KGOMOTSO MATSUNYANE
Independent writer, broadcaster and producer
How often do you travel?
Not as often as I’d like. I mean to travel more but it all depends on the opportunities on offer. I’ve been to 23 of the 64 countries in Africa and I’d like to see them all.
Describe the first holiday you remember as a child
I was six when I went in a plane for the first time with my mother and older brother to Cape Town. No one I knew had ever flown before and it was terribly exciting because my brother threw up. I was annoyed because he got all the attention — I wished it had been me.
We stayed at The Claridges because it was an “international hotel”, an apartheid creation which meant we were honorary whites. There was a bath in the room! At home we boiled water and put it in a galvanised tub. We had a riot. White people served us and I spent lots of time swimming in the bath. Although I would have been happy to spend the whole holiday in the room, we also went up the mountain and took tours. My mother took tons of photos and we still love to look at them.
And your first trip abroad?
I was 16 turning 17 and I’d just completed matric. I had been selected as a Rotary Exchange scholar and I was to spend a year in Minnesota, US. I wasn’t nervous because I’d been at boarding school and was used to living away from home. Leaving the country was something I was desperate to do; it was the opportunity I had been waiting for. It meant a way out of apartheid and somehow a guarantee of success. All the people I aspired to be like had spent time outside the country, mostly in the States. I got the usual questions: “Are there elephants outside your window?” — everyone seemed to think I lived in the jungle. The irony was that I was an urban Soweto girl. The only animals I’d seen were dogs and cats and the occasional goat when I visited my grandfather. I remember waking up in Minnesota during a cold, snowing winter and seeing deer outside the window. They were the first wild animals I’d ever seen. The people were really friendly and kind but Minnesota was very white. I think I was one of 12 black people in the whole state. I remember staring at the first black person I saw there and having to stop myself from running up and hugging them!
What’s been your most adventurous destination?
Lagos, Nigeria, is completely unique. It is exasperating and exhilarating at the same time, it’s like Joburg on steroids with more people squeezed in than you can imagine possible. There are no rules and, because it is so unbearably hot, tempers flare all the time yet there is relatively little violence. It seems to combine the best and worst of African civilisation and there are lots and lots of black people, all tall and proud and beautiful. At a South African airport, you could be anywhere in the world — unless you spot a Bafana T-shirt — but in Lagos, the dress and culture are distinctly West African.
What is the best way to travel in foreign places?
Walking is my first choice, although in very hot countries you want to be in an air-conditioned taxi as much as possible. I love using public transport and exploring. On my latest trip to Accra, Ghana, I took a walk and got lost. I love getting into that situation, I love trying to blend in. I want to shop where the locals shop and do what they do and eat what they eat. I’m not into touristy places.
What is your favourite city, here or abroad?
Dakar, Senegal. I spent over a month there 10 years ago and I was struck by how beautiful the people are, both men and women. They are tall, with beautiful complexions and they are big-hearted and open in spirit. I would go to the market on my own and when people found out I was a foreigner, they were so generous. I was also struck by the sense of history and the similarities with our own. As for the music, it is amazing that a country so relatively small has made such an impact through its wonderfully rhythmic music.
Do you prefer roughing it or luxury when travelling? Describe the best experience you have had of either
Let’s not monkey about, luxury is always first prize. Luxury for me is not about gold tap fittings, but the richness of the interaction and experience — for example, being able to get into the café culture of a city or sample the best cuisine. My best experience was at Bushman’s Kloof in the Karoo. It is in the middle of nowhere, the setting is spectacular and it is luxurious with fireplaces and different places to eat. You can go on walks and look at Bushman paintings. Best of all, there is no clear phone reception. It’s off the beaten track and luxurious at the same time.
What has been your worst travel experience?
Strangely enough, in Dakar again. I came down with food poisoning and got so ill I had to come home. I am always vigilant when I go abroad, especially when it comes to the water. I won’t eat salad, for
example, because it has been washed in local water. You have to be wary because there is nothing worse than being sick in a strange place.
What’s the worst place you have ever stayed in? In Geneva, Switzerland, on my way to Lucerne, I tried to find a backpackers’ lodge but ended up being sent to a hotel with a communal bathroom. A real no-no. Do you travel alone or with friends?
I have an American friend, Jason, and we meet up every second year in a different place. We have been to many places in the US and around South Africa and we are planning to meet in Delhi next year. Finding someone with whom you can travel is like finding your life partner — it makes all the difference in the world. He is very efficient and plans everything and I am fluid and take things as they come. He reins me in and I loosen him up. We are a great team.
Your best piece of travel advice?
Mix with the locals, get off the tour bus and walk where you are told not to walk. Obviously, you need to be responsible and alert but get out of your comfort zone and do things that are not in the books. Those will be your best experiences.
What do you hate about travelling or holidays?
Layovers in inhospitable countries, where you don’t have a visa to get in so you have to sit for ages in the airport without a shower or any decent shops to damage your credit card.
What elements — destination, people, attractions etc — make up your perfect holiday?
It’s about the options, the ability to do different kinds of things while staying in a nice establishment. It’s really important that transport is easy and accessible and not overly expensive.
The element that can ruin a holiday is travelling with people you don’t know. I know couples who have broken up after travelling together and former friends who no longer speak. I have commitment issues as it is, so travelling with a big group of strangers is a tall ask. I hate feeling obliged to do particular things; it makes me feel like a prisoner.
Name one place you really want to go some day
Cuba — please! It is almost mythical in its attraction and I have to get there while Fidel is still alive. I want to meet the people and find out how they feel about things. In general, I really want to do more travelling in South America. Mexico is the furthest I’ve got. —