Postal services and zebra skins

Everyone here has a pet peeve, some hate it when the electricity or water stops, others are when there are strikes, I think mine is the postal system. Gone are the days of passing a post box and tossing in your letters. Now one has to wait till the post office opens, then as they also serve as "banks" or deposit taking institutions, one has to watch for dodgy characters (our post office was just robbed a month ago). Letters never arrive at the physical address and P.O. boxes make one's address look suspicious (never mind "Africa" in the address).

Then... the postal system has no standardisation of value of stamps to different continents (prob the price changes every year?) so its Rand 4.65 to send a letter to Asia, dictated by size of envelope and not weight. Usually it means there are a min of 4 stamps that I need to tear and then paste. Of course the stamps then come with borders that take up space on the envelope. Sometimes they have different denominated stamps, I have to paste up to 6 or more stamps. Oh and you must paste the airmail sticker too.

The stamps are really pretty though which make them targets for mail theft or stamp theft. The postal officers take a long time to calculate the value of the total purchase of the stamps and take their time tearing it too, which means I should buy in bulk, which I did but then a month later the cost of posting changed!!!!! But they are quite sophisticated with the bar code scanner to get the total price, its just when there is no electricity or when it breaks down, they need a calculator, when that is not available.... it takes forever. I have significantly cut down sending mail and post cards (there is just no space to put the stamps!).

On to zebra skins, ever since I baby satted for a jewish family in college, I have this impression of a jewish home, there would be skin patterns of all sorts, zebra skin ottomans, leapard spotted bedsheet and giraffe spotted throw pillows.... In May 2006 when we came for our look see of S. Africa, I was even curious enough to find out the cost of a zebra rug (its about US$ 1,500 for a good quality one), I was sure that one of my north american jewish family / friend would be the first to inquire or order these rugs.... I am happy to report, the prize goes to our Italian friend and his Thai wife for their Bangkok apartment.