4th to 8th of July, 2018.
One year and three months travelling. People react in different ways when I tell them that: some of them act pretty surprised (most of times just because I am a woman); others say that is a good time but still in the beginning of my long journey; and of course there are those who have to be the “bosses”, saying that it is nothing, with a contempt voice, as they already had travel for that long or more, when most of the times they haven’t even crossed their whole town yet. How do I feel about it? Well, do you know me, my vision and opinion about everything it changes as much as my travels and as much as my mood, so… good lucky answering that!
So when I am in the border, waiting a ride for already two long hours, I start to ask myself – why in the hell that was happening to me? And where were all the good people in South Africa? There were any? Why ordinary people do not stop and help someone asking just for a simple lift in the road? Anyway, actually is not like no one is stopping, three people did but they are just not going to Durban. So after what looked like a nice lady, with a bottle of some liquor in the front seat, also stops but says to be going to Manguzi (the next town), and I passed the opportunity, I decide to try my chances from there.
Peter stop his car and he is going to Manguzi. He has a nice long, curly and brown hair. As Angelo, he also has a Brazilian daughter. Two, actually! But they are from Mozambique as the same as him. He is nice and we talk about nice things. In Manguzi, he drops me a little out of the town (even though he was not going there), just to save me the trouble of walking. So nice of him.
I still have my sign with me written Durban. But then I realize people are looking in a weird way to it, and making interrogation expressions. So I write a little town just before Durban. The interrogation expressions stopped. The cars no.
After two hours of waiting I start to asked myself again about where are all the good people in the world. Where, Loki? Where? Why people are so mean? Laugh. Now, what I actually think is: to each fucking shit person that there is in the world, there is another fucking lovely amazing one just waiting for you. And in this case specifically, I am talking about Mareska and Trudy.
When they pass, I thought – why those two girls, who looked nice did not stop? I do not have too much time to think about because I just hear someone screaming to me and when I look back, there is Mareska, putting herself outside of the window, with a piece of chicken in her hand, and asking me (with still some meat in her mouth) where I am going. And the crazy thing I am remembering now is: at that point, they do not say to me something like “you can try again from there”, as in all the other short lifts I got it. No! I cannot remember exactly what they said but I just got in. OK, I know I was waiting for too long and that also might helped to take a lift to anywhere, but now, thinking about it, I guess it was more about the feeling I got from them, that made me do it.
Since the first few minutes of conversation with the girls I realize how awesome they are and how much in common we have. Both of them are teachers but Mareska is doing some cooking for now. How amazing? So they just invite me to stay with them for the night and next morning I could find a lift to Durban. Actually, they totally offer to help me to find one, since they know so many people in town, Sodwana. So the next question it is: Do you like dogs? My answer: I love dogs! Apparently that would be great because Mareska has five, three of them being rescue dogs. Next information she figure out by herself, just shooting: “So you are probably vegetarian, right?” Laugh. When I explain to them my new philosophy, they are so supportive and I still remember Trudy’s face, from the mirror but still counts, with no judgement at all, by the opposite, agreeing with me and even making me feel better for my decision. Then, when they stop to buy something, Mareska asks me if I want a coffee or a tea or a beer. I could not refuse the beer because she told me would be a local one. When she come back to the car with a 750 ml bottle I am like – whaaat? One for me and one for her, just for the record. Trudy is driving so she just take some sips from Mareska’s bottle. Such a nice beer called “Black Label”. Maybe not the most original name but with a really good taste. I take a nice mental picture of that moment. “Clic!”
When we get in Mareska’s house (Trudy actually leaves in Cape Town, she is just visiting Mareska during the school holidays because they are friends since a long time and Trudy even lived in Sodwana for a while), I could not believe in what I am seeing: an amazing wooden cabin, a in triangle shape, with the nicest handmade things decorating the whole place. Inside it is even better, with a spacious kitchen, a cute bathroom with a nice bath, a bedroom in the ground with a super view of the garden, and other two pieces on the top, separated by the middle area, a lot of beautiful paintings all over the place and nice blankets spread around the couches. Seriously, it is one of those houses from my dreams, the nicest ones that we just see in the movies or in home magazines.
Then the babies come: Lynch, the fluffy black and yellow small one; Nic Nac, the real life Maylow, from Maskara; Penny, the black ball Pug; Zig, another black Pug but in normal shape; and Castle, the big old brother, looking like Nic Nac in a family size. All of them lovely dogs, switching the places on our beds and laps.
We drink some wine and have a few friends coming over in the first night. It is quite nice.
What should be just one night become four. Since I do not have a schedule or a place to stay in Durban, Mareska say I could stay until Tuesday and take a lift with Theo, some of her friends.
The next few days we are going to the beach during lunch time, staying at home watching movies in the afternoon and going to the lodge where Richie (Mareska’s boyfriend) work as a diving assistant and also where Mareska is cooking for a group of Chinese tourists. I am glad helping her to prepare the dinner for two nights.
Last night we go first to a pub and have some drinks. That night I realize how Sodwana looks like those small towns from the movies, where everybody knows everybody and they all go to the same places. After there we have some delicious pizza in a nice restaurant. Unfortunately we have to hear some very racist and stupid jokes / comments from some tourists and locals. A Jewish girl, who believes that just because she is Jewish she could make the most ridiculous jokes about it. Of course she does not justified herself for the joke she made about black people as well.
That night back home, a close friend of Richie, Claiton, come with his girlfriend. He is a really nice guy and asks where I would stay in Durban. So he calls an old friend of him and asks if I could stay with him for a few days. His friend is Clinton, who has another three brothers and all they are living with their parents. Clinton say it is cool, no problem, so I already have a place to stay at least for a few days. Because of that, they say that instead of leaving on Tuesday with Theo, I could leave on Monday, with Clainto’s girlfriend, Ana. We had met before, at my first night in Mareskas but I did not feel a good connection with her to be honest. I mean, she did not talk to me very much and barely look at me when she did. And even knowing that I am travelling in such low budge, she asked me for a contribution with the gas, when she was the one who had to go to Durban at first place. She did not had somebody else to pick up and share the gas completely, no. That is not a nice thing to do. That is why I hitchhike and not do the Bla Bla Bla car thing or whatever. That is why I go to the road by my own risk. If I could contribute with the gas I would stay in the comfort of some house while waiting for someone to pick me up. Anyway, in respect to Claiton I just decide to go.
Before going to sleep that night, Trudy try to give me some money. After I refuse, she tried to put in my bag but luckily I found it and put back in her bag next morning. She was also leaving that day.
So that it was how I did one of the most out of plans stuff since the beginning of my travels just because it sounded great to do. I was very lucky for those two girls have stopped for me. In fact, if I knew that some fantastic thing would happened to me, I would not mind at all of waiting on the road for the whole day.
