The Luminous Traveller

In this life time I never imagined myself travelling on the Gautrain; with an enigmatic Controller, trolling in several languages and being urged to hold my luggage tightly, as if my life depended on it. Never would I have chosen South Africa as the first country to visit upon leaving the border-less shores of Australia, and as we sped towards our destination, Centurion, I could only ask myself, 'how did I end up here?'.
Travelling has always been an agenda of mine, and when the opportunity presented itself, the destination became irrelevant. It was just my luck that my partner is South African/Australian. His family traveled to Australia in 1997 and had yet to return. From the sound of him, you would not suspect his origins as being anything but Australian; the discovery was truly special.
Before my expedition into the unknown, my perception of South Africa was forged by a conglomeration of scientific picture books, secondary tales of experience and words of caution from my partner's mother.
I will always remember the moments I felt apprehension and fear; yet I feel, these moments may have been forgetful, had I not been conditioned to travel with heightened paranoia.
We stayed at his Ouma and Opa's house. Their home was a secret garden, full of giant arid plants and colourful birds; hidden behind tall brick walls, trimmed with barbed wire spirals. Inside the house, it was warm and traditional, with a museum worthy collection of lanterns hanging from the ceiling.
Opa was cheeky, and I liked that about him. He told interesting stories about his workshop, pointing out machinery he had stolen from a captured WW2 ship, took pride in the tools he created to fashion his own home security and with dismay, revealed the cause of the bullet holes in their Gramophone.
Late one night while they slept in their room, their dog took it's last breath and strangers welcomed themselves into their home; if Opa had not been such a terrible aim, the Gramophone may have gone unscathed.
In the Eden they have created, it was easy for us to momentarily forget the turmoil that divided South Africa.
Despite my forced perception, South Africa will remain an unforgettable experience, for which I will feel nostalgia. The arid countryside evoked a sense of home for me, not being that different from my own country; and a South African's penchant for dry humor and coffee can only be matched by an Australian. I will return for rusks with Opa for certain, one day.
Regards
Phosphorous