Local Tips

I feel more and more like a local every day here and I've decided to put together a few random tips based on things I've learned while navigating life here in Jozi:

• When you first arrive in the country, get certified copies of your passport made and also get yourself a stack of passport photos. You will need these many times throughout your journey; when purchasing a car, getting travel visas, a bank account, etc. 
• Also good to memorize your passport #. In South Africa, you'll be asked for your ID # on any form you fill out, literally all the time. As an expat, your passport # stands in for your South African ID #.
• Traffic in this city is hectic. It can be caused by congestion (particularly during rush hour [8-10am & 4-6pm]), road work or power outages so leave yourself extra time wherever you're going, you never know when your travel time will double.
• Be wary of the taxis (mini-buses with a yellow strip painted on the side) - these are constantly navigating from one end of the city to the other and they pick up and drop people off at any point along the way. They tend to stop suddenly, weave in and out of traffic and even push ahead on road shoulders, making their own lanes as they see fit. If you're not careful one of these guys could cause an accident for you and don't be surprised when they aren't willing to swap information for insurance, if they even stop.
• As mentioned in a previous post of mine, power outages are very common because the local infrastructure is not able to manage the strain on the system, so load shedding is implemented to alleviate the burden - check the Eskom load shedding schedule daily so you can plan accordingly; the worst is losing power in the middle of cooking dinner.
• Everything closes early in this city and many places won't open on Sundays either so be aware of the time, if you need to grab groceries to make your dinner, be sure to leave the office in time (taking into consideration traffic times also) - my grocery store stays open til 8pm, which is considered late. But if you're in a real bind, there are little Woolworths markets open 24 hrs in some Engen gas stations.
• If you swear by Advil Cold & Sinus the way I do, you will be shocked when you search amongst the various pain relief meds on the shelf and don't find it. Same goes for Imodium. But not to fear, South Africa does have these meds, but you have to get them from over the counter at the pharmacy. You don't need a prescription, you just have ask the pharmacist. 
• Almost any time you park on a city street you will encounter parking attendants in bright vests. These people are not city employees, but are local entrepreneurs basically. They take it upon themselves to cover an area, helping people navigate parking in tight spots and watching the cars against break-ins while you're off shopping or eating. In exchange, you should give them a tip, I always keep 5 Rand coins in my car console for just this occasion.
• At gas stations, there is no self-service option, all the pumps are full-service. The attendants will fill your tank and generally also offer to check your oil, clean the windows or fill the tires. You should give them a tip for their services. I generally give between 5-10 Rand.
• If you are insured by Discovery and are a part of the Vitality program - make sure you sign up for a Ster-Kinekor Theatres membershp card. You get a discount on the price of movies, which are already significantly cheaper than in North America. Although, movie release dates are sometimes delayed here, the movies are a great cheap entertainment option in Joburg.
• There are no residential mailboxes. If you have a 24hr security guard at your home they may be willing to accept packages and letters that happen to show up for you, but locals don't at all find it strange not to have a mailbox. They can't understand why you would, "no one sends letters anymore." The other issue with receiving mail is that the postal system is very unreliable. Generally the mail I do receive takes about a month to arrive from Canada, if it ever arrives at all. I am still waiting on two packages that were sent months ago...not sure they'll ever turn up.
• If you need to take a cab somewhere, use the Uber app to call a car. That's the safest way to catch a ride in the city. The random cab companies in the city have been associated with crime, but Uber has become the more safe and reliable option. The only thing to be wary of now is that the cab drivers are upset with Uber taking over the market and they have started attacking Uber drivers so you shouldn't get picked up anywhere near clusters of parked cabs, such as at the main entrance to Sandton City Mall or at OR Tambo Airport arrivals; if you need an Uber from the airport, the driver will likely ask you to walk to departures to be picked up so the cab drivers aren't close by.
• Along the same vein, if you go out for drinks, you should highly consider always Ubering and not driving, even if you only have one or two drinks. The legal blood alcohol limit to drive here is quite low and especially on the weekends, you'll find yourself driving through quite a few road blocks around the city. If you blow over you will find yourself in jail and if you blew over on a weekend, you'll be in jail until Monday when the courts open - yikes!