Cape Town faded into the distance behind us. Mossel Bay was the destination point for us to lay our heads for the night. It seemed dream-like to be sitting in the little baby blue kombi travelling in South Africa. I had not imagined anything as perfect as this when I dreamed up a trip to my Father’s homeland so many months ago. Now I was part-owner of this precious van that we had made ours by going so far as to stitch our own curtains. The van even got a name, as was befitting such a quaint vehicle as this. “Arnie” became ours on January 8th. He was named after the man we bought it from. He was a right proper Afrikaaner by the name of Arnold. He had taken good care of the kombi and now it was ours to explore in. The country lay in wait for our meandering ways.
We spent our last days in Cape Town amassing implements to aid us on our journey. The local market provided us with such things as a stove, tent, pots and pans, plates, bowls, cutlery and of course food. I had left my uncle’s home shortly after Christmas to house-sit for a friend of my cousin’s. I relaxed into solitude, but not for long. That was followed by a move into a hostel in Cape Town to make the night life more accessible. This I took advantage of. It was there that I met Miki’s friend Brett, who flew in from Australia. We went to a rave New Year’s Eve and became instant inseparable friends. Over many a drink, we concocted the plan of taking South Africa by storm behind the wheel of our own vehicle. It all fell into place perfectly and now the waves of the Atlantic Ocean gave way to the Indian Ocean. Whatever excess baggage I had was left behind at my uncle’s. I was free. Free to be me and go wherever the wind blew me. I had new friends by my side who fuelled my excitement at life’s turn. Sunshine warmed my cheek, as I bent my head to write tales of my voyage thus far in my trusty journal. I had stepped onto a new path and my old history was no more than a whisper in the back of my mind. “Fly away” was all I heard in the cavernous echo of my head, as ripe tomorrows peeked through the windshield in front of us. Brett, Miki, her brother and I were on a date with destiny. In all its corniness, it was infinitely true. The tomorrows to come would hold experiences to fill a jealous bird’s lifetime. Yesterday disappeared in a little puff of smoke out the back of a brilliantly blue kombi. We were set on an unknown path down the N2 highway of South Africa.
