Many people ask me on tour if it is dangerous to go to South Africa. Some are concerned about wind, lions and the rest of the Big Five and others are genuinely concerned about personal safety in our cities. I am no longer puzzled by these questions as perception is often maligned from the truth through misguided news media or tabloids. I generally answer by saying we would not have hosted the FIFA world cup (or the Rugby and Cricket world cup for that matter) if South Africa was inherently a dangerous place. South Africa was recently chosen to host the world's biggest telescope or Square Kilometre Array which, at a cost of more than $2Billion, was a vote of confidence from the international community if ever there was one.
We are a small country with many very serious issues, but for many the growing prosperity in South Africa represents hope for the entire African continent.
To get to the point: we have wind on occasion along with crocodiles, bulls, ostriches and lions in landing areas for stupid pilots (like me), but whatever the case I bet when it comes to paragliding, the worst experience you may have survived does not come close to these two hectic stories:
Israeli world cup pilot Itay Takserman speaks of F16's and Hisbolla in Lebanon
Turkisk world cup pilot Yurdaer Etike abducted by the Taliban in Iran
1 comment:
I just came back from a week in South Africa and felt perfectly safe. Naturally, you have to take care in the big cities not to flaunt your jewelry and cameras. It's not a good idea to walk around alone at night, nor is it smart to carry around large wads of cash.
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