I have always traveled according to the motto: “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” and it has helped me many a time. Whether it meant eating mopani worms with the village chief in Zimbabwe or taking off my smelly sandals before entering a Muslim household, I have found that it opens many doors, figuratively and literally speaking!

One of those examples is that when I was in Zanzibar, I respected the local Muslim culture and covered my legs & shoulders and was immediately treated with respect when speaking to the locals. To that extent that I was invited by one of the local guides, Hamin, to have lunch at his house. I don’t know how the Zanzibarians do it, must be the locally grown fresh spices, as all we had was a big bowl of rice with spices and tiny bits of meat in it, but it was definitely the best spicy rice I have ever had!

During my travels I have also tried many other different local dishes. In most cultures it’s a friendly and hospitable gesture by the host to invite you over to have a meal with him and his family. Obviously things become a bit trying when that meal consists of fried squid eye-balls, goats intestines or deep-fried bull’s testicles (and I promise you, I tried them all!). My recommendation if these dishes don’t form part of your staple diet: don’t breath through you nose, that way you won’t taste much, chew as little as possible and swallow quickly. You will be rewarded with a smile from your proud host and let’s face it, you wouldn’t be impressed if your guest would refuse to eat the leg of roast lamb that you spent hours preparing either, would you?I would also recommend trying to learn a few words of the local language of the country you’re traveling through. My “Jambo bwana, habari?” (Hello Mr, how are you? - Swahili, the most widely spoken language in East Africa) provided my groups with hours of entertainment, especially when we were stuck at the Tanzanian/Kenyan border and lots of salesmen were all trying to sell us the same wood carvings. The salesmen forgot all about their carvings and just wanted to teach us more and more Swahili! You will find that trying to speak the local language will break the ice immediately and will put lots of smiles on faces. Even if the locals only laugh at your bad pronunciation!

And even if you’re in a country where people speak English, such as South Africa, you might still find some funny words being used. When you hear a South African say: “Ach my china, the robot will go green just now” they are NOT talking about Chinese robots going green immediately, but actually about traffic lights changing color soon-ish. So, do as the Romans do, have a look at this site that I came across the other day and next when you’re in South Africa, tell your mates that you feel like a lekker braai and some biltong!

Want more on ‘biltong’ and ‘robots’, read more on South African English.

Safari Njema!

(Happy Travels in Swahili)

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