A Waterfront or at Cape Town Tourism in Burg Street, Cape Town. Leave yourself enough time to do this – you’ll need your original tax invoice and your passport, and will need to fill in a form and have the goods you bought available for inspection. For more information see www.taxrefunds.co.za
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Driving:-
An international driver's license is required and it must include a photograph as well as the signature of the holder . Like the UK and Asia, we drive on the left hand side of the road and speed limits should be adhered to. Distance and speed are measured in kilometers.f*
Electricity:-
220/230 volts, 50Hz, single phase. Currently we have a major electricity problem and have what they call load shedding. This might not affect you as most hotels have generators, but driving it could affect you as the traffic lights are not working.f*
Emergency numbers:-
Flying Squad: 10111
Ambulance: 10177
Crimestop: 0800 11 12 13
Crimestop: 0800 11 12 13f*
Languages:
We have 11 official languages in SA. English is the language of administration and is widely spoken. Other languages include Afrikaans, Nebele, Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu. f*
Tipping:-
It is customary to tip depending on service received, the amount should be around 10%. However check your bills that they have not added a service charge already.f*
VAT:-
Currently at a rate of 14%, is levied on most items and services, it can be re-claimed when you leave the city at the VAT booth @ international airport. f*
Water:-
Tap water throughout Cape Town is safe for human consumption. Recent studies done here showed that it was purer than most bottled water..
Nice websites:
http://capetown.cityguidesa.com
http://www.tourismcapetown.co.za/f* |
Banking
The South African unit of currency is the Rand (R), which is divided into 100 cents.
The coin denominations are; 1c, 2c, 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, R1, R2 and R5. The notes are R10,00, R 20,00, R 50,00, R 100,00 and R 200,00
Banking Services
South Africa’s banking system is extensive, efficient and easily accessible. Banks offer a wide range of services, including cash withdrawals, foreign exchange, electronic transfers (wiring), cashing of traveller’s cheques and PIN withdrawals. If your card belongs to the worldwide Cirrus network, you should have no problem using your card.
There are a number of branches of the major banks, and Automatic Teller Machines (ATM’s). ATM’s can be found in shopping centres, at some petrol stations, and in the centre of most cities and towns. Some rural towns do not have ATM's so please keep cash at hand when travelling to the smaller towns and villages in the Cape. If you need to go into the bank, withdrawals can be done over the counter using your passport. Many banks provide foreign exchange facilities. International electronic transfers are also available at most banks – enabling you to send or receive money from overseas. Banks also provide guidance, support and assistance with any banking questions you may have. South African banks also provide convenient and secure Internet banking services.
For more information on South African banks, visit the websites of South Africa’s major banks:
ABSA
First National Bank
Standard Bank
Nedbank
Hours of Business
Banking hours vary but are generally from 09:00 to 15:30 on weekdays. On Saturdays banks open at 09:00 and close at 11:00. Banks are closed on Sundays and Public Holidays. Some smaller branches have limited operating hours – if you’re going to a small village or rural area, check with the local banks to be sure of their operating hours. The majority of the province’s hundreds of ATM’s are 24-hour facilities, enabling you to do your banking whenever you choose. However, there are ATM’s that closes after 17h00 on week days and 13h00 on weekends. ATM's may not be available in small villages.
Travellers Cheques
Cape Town International Airport has 24-hour foreign exchange facilities. Cape Town and bigger towns have a variety of foreign exchange options to choose from. Rennies Travel is the agent for Thomas Cook and will also change other cheques. American Express has foreign exchange branches in Cape Town and other major towns. Most banks also do foreign exchange transactions. Generally, banks offer the most competitive rates. Many hotels and backpacker’s hostels also offer foreign exchange services.
Credit Cards
Credit cards, especially Visa and Master Card are widely accepted. Nedbank is the official agent for Visa and Standard Bank for Master Card. American Express and Diners Club are also accepted. Not all services have credit card facilities and credit cards cannot be used to pay for petrol (fuel). It is recommended that you keep some cash for these outlets and petrol stations.
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| Pros: | "sun shine, spiritual offering" | | Cons: | "street children & vagrants" | | In A Nutshell: | "God's gift to mankind, treat it with respect" |
mvtouring's Cape Town Travel Tips
 mvtouring's Cape Town Travelogues | | | |
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 Comments for mvtouring about Cape Town | | | | |
athena12 Wed Jul 2, 2008 09:40 UTC
Is there public transport to Muizenberg and can you please tell me how to get there? Best way. | morne Mon Apr 28, 2008 19:28 UTC
I see you are a nominee for local heroes. Here's to you kid, hope you win. | Wafro Tue Apr 22, 2008 08:05 UTC
I certainly should visit RSA some day and I guess the language isn’t a big problem. GRTz | ChristaV Sat Apr 19, 2008 18:45 UTC
LOL wines with froggie names. |
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