In the Strand I stopped outside Extreme Motorcycles (Thanks for the tip, Robin!), explained my dilemma and handed my oh so reliable Tiger over to Kelvin and Graham.
It's always so gratifying to observe someone who knows exactly what they are doing. Graham is truly someone who loves what he does for a living. Thank you for lavishing the same on my motorcycle than I would have, Graham!
The motto just below the title of my Blog states that a component of this blog is about both physical and metaphysical / emotional journeys. Since I have started my preparation for my Trip, I'm discovering just how many there are who long to embark on a journey perhaps similar to mine, but who, either because of commitments and / or procrastination have, as yet, failed to have the longing become an actuality.
I'm reminded of an incident a number of years ago. A young man, somewhere in Namaqualand, sang in a small but popular vocal group. His was the gift of being able to reach the upper registers quite easily and so the coordinator of the Group took it on herself to contact a very prominent singer cum playwright, hoping to arrange an audition for the young man.
The playwright's response to her question was, "How much does he want this?" This stuck with me. Whenever a situation or opportunity would arise, my first thought now would be, "How much do I want this? How important is this to me?" As with anything of value, it requires sacrifices to be made.
For many of us, the sacrifices are too great and we lead (as so aptly phrased by Henry David Thoreau: “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.”) lives that we possibly regret yet mostly bear.
The young man? He's around somewhere in Namaqualand, living, more than likely, a comfortable life. Perhaps sometimes, just sometime he'd reflect on what he could have / should have had, but found the price too high.
Last night, I spent in the Caravan Park in Onrus, an exquisite little town approximately eight kilometres from Hermanus. From my tent I could hear (and see!) the beautiful white breakers smashing themselves against the pebbled beach. I couldn't have chosen a better place to spend the night.
Earlier that day I rode along the coast, passing through Gordon's Bay, Rooi Els, went past Pringle Bay and briefly stopped at a friend's house in Betty's Bay.
There were some road works on the road leading into Hermanus, but nothing hugely frustrating. It was there, thanks to my GPS, that I stopped at Arabikaz Coffee Shop. I'm still getting used to the disarmingly friendliness of people I'm meeting on my Trip.
A young woman, sitting at a table opposite me, noticed my plight in trying to take a photograph of myself and my motorcycle and promptly offered to take the photograph for me. While chatting to her I discovered that she was the face for a Rooibos advertisement in magazines such as Fair Lady, Rooi Rose, etc.
Shortly afterwards a young gentleman arrived. It transpired that he was a local plumber who, according to him, "Retired early." It seemed that the particular Coffee Shop was a popular "Get together" for not just one, but seven (!) plumbers from the area. "We started out as just a friend of mine and I, but then it just grew!" The plumber, Noel, was also most accommodating and provided information on all my questions (where to stay; where to buy certain items; etc.)
"Why am I doing this (trip around South Africa)?" I'm hoping that the question may be satisfactorily answered by the end of my Trip. All of us are, ultimately, mere mortals. Life here on earth does not continue ad infinitum. What could be worse than reaching the last few years, months or, even worse, days of one's life and have to admit, "If only I took more risks, lived more adventurously, was kinder to others, loved and shared more."
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