The Friendliest
A diver sells his catch along the Wild Coast of South Africa
I read a forum post on a travel site recently on which country had the friendliest locals. I was quite surprised to see that six of the eight people who responded said Turkey. Turkish locals must be super friendly to get such an overwhelming vote (I’ll confirm this when I visit in August).
What was also quite surprising is that no one voted for South Africa. It was then that I realized that many people who travel to South Africa would count Johannesburg as part of South Africa. If you want to get technical, it is, but the Johannesburg locals are definitely not representative of the average South African.
A curio seller prepares his stall at the Scarab Market in Sedgefield
After living in London for a year, I was quite keen for the warm, South African reception – only to be completely dismayed by the general attitude I experienced at the Johannesburg airport. I thought to myself, “have things really changed so much in only a year”.
As soon as I got out of the airport, people generally got more approachable and friendly and when I reached the Eastern Cape, I was overwhelmed with warm hospitality.
For everyone traveling to South Africa for the World Cup – please get to meet some of the locals outside of Johannesburg before forming any opinion.
A Xhosa woman sells her handmade baskets at Cintsa Beach
