Better things ahead than we leave behind

Thursday, 28 February 2013

(Recommended song choice for this entry: 'Hold My Hand' - Sean Paul (Feat. Keri Hilson) 


Well hello there Johannesburg. It has been quite the journey - you seem to be in quite the jam, and I seem to just be playing in traffic, hah!

After a mostly peaceful stay at Sani Lodge, besides being bitten behind the ear by some form of mutant spider, I left early this morning with a swollen right gland to Soweto, where I will be staying at Lebo's Backpackers spending my 22nd birthday on the 1st of March (forever alone). Priceless.

I had spent most of the day in the Baz Bus counting the numerous gas stations which passed us, until hitting the immense traffic which characterises Johannesburg. But it wasn't just the traffic that took me by surprise, but rather the shear size of this city! I later found out, that Jozi (one of the city's many nicknames) is also the world's largest city not resting on a river, lake or coastline. 

People of all shapes, sizes, colours and strides walked with conviction up and down the side walks of this metropolitan beast. I kept having to remember to close my mouth as I gaped around. I was definitely in shock by the loud hum in the air, which I had lacked over the past few weeks - being on the Wild Coast and in the crevices of the Southern Drakensberg. 

I have travelled in and out of Johannesburg before, but only when I have had a connection flight to catch out of the country. Cape Tonians do not leave much to be desired from their comments of Jozi. I think it was time to check it out for myself. 

The Baz Bus dropped me off at Brown Sugar Backpackers, where I was to wait for another taxi driver to come and deliver me to Lebo's Backpackers in Soweto.

When he fetched me, this friendly black man with one grey eye gave me a driving tour of this city by night. He dropped me off at Lebo's and I was ushered into a private room with a comfy double bed. 

After dumping what little luggage I had in the corner, I joined a few guests to a hearty help-yourself dinner, where I met a man whose field of expertise is ants.

We hit the sack quite early after sitting around the bonfire in the outside courtyard chatting for an hour, but after returning to my room I was restless. 

I eventually gave up trying to count sheep after a couple of hours, and made my way back outside to the courtyard, settling for a hammock. It was overcast above, and the weather was muggy - almost electrical. Reggae was still coming out of the speakers in the bar, but between that and the hum from the life in the township outside, all around me was still, quiet. 

My mind is not racing as it usually is, but it is rather drifting in and around my thoughts.

I found myself thinking about what this trip has meant to me - what have I realised about myself?

Nothing really ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know. 

And here I am, recognising all this momentum which I had been given to ride the high crests of this beautiful wave... of this beautiful journey.... 

 and then my mobile started vibrating, as an automatic social-networking alarm reminded me loudly -

Ali Karp's 22nd birthday. 

It was 12am, and I had just kissed 21 of my precious years away. 

It is weird how dramatic we get over these things, but believe it or not, it started drizzling within a few seconds of the surprise alarm interruption. I remember my heart pounding softly, and I shed a few happy tears on my own, curled up in that hammock. This was weirdly the second year in a row where I spent my birthday on my own, away from family or friends.

It is a lot easier to come about something that you are searching for as opposed to letting it go. We are all hoarders in nature, maybe some are more than others. But in this moment I felt full, and not empty. I felt surrounded by life, and not alone. 

A couple of minutes later, the ant expert who had been camping in his tent around the corner popped up, and with a few sighs and grunts switched off the softly thumping reggae. 

I staggered out of the hammock on queue, and tiptoed back into my room crawling under the warm covers.

There are better things ahead, than we leave behind.

- C.S. Lewis

Happy birthday me, I am proud of you.