This trip has been a spiritual journey for me. Through untouched wilderness, wild mind maps and mostly unchartered emotional territory. I have learned that I can cope with all kinds of challenges, from driving on roads about which seasoned men talk in hushed tones to being the only unattached female at a formal wedding dinner. I think the dinner was more intimidating than all the road trips and isolated landscapes strung together.
Getting ready and dressing up, first myself and then my dashing five year old companion, the fear that I look like something the cat dragged in as I walked through the door. Reading the appreciation in the eyes of men not my partner, the sidling up to husbands of wives, irritation at this oddity clearly evident on their faces. I was so carefull to only talk to males when they addressed me first, a difficult task for me as I grew up a tomboy and am so used to work in a male dominated industry that I relate to men far easier than women in the best of circumstances. But that said, the wedding was absolutely beautiful - a celebration from the heart.
I left the wedding feeling very sad and forelorn, I think watching all the families celebrating together increased the yearning in myself to belong to a safe little unit. At the beach were we stayed I took reels of photos - who knew that colourless sand and surf could be so magical? My kid is loving the holiday and he is making friends easier than I could ever do. But I think we are getting ready to return home. We are both missing the puppies and more familiar routine of home life. Just a couple more days in the Tsitsikama and then the long trip back to the crazy life of Gauteng.
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