September 12, 2005
I DON'T know when last you had the opportunity to see part of South Africa through strictly tourist eyes, but I had that privilege a couple of weeks ago.
A week spent travelling down the Garden Route with three foreign couples had its beginnings in Boston, in the USA, some 22 years ago. At that time I attended a post-graduate management course at the Sloan School of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
The course drew participants from many parts of the world, although at least half were from the US. In the two-decades-plus since then, a group of about 15 - with spouses - has endeavoured to meet every few years in the various parts of the world from which the MIT participants hailed.
Reunions have been held in places like Alaska and Iceland, Singapore and Indonesia, the United Kingdom and Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Spain and France and, of course, in the US itself.
Some of the group visited South Africa in 1995 and we had a great 10 days together. South Africa was on the cards for another reunion last year but, for a variety of reasons, it didn't happen. Some of those who had not made the 1995 trip were keen to visit the country for a mini-reunion.
Pilansberg
So on Saturday, three weeks ago, we collected three couples from the airport, hailing from Holland, England and Singapore respectively. We spent the weekend at a newish lodge in the Pilansberg, where we experienced some great game viewing.
From there it was back to the airport for a flight to Port Elizabeth, where we picked up an eight-seater vehicle and drove down the coast, with overnight stops in Tsitsikama, Knysna, Breede River, Hermanus and Franschoek.
We spent the weekend in Cape Town before flying back to Joeys and to our respective countries.
I guess that when you are showing off your own country to visitors, you are more critical than usual. However, I found it to be quite novel to see the country through other eyes and can only say it was a wonderful experience all round.
Excellent service
The agents who did our bookings, the car hire company, the hotels and lodges we stayed in, the restaurants we ate in, the excursions we went on, the quality of the accommodation, food and drink, the friendliness of all the establishments' staff, were all excellent.
Excursions to Featherbeds in Knysna, a beach lunch in Breede River, whale watching in Hermanus, wine tasting in Franschoek, a visit to Robben Island and the new cable car in Cape Town were world class experiences.
In the nine days we experienced only two negative incidents, only one of which was apparent to our visitors. One of the couples tried to buy a picture in a Hermanus shop. They were told that the price displayed was what the shop had paid for the picture, and the selling price was much higher.
My friends, who have travelled extensively, walked out.
The other incident was at a Waterfront restaurant in Cape Town, where we were continually directed to more expensive wines than was warranted. Local wines on the wine list, red and white, ranged from R90 to R450 a bottle, with the preponderance at the upper level. Attempts to order at the lower end were not possible because they were, "Out of stock but why not try this one instead [at three times the price]."
I guess visitors converting the prices into their own currencies may have felt that they were still reasonable, but clearly the server's eyes were on the percentage-calculated tip.
But those were minor irritants compared with the overall experience. I asked each couple to give me some comments on the trip. I have extracted different aspects from each couple's comments.
Holland
Dutch couple (who had visited 10 years previously): There has been much progress in the past decade in terms of construction, roads, infrastructure, cleanliness and general maintenance.
The people are friendly, helpful, not pushy and people of all races appear to be mixing freely with no traces of animosity. Service in hotels and restaurants, and so on is first class and appears to be good value for money.
Using credit cards is easy and ATMs work. "But we saw the good side and it is still appalling to see the shanty towns so close to the affluence on the other side of the roads."
Singapore
Singaporean couple (first time visitors to South Africa): It was a better-than-expected experience. It is all about service, people and the environment and in these respects South Africa provides an unforgettable and memorable experience which ranks above many countries we have visited.
Hotels, lodges and restaurants understand what service means and they ensure that it is given with creativity and individual touches of warm hospitality and friendliness.
And the food - there is a wide variety excellently prepared and in large portions. However, apart from game, we didn't get a sense of cuisine that is uniquely South African.
"All told, South Africa is a country we would visit again and recommend friends to put high on their travel agenda."
England
English couple: The service was nearly always five star and backed by a smile. The food was always first rate, despite evident reluctance to serve fruit except at breakfast (or green vegetables).
The wines were a real treat and guides were competent and knowledgeable. The bed and breakfasts were delightful and flights were efficient.
"However, the country doesn't seem set up for mass tourism (Simon's Town Museum is closed on a Saturday afternoon)." Access to international television channels was rare, which was puzzling.
Coming closer to home on the tourism front, a meaningful study has recently been completed on the tourism potential of the macro Johannesburg area.
It is not yet available to quote from, but I found the report-back meeting I attended recently to be realistic in its findings and recommendations and will share these when I am able to do so.
Have a great spring weekend.
Regards, Neil
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