During our ten month overlanding odyssey starting in Morocco and traveling the western portion of the continent, I’d been warned to change my expectations once we got to Cape Town because eastern Africa isn’t like western Africa… Well, they got it half right. It’s not like we entered Europe or the U.S. but we did see the occasional ultra-modern shopping mall. What’s most odd is that even though the parking lot and bathrooms are full of dark-skinned local people, the manikins in the store windows are uniformly white?
Whereas we rarely saw other overlanders, or even white people in Mali, Nigeria, Angola, Congo, Benin or Togo, the eastern side is a thoroughfare for white tourists pretending to be roughing it in the wilds of Africa. I’m pretty sure that every young white girl in Europe who thinks they’re open-minded and daring is or has traveled between white only campgrounds in Botswana, Zambia, Namibia and South Africa – and proudly wear t-shirts proclaiming their uniqueness.
If I had started my own journey on this touristy portion of the transcontinental trek I would have been bitterly disappointed, but as it is, after surviving the grueling five month western portion of the trip, I’m actually rather relieved not to carry toilet-paper on my person, and eat a Snickers bar whenever I want.
EASTERN AFRICA
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Martin Hash
- Posts: 18722
- Joined: Wed Jan 20, 2010 2:02 pm
EASTERN AFRICA
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