Yes, my passport finally has added to that of South African borders, a stamp from Botswana and Namibia. Never in my wildest dreams did l imagine ever being to any of these countries. You see thinking about it to me was a luxury l could never afford, because it would never happen; South Africa was easier because my country is going through political turmoil. Still it is an excuse for me, had Zimbabwe been economically stable, it would never have crossed my mind that I would come to South Africa just to visit.
It is a luxury for a medium, affording families to dream or think about travelling outside of their respective countries. This is a disease that l have realised most South Africans have with their own country. My word, this country is rich with various attractions that international people long to see and save up to come and see. We, in South Africa couldn’t care less. Most people l have met, especially in smaller cities never dream of seeing, and let alone the beautiful beaches in Cape Town or Durban, the Drakensberg mountains, the hot springs in Limpopo. Who do we blame? Do we blame the government, the era (Apartheid) before because it is human nature to find blame in someone else but ourselves.
I am guilty of that too. I have seen Johannesburg, Kimberley, Limpopo and of cause Cape Town which is magical. It is magical, magnificent and awe inspiring. There is so much to see and do in the mother city, there is the beautiful Table Mountain, which l see every time l get into town, never been to it, there is the numerous beaches that you can go to which l have gone to just two (2), l mean so much to see. The reason for my not having seen anything else; recession hit me hard and l cannot afford to see beyond working to feed my family and take my children to school. My budget has been stretched far too much to afford a few hundred rands to go on a spending spree.
What most people do not know is that some of the places are free. We are too tired to want to try out new things; we are too comfortable with the way things are because it is familiar. We need to be able to try out new places without being scared of money being over stretched. We drove from Zimbabwe through to Botswana, ill-informed we wanted to drive to Moremi Game Park with a sedan which was impossible. In Namibia we drive close to 200kms on a gravel road just to get to Arnhem Cave which we didn’t know existed until we saw a sign on the road that sad caves. Just the thought of being crazy, going beyond the expected, defying the normal and daring to be different led us to drive all the way from Zimbabwe to Botswana through Namibia to Cape Town. Oh such bliss, the beauty of nature along the way, just astounding. I never believed that l would see a road sign with an elephant crossing, shocking and hilarious.
I would urge you to try it, not go to Namibia but here in South Africa. Drive to somewhere you never been for a weekend, experience the beauty that nature has to offer. Trust me you will enjoy every moment of it and you will be taking a step in the right direction.
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