A benefit of spending so much time in Asia was the affordable accommodations. Single rooms with baths were the norm, and even if there were scorpions crawling around some of them (McLeod Ganj, India), the privacy was wonderful.
Dorms are the norm at the hostels in South Africa, and they’re not cheap. In fact, the prices are comparable to New Zealand, so I hit up Couchsurfing.com to try and find a place to stay for a few nights.
I received two positive responses. One from a DJ/music producer, and the other from Hannes, a doctor working for a health insurance company. I went with Hannes and it turned out to be a great experience. My first night, he cooked a traditional South African curry with chicken which we enjoyed with some local white wine.
Another night, we went down to the V&A waterfront for dinner. I picked a restaurant which had opened in the past two weeks, and while the food was great, the service needed a little fine tuning. A German group next to us got upset about the improper size of a steak, and I overheard the floor manager telling my waitress to provide a steak knife for my ostrich fillet.
One afternoon, we took a quick trip to Noordhoek beach, which is very wide at low tide and a great spot for the locals to take their dogs out for a run. Horseback riding is also popular. The water was freezing and the currents strong, so it is not ideal for swimming. One surfer was catching waves despite the chill.
About the Author:
Dave is the author of 1526 posts on Go Backpacking.
Dave (Editor-in-Chief) blogged his way around the world from 2007-2009, and then started Travel Blog Success to teach others how to do the same. When not writing, he can be found salsa dancing in Medellin. Follow him on Twitter @rtwdave or look for him on Google+
The Travel Blog Success community offers practical resources and personal support to help you build a better travel blog.
Whether you treat blogging as a hobby, or dream of building a location independent business, you'll learn what's required to create a name for yourself in the online travel world.
Benefits of Joining:
- Personal support from Dave, including site critiques and tips on negotiating advertising deals.
- Ability to learn from others' mistakes, and save yourself time, energy and money.
- Chance to network with other travel bloggers of all levels, from around the world.
Categories: Couchsurfing, South Africa
4 Comments
Great stuff dave you took some amazing shots we need to get you a professional camera for your next rtw trip:) good pick couch surfing stay safe!!!
Great stuff dave you took some amazing shots we need to get you a professional camera for your next rtw trip:) good pick couch surfing stay safe!!!
I don’t know Crambox- I think Dave has a REAL future as a food photographer! The shots he gets of food are amazing- just like magazines- and they make you hungry. I want to know, Dave, if you ever ‘primp’ the food wait staff brings you to make it look as luscious as it does in your photos.
I don’t know Crambox- I think Dave has a REAL future as a food photographer! The shots he gets of food are amazing- just like magazines- and they make you hungry. I want to know, Dave, if you ever ‘primp’ the food wait staff brings you to make it look as luscious as it does in your photos.