We set off early this morning as we have a long drive ahead of us.
Steve, Tamlyn and I are leaving for Mtwalume today and Steph is flying up a few days later as she has some studying to do for a work project. We'll see her in a few days time.
It's roughly 600km to our destination and as the speed limit is 100k's per hour we're looking at a six hour drive. Not to worry though, it gives us the chance to see some of the country. The drive to Mtwalume has me in a spell. I have never seen a country so beautiful. The veldt stretches as far as the eye can see and the sky above us is clear and blue.
There is the occasional diamond mine off to the side of the highway which puts a scar on an otherwise amazing landscape. It saddens me to see that mankind's desire for bright shiny objects has scarred not only this country but it's people also. I think for a while about how many people have fought, and died, for this land over the course of history and wonder to myself if there is still a hope of peace on our world. Maybe, Who knows.
We pass through small towns with names I cannot even begin to pronounce and across rivers with African names that conjure up images of Dutch settlers, African natives, the British army and battles fought amongst them all. We drive into the region of Kwazulu and pass through the Drakensberg mountains and my breath is taken away by the views.
Stopping for diesel at a gas station just as the sun begins to set we go into the shop and get some ice cream, juice and snacks. Who needs wholesome food when driving? Not us, that's for sure and why the hell would we want it when junk food will suffice. Then it's back into the car and back onto the road.
As we approach Durban I feel the heat of the day pass and the night air becomes humid to the point of being almost unbearable. It feels to me like I'm breathing through a warm, wet blanket and I'm sweating like a junkie gone cold turkey. I can feel my pores opening it's so humid.
As darkness descends we approach Durban. Steve tells me that we'll visit there when we go to the airport to pick up Steph. Firstly we have a few days of sitting on the beach fishing and drinking to do.
We arrive at Mtwalume in the darkness and I can hear the surf booming onto the shore as we are greeted by my uncle Reg and Auntie Eleanor. I haven't seen either of them since I was about five years old but they make me feel very welcome.
While I was in the airport in Edinburgh I bought a bottle of malt whisky for Reg and as I handed him it he told me that he didn't drink the stuff and that he hated it... "Oh the irony," I thought. "A Scotsman who doesn't drink scotch. If ever there was sucker for a preconceived stereotype I'm it." Fortunately for me Eleanor said she drank scotch so the gift was not entirely useless.
Within seconds of us sitting down on the porch Reg had produced a half liter of beer for me and I took a long drink to see if it would remedy the profuse sweating that was being caused by the humidity. No such luck. But it tasted great and I took another long drink. In what seemed like seconds Reg asked me if I had enough beer and was fully willing to get one for me. I thanked him and said I was fine.
Later on, after emptying the car out and putting our bags into our bedrooms we all sit on the porch and have a braii as the stars come out. I have a few Bacardi Gold and Coke, Steve and Tamlyn have Capt Morgans and Coke, Reg has beer and Eleanor has a scotch as we all tell each other a small part of our stories.
The sky is clear and the entirety of the milky way is laid out before my eyes. Once again my perception is altered and I realize that my body is a tiny piece of a larger thing which has a certain destiny to fulfill and an eternity to do it. A quote I have heard flashes into my mind "Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it." My heart pounds so loud in my ears it seems, and feels, like I am connected to all the life out in the universe.
And I was yet to sample the local Marijuana...
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