Wednesday, April 19, 2006
The Hits Just Keep On Comin'
April 19, 2006, Plettenburg, South Africa
There are not many things that make the hair on my neck stand on end as quickly as the sound of a shock absorber snapping in half at 70 miles per hour.
Our time in Cape Town was enjoyable, yet uneventful. It is a beautiful city, situated on the southern most tip of Africa, with a breathtaking coastline, surrounded by mountains. We spent about a week, trouncing through various coastal towns; however writing any more about our time there would be about as interesting as writing about my last vacation at the Jersey shore.
On Monday morning we set off for our next destination, Mosselbay, which is about 400 kilometers from Cape Town. The drive was beautiful. We cruised over mountains and into valleys that contained small, quaint towns. I dozed in and out of consciousness in the backseat listening to the melodic tunes emanating from the stereo. Unfortunately, my slumber abruptly came to an end with the gut-wrenching sound of the car's shock absorber breaking at 70 miles an hour, followed by the smell of burning rubber and the sight of smoking pouring in from behind my head.
Sean pulled the car to the side of the road and we hopped out to inspect the damage. We jacked up the car, took the tire off and found that the brand new shock which we bought in Windhoek had snapped in half. We spent the next 45 minutes taking the shock off and then decided that Sean should go to the next town to find a new shock absorber. We spent the next hour trying to flag down cars, finding that most people were not willing to stop. Eventually, two men stopped. They informed us that there was a Midas car parts store about 60 kilometers away. Sean got in their car, while Nate and I wrote down the license plate number, hoping we'd see our friend again soon with a new shock.
Nate and I spent the next few hours watching the traffic pass and making small talk. The road that we were on was very busy, which wasn't comforting at all. For starters, we were terrified that someone would bash into us, due to that fact that everyone was driving at least 75 miles an hour while constantly trying to overtake one another. We were also concerned that we would be robbed, especially as night fell; South Africa has one of the worst reputations for car jackers and highway robberies. We discussed various scenarios involving groups of men stopping and stealing our clothes, computers, passports and the small bit of money that we had at gun point and/or knife point.
This fear began to take a legitimate form as a car stopped in front of us. As the driver exited his truck and approached our car, my imagination raced in a million different directions. I was slightly relieved when the faces of six children appeared in the back window. We got out and greeted the man, who asked if we needed help. I explained that we had broken a shock and that our friend had gone to town to get a new one, and the police. The last part was cowardly lies. The man wished us luck and left.
Nate and I continued to sit in the car, in the dark, wondering what happened to Sean and wondering what might happen to us. After some time, a truck drove by us slowly, turned around and pulled in front of us. The tailgate opened and several men jumped out. I grabbed the tire iron and Nate opened his knife and we slowly got out of the car. As we approached the men, we realized that Sean was with them and he had a new shock. I was pretty relieved that I did not have to attempt fight four men with a tire iron (I'm pretty sure we would have lost).
We put on the new shock and decided to head to the next town and sleep there for the night. We got into town around nine and found a backpackers lodge that wanted to charge us around twenty US dollars to camp. We didn't particularly like the price, the fact that there was no secure parking, nor the attitude of the man who worked there. But we did not think we'd find a better place so late at night. Nate and I decided to sleep in the car and guard it (and save money), while Sean slept in a tent, ensuring that we would be able to use the bathrooms and kitchen when necessary.
Sleeping in the car (for the second time in about a week) was not the most comfortable experience. The worst part about it was that I was in a sleeping bag and that my legs were pinned under the steering wheel. I felt like a worm that some snot-nosed kid had pinned down with a stick. I was forced to sleep in one, uncomfortable position for the entire night. But I sure showed that jerk at reception.
We have now driven a bit further down the coast and are staying in a beautiful coastal town called Plettenburg. Fortunately, Nate's family friend has a waterfront cottage that we can stay in for free. Unfortunately, Sean, who's working next to me, has just told me that he doesn't think we have enough money to make it much further. So, for those of you who are waiting for me to get back to the US, you might see me in a few weeks.
