Driving's fun -- but keep left! and other South Africa Transportation Tips

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Car/Motor Home
Getting TO/AROUND: Don't be put off from the pleasures of the open road in South Africa. As strange as it may sound, it isn't nearly as difficult to keep left as you may think. Since everybody else is on that side of the road, it's really a no-brainer. I find the danger lies when you are turning right from a road with no traffic into another with no traffic. That's when the "keep right" response kicks in -- and if you should be so unlucky to have another vehicle appear at the wrong moment, you may be in for some excitement.

I hadn't driven on the left since Australia back in 1990, so I wasn't too keen on getting behind the wheel while in Cape Town, a city with lots of hills, narrow streets, and considerable traffic congestion at certain times of day.

Once I got out of town, I was okay because South Africa, it turns out, is one of the more pleasureable places in the world to be on the road. The roads -- at least the ones we were on -- are all excellent. The main, cross-country highways such as the N1 or the N2 are as good as you'll find anywhere in the world. The shoulders are paved, and they're wide. And while they are multi-laned and divided near major cities, they don't always stay that way. You'll find that 50 or so kilometers outside major centers, you lose the divided status, they become two lane, and about ever 5 kilometers or so you get a two or three kilometer stretch of central passing lane. Pay attention to the solid lines in the center, though. If it's on your side, don't cross over.

As for passing, I discovered something rather interesting: if you're in the mountains or are driving on roads with narrower, graveled shoulders, other drivers are quite careful and don't take many chances. I didn't enounter a one who tried passing on a curve or while climbing uphill. However, if you're on a road, such as the N2, which has fully-paved shoulders, then passing is done almost at will. The standard practice is for the car that is being passed to move over onto the shoulder if there is any approaching traffic.

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Car/Motor Home
Getting TO/AROUND: Before we collected the rental car, we found transport a bit problematic. Although there are buses and a metrorail system in and around Cape Town, there are certain security issues to consider. Our hotel receptionist was quite adamant that we not use them. Whether its really* that dangerous is questionable, based on our observations.

Whatever the truth of the matter, we used taxis, which proved a trifle pricey, ranging between R7 and R8 per kilometer. At R6.30 per US dollar, that was a little high. On the other hand, a couple cabs were certainly cheaper than renting a car -- and driving in Cape Town traffic and dealing with a one-way street system. There are several companies that offer telephone bookings, so strike up a relationship with your driver, and he'll usually give you a cellphone number to call. All very civilized.

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Airplane
Getting TO/AROUND: Due to fully-booked trains, we found ourselves flying between Cape Town and Johannesburg. There were four possibilities: South African Airways, British Airways, Kalula, and Nationwide. At the suggestion of a travel agent acquaintance, we chose the latter, and we're glad we did. Service was excellent. The seats were leather, the aircraft new, and the food remarkably good. And at R765 one-way, the cost was reasonable as well. The only bone we had to pick with them was an express check-in desk for people without checked luggage (like us) that never opened. But that is our only criticism. We would wholeheartedly recommend them to everyone venturing to S. Africa.

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