The 1000 Day Holiday

Well I managed it. Hitched all the way from Windhoek to Capetown. No problems apart from being dropped off in random places like Grünau ( a shell petrol station 150km from the border) in the dark.

The first truck driver taught me about underground rivers and how to find them in the desert, and how to tell how deep they are by the trees growing there.

After a 3 or 4 hour wait in the middle of the desert at the major intersection. Finally a truck was going the right way and I scored a ride.

The second one we listened to Gospel Music cd’s for around 500km at full volume. One song on repeat for a good hundred clicks or so. So dont worry, “The devil will do me no harm”

He had said he was going to Capetown, awesome. Ended up dropping me off at the turnoff to Picketburg around 9pm… a quaint small city around 120km from Capetown.

So I walked up the road, hoping to spot a B&B, hotel, motel anything. I wasn’t having much luck. And there was no one on the streets. I saw a woman in an Audi pull up to a workshop and check the doors were locked. I called out to her, but I think she ignored me.

She drove past me really slowly, stopped and asked if I needed a place to stay. There was a guesthouse next to her home! score…

This morning I was asking the GH owner about bus/shuttle options into Cape Town as everyone says to avoid the suburbs at your lifes cost. There was one bus at 1pm. But didnt want to wait that long. She said the shuttles were for coloureds.

Anyway none of those were going either. So I hitched again. The woman from guesthouse really didn’t believe I was serious about hitching and was saying she would give me a ride to the bus.

In the end she dropped me off on the highway with a can of juice and wished me luck. She said she would check later to make sure I was gone. Bummer that she dropped me at a different intersection. 100km zone, very small shoulder with the road coming around a long sweeping bend. I wasn’t hopeful.

15 Minutes later a car pulled up.  The hubcaps still spinning when the car had stopped. COOL! The boot was welded shut (quality mazda 323!), so jammed my bag in and off we went. The wife was telling me its a great day as this is the first time her husband has been able to drive in 6 months as he had a car accident and just got the all clear from the doctor. Then proceeded to point out where the accident happened.. ARGH.  

They dropped me off at an offramp 60km out from Capetown. I crossed to the onramp and started the wait. After 20 minutes of no luck a corporate painted Toyota Hilux turns the corner, defininately not the type to pick up a hitcher. I saw him look, then a second of thought then pulled over and backed up!

He said he never picks up hitchhikers but I didn’t look like a normal hitcher, and I would probably have some funny stories. Dropped me right in Cape Town!