April 19, 2006, Plettenburg, South Africa
There are not many things that make the hair on my neck stand on end as quickly as the sound of a shock absorber snapping in half at 70 miles per hour.
Our time in Cape Town was enjoyable, yet uneventful. It is a beautiful city, situated on the southern most tip of Africa, with a breathtaking coastline, surrounded by mountains. We spent about a week, trouncing through various coastal towns; however writing any more about our time there would be about as interesting as writing about my last vacation at the Jersey shore.
On Monday morning we set off for our next destination, Mosselbay, which is about 400 kilometers from Cape Town. The drive was beautiful. We cruised over mountains and into valleys that contained small, quaint towns. I dozed in and out of consciousness in the backseat listening to the melodic tunes emanating from the stereo. Unfortunately, my slumber abruptly came to an end with the gut-wrenching sound of the car's shock absorber breaking at 70 miles an hour, followed by the smell of burning rubber and the sight of smoking pouring in from behind my head.
Sean pulled the car to the side of the road and we hopped out to inspect the damage. We jacked up the car, took the tire off and found that the brand new shock which we bought in Windhoek had snapped in half. We spent the next 45 minutes taking the shock off and then decided that Sean should go to the next town to find a new shock absorber. We spent the next hour trying to flag down cars, finding that most people were not willing to stop. Eventually, two men stopped. They informed us that there was a Midas car parts store about 60 kilometers away. Sean got in their car, while Nate and I wrote down the license plate number, hoping we'd see our friend again soon with a new shock.
Nate and I spent the next few hours watching the traffic pass and making small talk. The road that we were on was very busy, which wasn't comforting at all. For starters, we were terrified that someone would bash into us, due to that fact that everyone was driving at least 75 miles an hour while constantly trying to overtake one another. We were also concerned that we would be robbed, especially as night fell; South Africa has one of the worst reputations for car jackers and highway robberies. We discussed various scenarios involving groups of men stopping and stealing our clothes, computers, passports and the small bit of money that we had at gun point and/or knife point.
This fear began to take a legitimate form as a car stopped in front of us. As the driver exited his truck and approached our car, my imagination raced in a million different directions. I was slightly relieved when the faces of six children appeared in the back window. We got out and greeted the man, who asked if we needed help. I explained that we had broken a shock and that our friend had gone to town to get a new one, and the police. The last part was cowardly lies. The man wished us luck and left.
Nate and I continued to sit in the car, in the dark, wondering what happened to Sean and wondering what might happen to us. After some time, a truck drove by us slowly, turned around and pulled in front of us. The tailgate opened and several men jumped out. I grabbed the tire iron and Nate opened his knife and we slowly got out of the car. As we approached the men, we realized that Sean was with them and he had a new shock. I was pretty relieved that I did not have to attempt fight four men with a tire iron (I'm pretty sure we would have lost).
We put on the new shock and decided to head to the next town and sleep there for the night. We got into town around nine and found a backpackers lodge that wanted to charge us around twenty US dollars to camp. We didn't particularly like the price, the fact that there was no secure parking, nor the attitude of the man who worked there. But we did not think we'd find a better place so late at night. Nate and I decided to sleep in the car and guard it (and save money), while Sean slept in a tent, ensuring that we would be able to use the bathrooms and kitchen when necessary.
Sleeping in the car (for the second time in about a week) was not the most comfortable experience. The worst part about it was that I was in a sleeping bag and that my legs were pinned under the steering wheel. I felt like a worm that some snot-nosed kid had pinned down with a stick. I was forced to sleep in one, uncomfortable position for the entire night. But I sure showed that jerk at reception.
We have now driven a bit further down the coast and are staying in a beautiful coastal town called Plettenburg. Fortunately, Nate's family friend has a waterfront cottage that we can stay in for free. Unfortunately, Sean, who's working next to me, has just told me that he doesn't think we have enough money to make it much further. So, for those of you who are waiting for me to get back to the US, you might see me in a few weeks.
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