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Post by stanleyb on Jan 9, 2024 22:36:18 GMT
As I mentioned in a different thread, I am currently on holiday in Africa, visiting my son. This thread will hopefully be an ongoing update about my experiences. And boy, what a culture shock it is turning out to be! My latest discovery is a clear indication of how wealth affects life in places like this. On one side of my son's property is literally a shanty town. It's about the size of a football pitch, covered in little shacks no bigger than half a UK garage in many cases. At the other side of my son's place is a big building that I first thought might be a prosperous multi story international business premise. It is in fact the residency of a local politician. Across the road is the local telephone mast. In the UK we might find not more than half a dozen aerials on one mobile phone mast. This one has around 20... But if that wasn't shocking enough, the mast is not place on solid ground. Nope. it is erected on top of a one story building. I can see that falling down at some stage. The building owner gets a cut for having the mast on his premise. Yards away is an electricity pylon. It can't be more than 15 meters tall. That's the lowest that I have ever seen a pylon. The shanty town is directly below it. Apparently, one reason why the shanty town has not been cleared is because nobody wants to build their house underneath the pylon. Understandably of course. Staff count is another culture shock. There is someone to do just about everything for you. That of course includes a gateman, a laundry lady, a chef, a gardener, a part time dog walker, etc. The chauffeur just got fixed up with a job working for the offices where my son works. So there is currently no driver to take us round. But a friend is taking time off from work and traveling down from his city to come and do that job for us for at least a while.
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Post by julesd68 on Jan 10, 2024 10:49:12 GMT
Very interesting Stan, thanks for sharing...
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Post by stanleyb on Jan 10, 2024 11:15:52 GMT
I just discovered that two of the electrical pylons are also mounted on top of shacks. But instead of shortening the legs of the pylons, the cables go up in the air to those pylons, and then down again to the next.
This morning I saw a girl quickly pop into what looks like a small allotment next to the road to do a number two. She didn’t even wipe her bum, but just pulled her pants up…
My son had the outside of his house painted and the painters asked afterwards if they could have the plastic containers. No doubt they’ll be used to store items safely afterwards to protect them from cockroaches and rats.
Some of the folks in the shanty town have satellite dishes. They must be the more affluent ones. I noticed some young ladies patrolling the street last night. It’s fair to say that we can guess what the purpose of that was.
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Post by MartinT on Jan 10, 2024 12:52:44 GMT
Remarkable how co-existence survives proximity between those who have and those who have not.
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Post by Slinger on Jan 10, 2024 12:55:41 GMT
Culture shock indeed, and I have to be honest, I'm not sure how I would cope with (all of) it.
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Post by MikeMusic on Jan 10, 2024 15:35:22 GMT
What we get used to as humans
I'm grateful for being born where I was
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Post by stanleyb on Jan 10, 2024 16:04:29 GMT
It turns out that the rich next door neighbour sometimes passes by to have a drink with my son, and is about half my age. He is apparently the son of the finance minister. Unexplained wealth springs to mind.
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Post by stanleyb on Jan 13, 2024 22:11:56 GMT
After a couple of days of being driven around I eventually noticed that in the local neighbourhood the traffic police directing traffic at junctions would often hold back other traffic in order to let us through. It turns out that certain prior financial arrangements have been made to facilitate a speedier exit out of the local grid lock.
Another thing that had me stumped initially is the presence of an air conditioner in the bathrooms at my son's place. I thought that it was a bit OTT, but I soon discovered the reason for it. After you step out of the shower and start wiping down yourself you are quickly covered in sweat if it's a hot day. The air conditioner is there to negate that from happening.
The type of cars was also a bit different from what I am accustomed to see in the UK. One of that cars my son has is a Merc AMG ML63. I have seen the body style before but not the 6.3 liter version. That thing shifts like a bullet. I was told that some of these versions were built for the US market, or were special bullet proof versions of the standard car.
My son took me to a mate of his who owns a garage that specializes in repairing expensive cars. The owner mentioned to me that he sometimes gets cars for repair that were stolen in Europe or the USA, and then shipped to Africa. When any of those cars go faulty the owners can't take it to any of the authorized car dealers, which is when they then have to find other ways of getting it fixed.
The staff at the garage have these work shirts with the badges of the various car brands that they service. I have been promised a white and a black one of those shirts, and I am actually looking forward to that.
Driving at night is not for the faint hearted. Some drivers have only one or no headlights or rearlights working. And bike riders don't always observe which side of the road they are on. Not too bad during the day, but heart stopping at night.
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Post by MartinT on Jan 13, 2024 22:16:08 GMT
I don't suppose fuel cost is any barrier to them?
