South Africa #11: You don't have to...

If you've read my previous South Africa posts, then you probably have gotten the impression that there is a general disregard for safety here.  If so, you are not entirely incorrect.  I have been extremely shocked by the lackadaisical attitude here regarding matters involving health and safety.



"You don't have to...drink bottled water.  You can drink the tap water in your rooms.  It doesn't taste good because it's well water, but it is harmless."


Nope, sorry, not going to test this one out, thank you very much.  I am fairly certain I drank tap water with dinner in Johannesburg without my knowledge, but ever since then I have been sure to drink nothing but bottled water.


"You don't have to...cut the skin off raw fruits or vegetables.  In fact, you can eat any fresh fruit vegetables that you want."


I have been taught that when you travel in third world/developing countries, your safest bet is to not eat fresh fruit or vegetables unless the skin has been removed.  This isn't a matter of protecting yourself against pesticides, but of protecting yourself against bacteria breeding on the outer layer of fruit and veggies.  I am the only person here who is following this guidance, and I am actually quite upset about the amount of uncooked vegetables they serve us.  During my homestay in Peru, this was unheard of.  Most people here think I am a weirdo for cutting the skin off my apples and pears and also from the tiny slices of cucumber that come in the daily salad.  (I haven't dared eat any other part of the salad even though I love salad.  Lettuce is supposed to be one of the dirtiest things you can eat.)  Yes, this is time consuming and I am not enjoying as much of the food here as I could, and perhaps all of these fresh fruit and veggies are actually harmless.  But I am only here for 3 weeks.  I want to be able to enjoy my time here, and not be spending most of it on the toilet or in an emergency room.


"You don't have to...wear a seatbelt.  Here in South Africa, there's no law saying you need to."


Oh, so in South Africa, if we get into a car accident, does that mean I won't die or be ejected from the vehicle if I am not wearing a seatbelt?  I do not understand why staff members and other volunteers would actually open their mouths to make a point that you don't have to wear it, as this has been said to me at least three times.  Usually I ride in vans with several other passengers or in game drive vehicles with no walls or roof.  So I think now is as a good as time as any to make sure that I am wearing my seat belt, no matter what the law is.

"You don't have to...worry about the leopard that sometimes wanders onto the lodge grounds."


I first learned of this leopard by overhearing another volunteer speak about it while on the phone.  Then it was confirmed the next day by one of the staff members.  Personally, I am freaked out by the idea that a leopard could be lurking around at any moment.  It is especially eerie when I am the last one to go to bed at night and am alone in the common room in the lodge, which is wide open to the great outdoors.  After two times of being the last to leave, I think I am now going to make it a rule to never stay up alone at the end of the night.


Side note: Just today one of the volunteers learned through a local doctor that a 32-year old female Swiss tourist was killed by a leopard in the local area 13 days ago.  Granted, she was sleeping outside (not in a tent) when the attack happened, but still.  Holy crap!


"You don't have to...wear long sleeves or pants while doing massive weeding projects."


At least once a week, our agenda includes chopping down huge invasive plants deep in the African bush.  I have been amazed at the clothing, or lack thereof, that experienced volunteers and staff have worn while completing this task.  My Mexican roommate and I cover ourselves from head to toe no matter how hot of a day it is, and tuck our pants into our socks.  This is partly because we don't want to get scratched or impaled by the thorns on these plants.  But also, there is a huge tick problem here.  During my first 2 weeks, at least 4 other volunteers and 1 staff member have been bitten by a tick.  So, we may look ridiculous and sweat like crazy, but my roommate and I are going to continue overdressing and covering ourselves in bug spray when we do this task.


"You don't have to...take anti-malaria medication."

I will admit that I thought this advice was nuts when I first arrived here.  However, after 2 weeks here, I can report that I have not received any mosquito bites.  Not a single one, and I very rarely have been using bug spray!  There also seem to be very few mosquitos to begin with, and the Kruger area is in fact a low malaria risk zone.  I never intended to stop taking my malaria medication (which is Malrone, aka Atovaquone Proguanil  Hydrochloride), but I forgot to take it 2 days in a row and at that point I decided to just stop all together...even though I spent a small fortune to buy the pills.  The main motive behind opting to stop is that the medication itself has the potential to do serious harm, so I felt the risk of contracting malaria was miniscule enough that it wasn't worth possibly harming my health by taking the medication.  I may end up regretting this, but I honestly think I have nothing to worry about. 


You're now probably wondering, "So what do they actually seem to care about here?"  Well, they do recommend that we wear sunscreen.  And we have to (or at least are supposed to) wear closed-toe shoes when going on game drives.  We also can not stand up while we're out in the game drive vehicle.  And if we have to use the toilet in the middle of the night while camping, we aren't supposed to go out of the tent unless we bring someone else with us.  If I think of anything else, I'll let you know.