Q. An old friend and I have reconnected and we've decided to meet in a city at the end of winter. We are both students so the budget is tight. He is in Cape Town and I'm in Johannesburg. Neither of us are familiar with South Africa except for the cities we are in. So any suggestions of where we could go and if there is a "halfway" we could meet, where that is and activities available to us. - Wadzanai Mubika-Musoni
A. Making recommendations without knowing what you're interested in is difficult. However, I applaud your plan "to meet in the middle", even though you don't know the country as that is what true travel is about.
You have two options (though neither is quite in the middle): Kimberley or Bloemfontein. As a destination, I prefer Kimberley, a town built on South Africa's epic diamond rush of the late 19th century - and all the euphoria and troubles that came with it - and thus full of history.Getting there on a budget is easy: train or long-distance coach. Slow but comfortable Shosholoza Meyl trains run Wednesday, Friday and Sunday from Joburg and Cape Town.
Intercape  and Greyhound operate buses to Kimberley - expect to pay about R400 one way. For getting around the city itself, I suggest using Rikki's taxis or new taxi-app startup Hailer  which was due to launch on June 4.
For budget accommodation, try the Horsehoe Inn. A test booking showed rates from R450/night.Given its turbulent history, it's no surprise that Kimberley has excellent museums. Don't miss the Sol Plaatje Museum (32 Angel Street), situated in the house where Plaatje - first secretary-general of the African National Congress - lived and now full of artefacts and photographs from his life.
The superb McGregor Museum  covers botany, geology, ethnography, rock art and a lot of local history. Housed in the old sanatorium, it is a fascinating museum with scores of photographs and dioramas.
Given the diamond connection, you should also visit the Big Hole Museum, set in the original mining village at the edge of the famous Big Hole. Among the geological and sociological exhibits is an absorbing timeline of how diamonds are formed...