What are some things to do in South Africa?

What interesting things can you tell based on an experience of long-term living in East Africa (and partially South Africa) in the region from Namibia to South Sudan?

• I'm not interested in hearing typical medical or touristic advices. I'm interested in reading some deeply personal, rather thoughtful memories based on your personal experience of living in such countries as South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia. Tell something non-standard, please.

• Answer:

  I have been in living in East Africa for just over 2 1/2 years and have been travelling all over and also to the Horn. Here are some, hopefully non-standard, experiences. I will try and give them in the order of the countries that I visited. My visits are not only to capitals but I do get the opportunity to go out to rural areas and interact with communities. In my time here I have made 'touristy' visits for all of 12 days and those experiences are not mentioned here :) Though not asked for I am also including some titbits from Eritrea and Somaliland. 1.  Kenya No 'native' cuisine worth talking about  (an exception is the superlative coastal Swahili food) - what Kenyans do, other East Africans do better. Nairobi gives me the feeling of being unsafe to the degree that is unmatched by any other city in the Horn and East of Africa. Traffic is a nightmare and I prefer walking most of the time. Nairobi is home to the one of the biggest slums in Africa - what is not known generally is that you see amazing entrepreneurship in the slums as people routinely engage in 5-6 different income generating sources. I have written more about life in Kenya here Kenyan army has had little experience of wars, one of the few countries which can say that. 2.  Ethiopia THE BEST COFFEE IN THE WORLD; the coffee ceremony is a pleasure. I have written about it here One of the most beautiful countries in this part of the world - lush green in places and a dry dusty desert in others, highlands and plains - you have everything. One of the largest, in terms of numbers, armies in the world. Extremely proud peoples - proud of their cultural and religious heritage and also that they are the only country in Africa that has never been colonised. One of the poorest countries in the world - with a large section of the population having difficulty in meeting their daily needs. Addis Ababa, the capital, is a magical city with lot of political action given that it hosts the Africa Union Parliament. It is considered uncivil to hand over anything to someone by just extending one hand. If you have to give someone something, say money, you are expected to hold it in your right hand, touch the elbow of the right with your left and then hand it over. 3.  South Sudan The newest country in the world. I have visited when it was not a legally recognised country and also after independence. Extremely poor and in conflict for over 50 years with North Sudan (civil war before independence and war after that) Lush green mahogany forests which host some of the most beautiful species of birds. Almost no infrastructure in place - the capital Juba is a big dusty town. Ravaged for years by the depredations of the  . 4.  Tanzania A beautiful country with people who are proud of the purity of the Swahili they speak. One of the softest regimes, compared to those in the neighbourhood. A country that was built on foundations of socialism but now moving towards market based systems, though jerkily and slowly. Huge deposits of gas and gold which are going to change the face of the country, in one way or another, in the next decade. Tanzanians make the best Ugali (maize meal) in East Africa. 5.  Uganda A land of contrasts - from the lush green & fertile areas of the South, West and Central parts to the dry lands of the North. One of the most beautiful airports in the world, Entebbe. You come over the mighty Lake Victoria and touch down 100 metres beyond. One of the fiercest fighting forces in this part of the world - they have had lots of experience what with internal problems (resistance to Idi Amin and then the bush war of the early 1980s), the fight against the LRA, peace keeping in Somalia and the covert war(s) in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The country with the best options for the starch content of your meal - matoke (bananas), posho (maize meal), cassava, rice, sweet potato and potato. Huge pastoral belts in Northern Uganda which means millions of heads of cattle, insecurity because of inter-tribal cattle raids (raiding cattle used to be and to an extent still is a claim to fame for a pastoral warrior), plethora of guns in every home (in spite of the disarmament), protected kraals etc. Kampala is a happening place with a terrific night-life - casinos, bars & pubs. The mountains of Rwenzori in Western Uganda grow some of the best coffee in the world. Uganda claims to have the source of the Nile, at Jinja in the South East of the country. 6.  Eritrea A land that the world ignored and mistreated through out history. A land that claims ancestry to Solomon and Queen of Sheba. One of the smallest countries in the world, it took on the mighty Ethiopian army (first under the Emperor Haile Selaisse and then under the Marxist Mengitsu) over a 30 year war and won. Brutally colonised by Italy, ignored and snubbed by world powers in its struggle for freedom has made the country overly suspicious of foreigners and self reliant. Tremendous poverty. Once you leave the highlands and move to the coast you have rocks and sand. Home to the Danakil Depression which is the hottest place in the world. The glorious days immediately after independence are long gone as the liberators have turned dictatorial in the truest sense. One of the most closed economies that I have seen in this part of the world. The most beautiful & safest capital city in Horn and East of Africa with its Italian villas, statues, broad roads and road side coffee houses. Some pictures I took during my visit there are here http://www.flickr.com/photos/makarand_s/sets/72157626465006336 7.  Rwanda A country that traces its beginning to 1994: every conversation starts with "It has been xx years after the genocide". Ruled with an iron fist in an iron glove. I wrote about authoritarian rule in Rwanda on my blog here (http://makarandimpressions.wordpress.com/2011/07/29/its-all-in-the-timing/) Has made remarkable economic progress in the last 18 years; one of the fastest growing economies in Africa; all human development indicators improving. The capital, Kigali, is one of the cleanest cities that I have ever seen; rivalling Singapore I am told. Rich land, mountainous (called land of the 1000 hills), very fertile but with a population of nearly 11 million a trifle overcrowded. Nothing extraordinary about the cuisine; It is said that you may get 3 weathers in Rwanda in the space of one day : cold in the morning, heat in the afternoon and rains in the evening :) You can never plan your clothes.. Country moving away from French as the language of preference to English : this is with an eye on the future. 8.  Somaliland A country that does not exist legally; officially it is still a break-away faction of Somalia though it has been independent for 21 years. One of the few countries in Africa where transition of power happened in 2010 through elections and peacefully. The whole country is a scrub land / desert and pastoralism is the main form of livelihood. Infrastructure (power, roads etc) is very poor and connecting across the country is difficult. A cuisine that is meat based with rice and spaghetti!!! forming the main source of starch. People are extremely entrepreneurial : it is said that Somalia has not had a government since 1991 but never has the economy been more stable; people find their own way in-spite of lack of government. Shall add more, as stuff occurs to me. Just curious as to why this question was asked Anon.