Saturday, April 22, 2006
The Southern Coast
Since we intend to follow our visit of South Africa with a brief stop over in Swaziland and a short time in Mozambique, we are following the long beautiful coastline of this country in a north easterly direction. All along this mountainous, bayspattered highway are cheap little backpacking establishments where we can pitch our tents, catch up on our article writing and watch the ocean, which reacts to my presence with a meek and lake like glassiness that is coming to seem malicious. In fact, I am starting to feel responsible for dragging this salt puddle with me to all of the famous surf spots spread so evenly along the coastal route. Perhaps I should be apologizing to the line of disappointed surfers pouting at the bar beneath hanging vintage surfboards whose only option is to watch video footage of luckier men enjoying their sport on a three dimensional ocean.
Since there are screaming unguarded four year old boys marauding through all common rooms of this establishment with screeching war cries and plastic tricycles, it is difficult to focus on work. I check the waves every ten minutes, as if they will have risen miraculously and I watch the surfing video to which I have strategically turned my back, as it is reflected in a framed Billabong promotional photograph. In between the injections of discouragement that my wave checking rain walks constitute, I write paragraphs about the South African government's denialism towards HIV/AIDS.
Mike has just calculated that 1,400 kilometers still separate us from Nelspruit, the South African town near Mozambique and Swaziland where Sean and Mike will be united with their replacement credit cards and our available funds. In all likelihood we will try to make good time in that direction, stopping in Durban where Sean has lined up a story and soaking up the soothing sight of a completely dormant ocean. Incidentally, the surf report has just indicated that Jeffrey's Bay-our current resting spot-will have ideal surf conditions two days after our departure.
Since we intend to follow our visit of South Africa with a brief stop over in Swaziland and a short time in Mozambique, we are following the long beautiful coastline of this country in a north easterly direction. All along this mountainous, bayspattered highway are cheap little backpacking establishments where we can pitch our tents, catch up on our article writing and watch the ocean, which reacts to my presence with a meek and lake like glassiness that is coming to seem malicious. In fact, I am starting to feel responsible for dragging this salt puddle with me to all of the famous surf spots spread so evenly along the coastal route. Perhaps I should be apologizing to the line of disappointed surfers pouting at the bar beneath hanging vintage surfboards whose only option is to watch video footage of luckier men enjoying their sport on a three dimensional ocean.
Since there are screaming unguarded four year old boys marauding through all common rooms of this establishment with screeching war cries and plastic tricycles, it is difficult to focus on work. I check the waves every ten minutes, as if they will have risen miraculously and I watch the surfing video to which I have strategically turned my back, as it is reflected in a framed Billabong promotional photograph. In between the injections of discouragement that my wave checking rain walks constitute, I write paragraphs about the South African government's denialism towards HIV/AIDS.
Mike has just calculated that 1,400 kilometers still separate us from Nelspruit, the South African town near Mozambique and Swaziland where Sean and Mike will be united with their replacement credit cards and our available funds. In all likelihood we will try to make good time in that direction, stopping in Durban where Sean has lined up a story and soaking up the soothing sight of a completely dormant ocean. Incidentally, the surf report has just indicated that Jeffrey's Bay-our current resting spot-will have ideal surf conditions two days after our departure.
4 Comments:
it makes me sad to think of you looking so despondently at the waves with your new orange & green surfboard sitting dry beside you. I'll send stormy thoughts in your direction post haste.
weasel
weasel
Nat,
Next time you would like to surf ask Ahti, ancient Finnish Waves God to make some waves for you. Then sit patiently and wait as they may form in from of your eyes. If not it may not have been safe for you, appreciate the outcome what ever it may be. Let go of the negative interpretation of the situation, fo God's sake!
love, aiti:)
Next time you would like to surf ask Ahti, ancient Finnish Waves God to make some waves for you. Then sit patiently and wait as they may form in from of your eyes. If not it may not have been safe for you, appreciate the outcome what ever it may be. Let go of the negative interpretation of the situation, fo God's sake!
love, aiti:)
Nat,
Next time you would like to surf ask Ahti, ancient Finnish Waves God to make some waves for you. Then sit patiently and wait as they may form in from of your eyes. If not it may not have been safe for you, appreciate the outcome what ever it may be. Let go of the negative interpretation of the situation, fo God's sake!
love, aiti:)
Next time you would like to surf ask Ahti, ancient Finnish Waves God to make some waves for you. Then sit patiently and wait as they may form in from of your eyes. If not it may not have been safe for you, appreciate the outcome what ever it may be. Let go of the negative interpretation of the situation, fo God's sake!
love, aiti:)
Hi Mate
Great to talk to you guys the other day, gotta say I know less about AIDS in Africa, than I did before you guys set off: all the new info about tyre punctures etc pushed the old info out of my brain. What is good, is to see the Breece transformed from Redneck to Radical in one fell swoop. Welcome Mike!
We always knew that Africa is more about us 'finding ourselves' than us seriously doing any real good there...reckon they've had enough of 'us' sorting their problems out, since our economic structures created them in the first place and maintain them hitherto.
Bon Voyage
Doug
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Great to talk to you guys the other day, gotta say I know less about AIDS in Africa, than I did before you guys set off: all the new info about tyre punctures etc pushed the old info out of my brain. What is good, is to see the Breece transformed from Redneck to Radical in one fell swoop. Welcome Mike!
We always knew that Africa is more about us 'finding ourselves' than us seriously doing any real good there...reckon they've had enough of 'us' sorting their problems out, since our economic structures created them in the first place and maintain them hitherto.
Bon Voyage
Doug
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