The bilingual posts on this site were researched and written by Jillian Wells who is both a literary scholar and an attorney in New Orleans specializing in maritime law. Fluent in 5 languages, Ms. Wells has been published in English, French and German, and has posted translated versions of French, and Italian literature. As an attorney, her focus is providing legal representation for workers injured while performing tasks on barges, rigs, and other forms of maritime activity in the New Orleans area.
L’Afrique du Sud est située a l’extrêmité australe du continent africain. Ce pays, qui a été une colonie britannique jusqu’à son indépendance le 31 mai 1910, compte près de 50 millions d’habitants sur une superficie de 1.2 km carrés. Ses pays limitrophes sont, au nord, la Namibie, le Botswana et le Zimbabwe, et au nord-est, le Mozambique et le Swaziland. Avec plus de 1950 sentiers, l’Afrique du Sud propose des randonnées plus ou moins longues, allant d’une heure ou deux, à plusieurs jours, voire plusieurs semaines. Chacun peut alors découvrir la nature Sud-Africaine à son propre rythme. Ces dernières années, le “slack packing” (ou “valise légère”) s’est très bien développé. Il s’agit de confier ses valises à des personnes qui vont les transporter au point de chute suivant, ce qui permet d’effectuer sa randonnée avec le matériel nécessaire pour une journée, et les valises attendront au point d’arrivée. Un repas est aussi préparé, et l’on peut dormir dans de vrais lits, faire sa toilette dans de vrais salles de bains, et se mettre en forme pour la journée de randonnée suivante. Et pour ceux qui préfèrent l’océan, l’Afrique du Sud représente plus de 80 % de côtes maritimes et de plages de sable abritant une faune et une flore sublimes.
South Africa is located in the extreme southern part of the African continent. This country, that has been a British colony until its independance on May 31st, 1910, has more that 50 million inhabitants, on an area of 1.2 millions square kilometers. The adjacent countries are, on the northern part, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, and in North-East, Mozambique and Swaziland. With more than 1950 trails, South Africa offers hikes of an hour or two, or hikes that would go on for several days of even several weeks, so that everyone can discover the South-African nature at its own pace. These last few years, “slack packing” has developed pretty well. You are giving your luggage to somebody who’s responsible for transporting them to your meeting point. That allows you to hike with a back pack that only contains what is necessary for one day of hiking. Also, a meal is waiting for you, you sleep in a real bed, and have access to a real bathroom. Everything you need to be ready for the next day of hiking. And for those who prefer the ocean, South Africa has more that 80 % of coastal shores, and sand beaches all along these shores, with a beautiful wildlife.
It makes no difference what you prefer, you will find that there is something there for you. It would be worth you r time to make the trip and see the country. It is something that should be on every ones bucket list.