South Africa [antikvár]

INTRODUCTION pouth africa is a land of majestic landscapes, of endless golden beaches ?)and wide open spaces. It is often described as a land of contrasts, for surely few other countries or even continents can offer so varied an experience as the visitor here is able to have. The contrast between awesome mountain panoramas and frighteningly desolate sweeps of desert; between the bushveld regions of the Transvaal, where wild game roams, and the wave-caressed coral reefs of the Indian Ocean provides a constant shing of surprises for those in search of adventure. The land's tapestry is woven from the subtle, pastel hues of ancient Africa, invigorated by more vivid, geometric designs that man has imposed on the scene relatively recently. Here, modern cultures and primeval nature live, not always harmoniously, side by side. Highways stretch like aluminium strips past tribal dwellings; from the undulating expanses of olive green and khaki-colourcd bush, cities rise up like anachronistic building blocks on some outrageously gigantic child's playground. You can stay in a five-star hotel overlooking Johannesburg's mine dumps or Cape Town's famous Table Mountain, or watch surfers riding the barreling waves on the Indian Ocean. You could fall asleep to the haunting sounds of the African bush, from within the reed and thatch "boma' of a luxury game lodge. You could even do it the outdoor way, sleeping in rustic mountain chalets along the country's national hiking way system. All these are threads in the same roughly textured topographical cloth. To experience the country in all its moods and guises would take a lifetime, but with about three weeks in hand, the determined and weU-organized traveller could see a great deal. The 'port of entry' would in all probability be Johannesburg. Take a short ride to the 'sin emporium' of Sun City, flagship of southern Africa's hotel industry, and gambling pleasure dome. From here you would want to head east - first into the forest-cloaked, mist-shrouded mountainlands of the Transvaal Escarpment, then to plunge one vertical kilometre into the steamy Lowveld. This is game country: wild African bush that is covered by a patchwork of private and national game reserves, chief of which is the worid-renowned Kruger National Park. Do it in style if you choose, by taking the Lowveld Express. The luxuriousness of this steam frain journey has been modelled on its famous Orient counterpart. From here our journey takes us past the tiny mountain kingdom of Swaziland through the rural African areas of Zululand, to Durban, the city that hugs the warm Indian Ocean, and typifies the sunny smile of South Africa. This is where the body worshippers can be found, so catch a tan. Only two hours' drive inland, the mighty Drakensberg, or 'Dragon Mountains', offer spectacular views, forested, waterfall-washed gorges, rock spires, buttresses, and towers that resemble Gothic cathedrals. Accommodation here ranges from luxury hotels, through country inns to mountaineers' chalets. The road south through 'independent' Transkei is long and potentially monotonous, but, for the intrepid traveller prepared to brave some appalling roads, the rewards of the magnificent Wild Coast may well be worth the effort. Alternatively, a short flight to East London or Port Elizabeth will bring above Buskers lend a carnival atmosphere to fleamarkets such as litis one in Cape Town's Greenmarket Square. These open-air shopping centres have become a major tourist and general feature of most large cities. centre The elegant facade ofGroot Constantia, the country's oldest producing wine estate. History, wine tasting, good eating and craft shops make a visit here a must on any tour ofthe Cape Peninsula. left The famous Neiolands sports grounds in Cape Town offer a perfect site to launch hot air balloons.