Almost a holiday
I haven't been on holiday for two years, give or a take a month. It's a long time not to take a break, and the idea that I need to get away was thoroughly reinforced over the last two days, when I went down to the coastal city of Durban on business. The thruth is, though, that because I have changed jobs fairly rapidly over the last while, a long holiday isn't something that is viable in the near future. I am going to have to snatch snippets of vacation time where I can. This makes the fact that I will be going down to Durban fairly often quite cool, because every now and then I can arrange an overnight trip like the one I just had.
Although the trip was primarily business, I made arrangements to stay over on Friday night, and to meet some Internet forum friends in the process. It was a long time since I had been in Durban - 22 years, more or less, and a lot has changed there. But certain things still hold true: the air is so thick you need a spoon to breath it, the smell of frangipanis (which grow in great proliferation down in those near tropical climes) is heady and beautifully intoxicating, the whole city is really green (especially when compared to the rather dry and dusty Johannesburg - we need lots ofrain and aren't getting near enough) and the sea is perhaps the most incredible thing to witness (that doesn't require an enviroment suit.)
The best thing about the whole trip was managing to meet people that I have "known" for years without actually clapping eyes on them. They are all members of a South African forum that I post to fairly regularly. Although not all of the Durban crowd could make it, I was lucky enough tomeet some very good people. I am sure I will catch up with the other two or three next time around.
First off, there was Ash, who acted as my taxi and tour guide during the non-business part of the trip. A wonderfully warm and giving person, Ash and I have chatted for many years online and formed what I believe is very firm friendship. It was great to finally meet her, even though she laughed most heartily when my shoes got flooded with cold sea water while taking pictures on the beach.
Next up, Iain, a military man who serves in the same branch of the SANDF that I did my mandatory military service in
- in other words, Iain is a Medic. He and I got on like a house on fire, probably because we are both lecherous old bastards who have to pass a comment on virtually every woman walking past.
The next guy I met was Gareth Fouche, who I must admit I was a little worried about meeting. Gareth and I have reached a level of notoriety for our battles on the forum. But while his online persona may be somewhat infuriating, in the "real" Gareth and I got on really well. We talked games, of course, for a good long while, and didn't disagree or come to blows at all. It was quite surprising.
Shirley and Gareth (yes, another one) were the last two I met - the first three I had met on Friday night, while the last two I met at breakfast the following morning. Gareth has more
or less disappeared from the forum, which if a pity - his comments were always insightful and entertaining. He's a quiet guy, apparently, and I think that Iain and my comments made him cringe more than once in the presence of the ladies.
Shirley and I had become involved in a bit of a forum based argument - actually we had exploded at each other over a misunderstanding - on Friday, so I was a little afraid of meeting her. Her temper, along with her appetite, is quite legendary among the Durban crowd. So is her phobia of ants, apparently, but I won't go there. In the flesh, Shirley is great. She's really tiny. Her views on many things, particularly animals, are the same as mine, so chatting to her was very easy.
The breakfast we had was at the Oyster Box Hotel in Umhlanga, just north of Durban proper. Great food and good conversation (accompanied by far too much coffee and too many cigarettes on my part) was complimented by a splendid view of the sea and the
Umlanga lighthouse. We moved on to the Gateway shopping centre (described by the locals as an architectural mess) afterwards for drinks.
The day was rounded off by heading to the Umhlanga beach to take photographs (during which time the shoe flooding incident happened.) The devastation caused by recent rough seas was more than evident, with huge amounts of beach sand having been washed away to expose the rocks below.
Sitting at Durban International airport, having a quick bite to eat before heading back to Johannesburg, I suddenly became very sad. The time I had spent there, in the frangipani scented air, was too short, and it will be every time I travel down there. I realised, once again, how easy it would be for me to leave Johannesburg behind (if not for complications with animals and relationships.) If there was a way for me to do what I do away from this city, away from the dust and dryness, near that big, powerful ocean, I would be gone tomorrow.
Perhaps one day I will be able to do that. For now, though, I will just have to contend with my work-centric almost holidays.
Comments
Very nice post. And, of course, I am extremely jealous. But I am glad you had a good weekend. I can relate to wanting to live next to the ocean - I grew up on the coast. Just a pity there is no work where I want to live - but perhaps I'll retire to the coast one day and open a bookstore.