I was looking back at my photos and saw that I actually took some nice shots at the sea side. We'd planned for lunch at the top of table mountain. However, we had not planned for windy weather. None the less, it gave us an excuse to (re-) explore another part of the city. My partner in crime for this venture is new to the Mother City's wonder. He reluctantly agreed to try lunch by the sea, disappointed that it was no longer on top of the mountain. The road downhill was pretty steep, narrow and kept winding. He said he was getting dizzy from all the twists and turns. [I suspect the fact that we were moving was altogether foreign to him. Apparently, in Nigeria, people have to watch out for speeding snails. Their traffic drama is that intense.] I think he focused so much on keeping steady and failed to notice the view until we came round the last corner and he saw this..
I think it's pretty rad that the same image can capture the dark, misty mountains with a heavy clouds looming over them, as well as the sandy shore line. It's the best of both worlds. The advantage of it being a cloudy day, was that there weren't so many people crowding the space. We could stare and roam in moderate peace [there is no such thing as total peace in a public beach].
Visiting these places reminds me of the good ol' days when a trip to the beach was worth a week of saving, especially when converting from UGX to ZAR. I remember being at this beach one night. I suspect it was one of those nights when my friends had decided that school was not palatable. I did not have the luxury of enjoying school as much as they did. Somehow, the wonder and splendour of mathematics is lost after the hundredth simulation of a never ending problem. They, on the other hand, had the joys of Psychology, English Studies and Music to comfort them except on nights like these. So one night, we crammed into a Golf and ended up at Camps Bay, singing Boyz II Men and a bunch of other oldies. There are no drunken tales to tell, I'm afraid. If the cost of liquor were not a hindrance to me, surely, its taste was. The strangest thing I remember was that someone tried to climb this rock.
Then it got cold and I borrowed a sweater from one of the guys, which I later regretted. [In an attempt to repay the gentlemanly kindness I was shown, I washed the sweater and threw it into a tumble dryer with the rest of my clothes. I do not wear high-maintenance clothes. How was I to know that it would shrink to half its size because of the heat?!]
During that random night visit, I think we packed our own food. We'd smuggled fruit, juices and yoghurt from the lunch room. The most exotic thing we could afford were a couple of scoops of marvellous ice cream from Sinful [now called Addiction, another week's worth of savings]. Fast forward to the present and, this time, we were dining in style. Prawn and Avocado sushi with seared salmon while he had grilled baby chicken [ever wonder why baby animals cost more? lamb? veal? baby chicken? They couldn't even call it a chick because they know grilled chick sounds so cruel.]
When we came, all those years ago, I do not remember seeing all these houses. I don't think they were this many people living this side. But I also suspect that I was afraid to see. It was of no use for me to envy what was beyond my reach. Now, I can't help stealing ideas and criticising, as if I could compete. They are still beyond my reach. I think the difference is that it doesn't matter any more. I am no longer afraid of those who seem to have more.
Note to my younger self:
You worry about having the things you need to survive and about being the right type of person to excel in this life. Don't. You have all you need to be who you need to be. They may look like they have more. But it means nothing unless you can actually enjoy it. Enjoy your youth and your friends. You will not have either for very much longer.
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