Midnight meanderings…

The clock next to my bed ticks over to midnight and that officially means that I’ve been living in the Mother City for exactly a week now. In the early hours of last Thursday morning, my dad and I pulled out of my home in Durban, car packed with all my worldly possessions and with my mom waving teary eyed behind us as I began the great adventure to Cape Town. This first adventure lasted approximately three minutes and a massive two kilometers before I was back at my gate running in to retrieve my forgotten tooth-brush. Then it was back in the car, reversing down the driveway going through the farewell routine again. A day and a half, 45 brownies, 1756 kilometers, 7 toilet stops and 103 pot-holes (yes, we did count them) later, I arrived triumphantly into my new home town!

As I look back over those two days in the car, I feel it necessary to bring to your attention some of the vital lessons I picked up over the course of the journey and I hope that they will be of some benefit to you. In no particular order, here they are:

1. Make sure you have enough snacks packed
2. Driving a four gear Toyota Corolla at a consistent speed of 120km’s per hour makes you go through a lot of oil
3. Driving a four gear Toyota Corolla at a consistent speed of 120km’s per hour can also be quite a loud experience…solution = turn up the CD player
4. Make sure you have enough snacks packed
5. After 12 hours of driving almost non-stop in excessive heat is not the ideal time to forget the punchline of a joke (sorry dad!)
6. Make sure you have enough snacks packed
7. Take time to observe the incredible scenery along the way
8. Don’t observe the scenery while trying to over-take a truck on a blind-rise (sorry again dad!)
9. When stopping to use a lonely garage’s bathroom facilities, always, always take your own toilet paper
10. Make sure you have enough snacks

I hope that my travel hints prove to be helpful as many of you plan your journeys into the future.

But in all seriousness, my eventful journey to Cape Town by car may have come to an end but now the real journey begins. My home is now at Life Changers Church in Tableview and as excited as I was to begin the drive at 4:30am with my dad last week, I am 100 times more filled with anticipation for what lies ahead into the future as we embark on this journey together. Thanks for letting me get in the proverbial car with you. It’s time to start the engine and let the journey and adventures begin!

And as Nissan famously say, “Life’s a journey, enjoy the ride!”

Gabe

4 Comments

• 
  david January 16, 2010 at 3:05 PM

  Ah if i ever roadtrip to visit you i shall take those tips into consideration
• 
  James January 17, 2010 at 2:20 PM

  Did you count the pot holes just so you could blog about it later?

  Your tips are very useful. You maybe should’ve mentioned something about snacks though…

  So stoked for you bro!
• 
  Andi:) January 17, 2010 at 2:27 PM

  Wise words Captain…
  I shall take them to heart:)
• 
  Gortron January 17, 2010 at 11:00 PM

  i’ll eat your snacks
  love you!