3 months ago when we arrived in Jo'burg I was bloody petrified....and all for no reason at all.... not one person had anything positive to say about this beautiful country, granted most of the information we recieved was from South Africans now living in the UK, foolishly we believed they moved because it was too dangerous, and now we discover it isn't at all....
Ok so we live in a secure estate and we're half way between Jo'burg and Pretoria and not really in a tourist or dangerous area....but there are townships, nearby, the sat nav warns me as I approach a high crime area, basically every set of Robots, exit or entrance slip road....I drive at night, been out without a satnav and only a rough idea of where I'm going....I've walked from mall to mall and I've even stopped and given people a lift....but there are areas I won't go, there are routes I wouldn't pick anyone up on (usually give women a lift from the estate to the train station on the school run)....I keep my mobile in my front trouser pocket, I now carry a handbag which is secured under my seat when driving and crossed over my chest when I'm shopping. If I'm walking I carry the bare minimum in my pockets (no outward show of valuables to be robbed) I go into bars and cafes on my own and chat with people, I'm now more assertive in telling the gardener and the pool guy what I want doing and how....I'm embrassing the lifestyle here and loving it....
