Time

Big aloe...

...and small aloe in bloom

 05.05.2012 Johannesburg International Airport, South-Africa

This is the last post coming over from Africa. Yesterday was a sad goodbye to Wombosi. He was put in a container, waiting for the vessel taking him to Madagascar in a week or two. I don’t know how he felt about it, but I’m going to miss him a bit. I’ve lived in him and driven him every day for the last eight months, and he has really been a good partner. It’s a bit hard to put words on the feeling I am carrying at the moment. It’s a bit sad to suddenly be finished in Africa. I have had such a good time, and have no regrets using a year of my life (if including the time I used earning the money) for this trip.

At the same time I am glad I had such a good time. There are so many things that can go wrong on an overland-trip through Africa (or anywhere), and I feel happy about the achievement of having managed to come through it all so well. It’s nothing I take much I take pride in myself. It is much about luck. Sickness and disease that often can ruin a trip is nothing I control, and damage on the car as well. Imagine I have had zero punctures during the 43 000 kilometers I have been doing with Wombosi. There is plenty to be thankful for, but I will do the thanking when the trip is really over. Today I have a fascinating week to report about, so I better get started.

After having posted last week we went straight to the border between South-Africa (ZA) and Botswana. At first, coming to ZA felt like coming to Namibia with big farms and fences and no people, but after some hours things changed. ZA is a country of huge contrasts. Nothing I have seen so far can compare. It is not just the contrast between “black” and “white”, but the huge contrast between rich and poor, clean and dirty etc. It’s not like being white means that you are rich and live in the clean “sorted” part of town. Amongst the beggars you find people of both colors and among the rich also. Towns seem to have a “tourist-area” with malls, banks, very clean paved roads, but then they also seem to have a back-side, a part of town where no one ever comes, where the streets are full of garbage and dirt, and ragged people wander along (and you probably better not stop your vehicle, and keep your doors locked).

On the first evening we intended to sleep in a town now named Polokwane. As the road was long, it was well after dark before we got there, and then we stumbled right into the back-side of town, and I must admit that both I and my father were slightly shocked. That night we ended up in a rather expensive hotel, because searching for a place to sleep in a big town where you’ve never been and have no map of, it being dark and all is not too easy.

The following morning we cruised out of town, and headed to the Blyde-River-Canyon, a beautiful piece of nature. The landscape is very mountainous and green, even though much of the forest is planted monocultures of pine. The next two days consisted hugely of driving. ZA is big, so even with good roads it takes time. We mainly staid in backpacker-places but wild-camped one night without being eaten or killed in any other way.

We arrived in Durban on Tuesday-afternoon, the first of May. We had two missions in Durban, and did not look too much forward to either of them. As “everything” on this trip, though, things turned out to go much better than expected. Not only did we get our tasks done in a satisfying way, we actually also enjoyed Durban.

The first task was to get Wombosi in a good shape for Madagascar. Finding a suitable garage took us half a day, but when we had found one, the service was excellent, the people competent, and even if it made me many rand poorer, I am very happy with the work they did. The main issue was the brakes, which really made a terrible noise the last 5000 kilometers, and were hard to drive with. Now Wombosi brakes like a goddess. There were also a couple of minor issues that were dealt with, so I think Wombosi will arrive in Madagascar almost as good as he was when I bought him in Germany back in September.

The second task was of course the shipping, and it turned out to be really easy. Tracy, the lady from the shipping-company had everything prepared and ready, so all it took was a short meeting, customs taking two minutes and putting the car into a container.

As things went so well, we had time to drink coffee, stroll along the beach, visit the botanical garden and take the cable-car to the top of the stadium. The time with my father has been very good all over, and especially in Durban it was very good to not be alone. I am happy he could join.

Friday after having said goodbye to Wombosi the waiting started. After the waiting we took a night-bus arriving at the airport here in Johannesburg ten to five. Then the waiting continued. My father left around noon, my flight is at eight-thirty.

Now I have written a lot. Africa is over for this time. The trip is not all over yet though. I will pick up my bike in Germany, and finish as I started, driving back to Norway. Today is time for some more Pink Floyd wisdom. Youngsters get out there and do something. You won’t regret it!

Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain 
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today 
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you 
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun

Not everyone lives in a villa in South-Africa

View over the Blyde-River-Canyon

In Durban botanical garden

Zulu-Rickshaw in Durban

Durban city. Note the fancy stadium to the right

Fall in South-Africa

Farewell and goodbye

Durban skate-park