The first of several stand-alone Podcasts dealing with this much-misunderstood and fabulous country down at the bottom of the world deals with Cape Town, since that was where it all began.

South Africa gets a lot of undeservedly bad press. Much of it is the legacy of the pre-democracy political system, and those days are long since over.

Certainly there's some crime, yes. But where in the world isn't that the case? If you avoid known trouble spots and don't walk around at night dripping with gold Rolexes and expensive cameras, you'll be absolutely fine.

Go with someone local the first time, if you want to avoid problems.

But, that said, there's a high, wide and handsome welcome awaiting you in this beautiful country.