All too often we never realise the greatness of our surroundings. Blissfully content to exist in our happiness we often miss the finer details of what really is around us and really highlights key moments in our lives.
As much as I have appreciated being in South Africa at the moment, I found myself slipping into comfortable contentment of everyday life, missing some special, finer details that really make up the bigger picture of reality.
Three and a half weeks ago, if you were to ask me what my plans for the next two weeks would be, it would probably be "just research and reading". The same question could be asked, at the same time to a unique, spunky, dear Swedish person, and the answer would have probably been something along the same lines. This was a Monday...but a Tuesday was coming. Come Tuesday night; and Swiss Air had a happy customer, leaving in less than a week from the booking from a freezing Arlanda to a summery Johannesburg. Talk about spontaneity.
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| Day of arrival, note the paler shade of skin. |
Arriving the following Monday, Sandra arrived to the thriving metro-city of Johannesburg. Pale, dressed in winter clothes and no idea what was in store for the next two weeks. The initial sensation and surprise of "wow, you are actually here, cant believe it" never really passed from the first day, but only ever increased over the next 2 weeks. Travellers Tip: Keep this attitude in any new destination and the experience is only ever enhanced in wonderment.
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| Excitement is such |
So, with Sandra in tow, and a world of South Africa to show her, it was constant non stop adventure. The funny thing, it was never really out of the ordinary tourist adventures, rather the experiences were just everyday things that we as normal South Africans do and live with (with 1 or two exceptions).
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| Orlando Towers, if you ever in Jozi, do it! |
How would you take the best of everyday life and make them stand out?
I think the secret with Africa is that it does it for you. Somethings that stand out in summer; swimming everyday, warm sunshine, amazing selection of cheap and super tasty fruits that make for kings breakfasts, green grass under bare-feet, super friendly people, braai's, ...and contrasts; stark contrasts in scenery and surroundings.
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| And the fruits, so much of fruits. |
Thanks to one or two opportunities, we both got to experience some wonderful things. Captain Sharp secured us a helicopter flip over Johannesburg, what an experience to see the city and its actual expanse from so high up!
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| Thanks Captain Sharp! |
Other highlights that followed. A 10km race, organised in the capital of South Africa. Races are normally huge affairs in Sweden, big build ups, not many organised and expensive. Here in SA we battle to choose which one to do in a week as there will be a few every weekend. What a Saturday morning to wake up early, travel to Pretoria for the PWC 10km. Running with Robert and myself, we set a good pace and Sandra, competing in her 1st 10km set a very very respectable time of 58 minutes and did it with smile on her face the entire way. Tell you what, her celebratory and inaugural boerie roll afterwards will certainly stick in memories for a while.
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| Share the love |
One request from Sandra was to experience an African church service. Easy, thanks to my Grandfather and continued contact with local churches, we arranged a Sunday service. Next time anyone goes to a western church, think about where you are and what you are doing, because its dead. One song into an African service will make you want to shake Western church goers and scream; "Wake up where you stand!". The faces, voices and passion touched deep into the soul all of us who went.
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| And sing out loud |
The sublime nature merely an hour from Johannesburg really hit me, as the thought struck me wondering around the serenity of near by Mountain Sanctuary; "why haven't I come here more often?". This coupled with fishing in a remote spot on the Vaal River the next day really impressed Sandra too, who also caught her first South African yellowfish.
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| Banks of the Vaal, a special place |
Following this, the
Pièce de resistance, was next. Undoubtedly, the crown in SA's tourism, the Kruger National Park. Even as a local Saffer, the Kruger always has a magical appeal to it. Experienced through the eyes of a nature loving heat seeking adventure crazed Swede, wow it couldn't get better.
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| True Africa |
All to often an impala and giraffe is ignored and driven in the hunt for lions or other big game, but take the time to stop, listen, realise where you are and what you are doing...and the essence of the living world makes you really come alive.
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| Fascination |
Add a cup of coffee and a dunked ouma rusk over a sunrise in this and you are about as close to heaven as you can get on earth.
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| "Oh how wondrous are the works of Your hands..." |
Finally, after the madness of the 2 weeks, we joined Robert, Jenni and Rebecca in a little peace of peaceful blissfulness. Bergwaters lodge, nestled in the foothills of Waterfal Onder is a secluded spot of paradise. Quiet, calm and perfect to recover, relive, re-experience and just be, surrounded by close family, mountains and an even greater God, thankful to Him for the wonderful times that the two weeks have been.
To experience all this from a complete foreign perspective, just made me realise what a great place South Africa actually is to live in. Often we bleat and complain about Jozi being the "big smoke" etc etc, but for someone to come from an ice covered country, with a who population being less than the number of Jozi inhabitants, and still experience the wildness that Jozi and the surrounds can offer was a fantastic thing to experience.
A little tongue in cheek, but rings so true as a South African:
Why I love South Africa
