Holiday: Welcome to South Africa!

My dad is 58. We keep asking him what he's going to be when he grows up, but he can't tell us.

Just after they arrived, they were walking the few blocks from one brother's house to the other's in Seapoint, Cape Town. Early evening, light rain. They didn't notice 3 young chaps following them.

As they turned the corner, my dad felt a hand dart into his pocket and grap his cellphone ("mobile", to you Aussies/NZealanders)! Well, he whirled around, fell and cut his left hand open, then took off in persuit of the big guy who had grabbed it. The other two peeled off down some stairs, but he kept on after the big one.

A passing motorist saw what was happening and pulled in front of the thief, who turned and ran back toward dad, but then ducked down an alley and disappeared. It's perhaps a good thing, as I don't know what dad would have done if he'd caught a guy way bigger and younger than him.

Welcome to South Africa....

Dad immediately went online to block the phone, which had been opened for international access while he visited here - only to find the number to call was a freecall, only valid if dialling from within Australia. That's a fat help! He had to wait 5 hours until a friend woke up in the morning and get him to call. Who knows what happened in that time as far as call charges is concerned.

This, of course, was JUST what my mother needed. She's already a bit paranoid about safety in South Africa. She's talked to too many people who dwell on tales of murder and mugging and burglary and hijack, gathering their tales of glee from the daily horrorfest that is the evening news. Me, well perhaps I live in dreamland, but nothing like that has happened to me yet. Or maybe it still will. Generally this is a pretty safe area to live and work and travel. Heck, I even left my car/house/office keys hanging in the front door overnight once, and we were still all alive in the morning. The car stays unlocked and outside, my son spends holidays at home on his own. Lucky us.

But now dad bears his battle scarred hand with pride and tells the story to anyone who sits still long enough to listen! :)