Monday, January 17, 2011

Showing a Little Leg

Settling back into the familiar setting of Sable Lodge, I reflected on the last few days.  The warm sun shone on me again, as I lazed poolside thinking about what direction my life would spin in now. Brett and I had finally sold Arnie and made our way back up to Harare. It wasn’t near as comfortable a ride, but the taste of new adventure whetted both our appetites for life on the road again. The road was a different thing entirely now.
How did we make our way back to Harare without our beloved van to chug along in, you wonder? Why, by hitchhiking of course! Dear Brett used me as a pawn to attract attention, pushing me closer to the roadway and encouraging a little leg. Nasty bugger, but it worked. We got a ride in Pietersburg that took us as far as Louis Trichardt. Standing beside the highway, we bumped into another traveler that we had met hitching back in Pietersburg. On this section of the journey, we shared a lift with our new friend Deon. Since they had both been pushing for me to flag down a ride for us, I got the luxury of the front of the bakkie, while they got to ride in the back of the pickup wearing every sweater they owned and tucked into their sleeping bags to keep warm. Seemed only fair. Teehee! Mind you, I did have to play up my “relationship” with Brett to keep Alex, the driver, away from pawing at my knees, and beyond! No matter. We arrived in Harare late that night and Deon was good enough to put us up for the night at his apartment. He even cooked us steak and eggs for breakfast. A treat for us poor lot who had been subsisting on dry noodle soup, and peanut butter for the last while.
 With our first taste of hitchhiking behind us, I was able to relax a bit on my constant worried path of where the future would take me. The sun felt good poolside and I smiled at the possibilities that lay before me. A glance at my watch made me realize that for right now, it was time to go though. After leaving Deon’s apartment that morning, we had settled back into our makeshift Harare home at the Sable Lodge. Deon had made us promise that we would return that afternoon to join him and his roommate for a home cooked meal and some TV viewing. As the television had been a foreign object for a long while now, we couldn’t resist. Making a plan for where we would head next could wait for another day, but the Simpsons were a luxury that just couldn’t wait. 

10 comments:

  1. funny, it never worked when i showed leg...smiles. hitch hikiking is scary biz...did do a bit in my day...the simpsons, dolp!

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  2. Gosh, your African stories always remind me of what a sheltered life I've led! You have had more adventures than I can even dream of...

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  3. @Brian: bwahahaha! Too bad my friend! :) Perhaps you should have shaved first (of course I was long since out of razors myself- hmmm)

    hitching can be a dangerous thing, but at this point I was travelling with a male friend, so I wasn't too worried.

    And for us, the Simpsons was a SUPER treat at the time. TV wasn't found in too many places we wandered...

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  4. @Me: We all live our own lives as we are meant to hon. If you were meant to have traipsed around in a developing country or twelve, it would have happened. Your life took you on the path you were meant to wander. Don't ever rue your days spent. If things don't work for you, then recognize that and bring change to your life now.

    Heck, I am glorying in my VERY staid life now. I love the fact that I have no chaos calling the shots. I am learning how to breath again. :)

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  5. Showing a little leg~

    Oh, how funny!

    You GO, girl!

    "I got the luxury of the front of the bakkie, while they got to ride in the back of the pickup wearing every sweater they owned and tucked into their sleeping bags to keep warm. Seemed only fair. Teehee!"

    HAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA! Well, I seriously think you deserved it because afterall, you did all the work!

    I so enjoy reading these post, Katherine!

    Looking forward to the next! Have a terrific Tuesday!

    X

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  6. @Ron: "HAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA! Well, I seriously think you deserved it because afterall, you did all the work!"

    I think that you in your Mizzta Ross getup & me dancing around trying to catch a ride would make an awesome pair.

    MWAH! Always a pleasure to have you stop by Ron!

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  7. I tried to get my boyfriend to take me hitch hiking back in the day, but he would never do it. I wasn't willing to go it alone.

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  8. @Alice: I don't blame you for not going it alone. You never know who you are going to meet. Some lovely, some weird, some down-right creepy! Best to do with friends for sure, but the stories to be had, whoa boy! (would be hard pressed for any such craziness now though, I dare say)

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  9. Always love your tales from Africa! Was reminded of my own hitch-hiking days cross-country. Lordy-- how did we survive!

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  10. @Mairmusic: Sometimes I wonder Marilynn! This trek was fine, but there were others a little more nerve-wracking! Thanks for helping to keep the tale alive.

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