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Post by stanleyb on Jan 14, 2024 0:06:59 GMT
I didn’t meet anyone who complained about petrol and diesel cost. But I met enough people who complained about the import duty on electric and hybrid cars. It’s astronomical. Replacing the battery costs more than buying a decent petrol or diesel car. Coming to think of it, even solar panels carry a hefty import tax. Basically consumers are discouraged from saving the planet.
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Post by mikeyb on Jan 14, 2024 9:24:35 GMT
Neo Victorian Britain isn't so bad after all then 😂
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Post by stanleyb on Jan 14, 2024 21:10:21 GMT
Today my son took me round to see what I can only describe as a waste of money in the construction sector. The main problems can be broken down into three types.
1. The governing party awards building contracts to friends etc. The work gets started, but then at the next election the new governing party decides to cancel the project. The end result is a flood of unfinished projects. Meanwhile the money left over to do the work then disappears. I saw flyovers going nowhere, and huge housing and office complex abandoned in various stages. If I had to put a price on it, I must have seen in excess of £1billion of those abandoned government projects.
But it's not just the government that has this mess. There are building work that got started, but the owner then ran out of money or fell foul of the bribes requirements. Some are small structures, but I also saw ten story buildings left incomplete.
Next are the expansions that are sort of a half way house. So they start, but run out of money to build the floor above. You then have the sight of a building that is occupied on the completed floors, with the part above those having pillars etc sticking out sky wards.
You also have the ones living in Europe and the US who have building work done on their property one bit at a time. I was shown one house that has been in construction for the last 20 years. The owners are still waiting for it to be completed.
The weirdest ones must however be the properties that are built by the locals. They start on the property, go to work for a while to get the money to buy more material, then get back to completing a bit more of the property. Quite a few of them even operate a food stall in front of the property that they are building, with the income then paying for the bricks etc that will be used the next day etc.
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Post by MikeMusic on Jan 14, 2024 21:17:20 GMT
Incredible
Kafka would have had a field day
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Post by rfan8312 on Jan 14, 2024 21:46:48 GMT
Wow. This is incredible.
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Post by Slinger on Jan 14, 2024 21:47:14 GMT
One hates to stereotype, but corrupt governments handing out crooked contracts, and lots of dirty money changing hands, is how many average Europeans view much of Africa. Perhaps it's only stereotyping if it's not true?
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Post by stanleyb on Jan 14, 2024 23:13:13 GMT
Well, our own experience with Persimmon, Michelle Mone, etc shows that our current administration is not much better than those in the third world right now.
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Post by Slinger on Jan 15, 2024 0:16:37 GMT
Well, our own experience with Persimmon, Michelle Mone, etc shows that our current administration is not much better than those in the third world right now. You are not wrong, Stan. |
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Post by MikeMusic on Jan 15, 2024 10:27:19 GMT
Great Britain Banana
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Post by stanleyb on Jan 20, 2024 8:52:43 GMT
My latest round of shock is the way that staff are treated, especially home helpers. I have already had a couple of polite exchanges with a few people about this. I know that if someone treated me like that in the UK I would just walk out from that job. But I suspect that folks are so poor in many cases that walking out is no option.
Taboos are also a thing. Don't bother handing something to someone with your left hand. They will never accept it, even if it is money. And greeting someone before you engage with them is another thing religiously adhered to. That goes even for when you are out shopping. Some traders will engage with you, but most will pretend that they didn't hear you speak to them.
Car engine types matter! My son has two V8 SUVs, whilst his wife has a V6. It's amazing how many times we have had traffic wardens and even the traffic police waive us through stationary traffic in the V8, but held us back or ignored us in the V6. I have been told that a lot of government officials use a V8 car, so many traffic wardens don't want to risk it by giving those cars any hassle.
Prices here depend on your accent and skin colour, except in supermarkets etc. It normally starts at twice of more of what the trader will eventually settle for. Coming originally from South America, I quickly adopted the bargaining method we use in the West Indies. It normally involves walking away after my offer is refused. Then when I get called back with a lower offer, I tend to walk up to the trader with the exact amount that I am willing to pay clearly visible. That means spreading the notes out so that it is easy to see total. I then slip it in my pocket whilst letting the trader know that I just don't have as much as he is asking for and then thank him for at least trying to offer me a bargain. 99 times out of a hundred they ask me how much I got on me, which I then produce from my pocket. I then pretend to count it, and so far I always get my way.
The petrol stations I visited expect you to hand the money to a petrol pump attendant, who then counts and checks the notes to see if any of it is fake. He then fills your tank up accordingly.
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Post by MartinT on Jan 20, 2024 10:11:35 GMT
I've come across prepayment for petrol in the US, which is a bit of a shock. Elsewhere, only in Namibia as I recall.
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