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Published: March 5th 2007
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Especially for Dan's Mum...
...as promised Hana in return for the embarassing stories!! What a difference 12 hours can make…
Sunday afternoon I’m sweltering in Douala, despite doing nothing more energetic than sitting outside a bar with a cold coke and a book. Well ok, I did walk across the road to get some brochettes for my dinner. Around me the roads are potholed, the taxi drivers trying to rip you off and some overly friendly guy called Paul is inviting me to his beauty salon to get my hair done because apparently I look like I’ve let my appearances slip!
Next thing I know I’m walking off a plane in Joburg and joining a long queue of white holidaymakers at passport control. Then I’m being driven in an air-conditioned car along a motorway, with high-rise buildings and shopping malls everywhere. Thanks to my extremely kind godfather and family I’ve now slept like a baby in a double bed, blasted my clothes clean in a washing machine, and probably most importantly, drunk several cups of tea made with real milk!!
Yes I admit I’ve missed all these home comforts. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved the past few months and it’s been a fantastic experience. I’ve definitely caught the camping bug so I’ll still be roughing it whenever I get the chance. It’s just that a little bit of luxury every now and then can’t be snubbed!
So I’ve left the big yellow truck. It was really strange being dropped off by a bus station and saying goodbye to everyone. Five of us have left in the past week, for various reasons, but none on bad terms. For me it’s just time to try something new. I was getting bored and I want to refresh my enthusiasm for the things I’m seeing. Plus long driving days are not my idea of seeing and experiencing a country, and that’s all that we had ahead of us for the next month or so. I’m excited to start doing some independent travel, make my own decisions about where I go and what I see and how long I stay. I’ll miss a lot of the people, maybe not everyone, but hey we’ve all got on very well considering that we’ve been living in each others laps for the past four months!
As for what’s next, at the moment I’m quite content to chill by the pool and gather tips on things to see in South Africa. My vague plan is to make my way towards Cape Town for the end of March to meet up with Gerry, and then we’ll have four weeks to catch up and explore the rest of the country before I will probably make my way back to the UK. So get ready everyone back home for a big reunion at the end of April!
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Hanna... Dan's Mum
non-member comment
thanks for photo!
Hi Frankie, only just found, (re-found) your travel blog... I'd been wondering how you might be getting on... and glad to see you are having wonderful adventures! Perhaps just as well some of you moved on, judging bu Josh's blog!?? Anyway.. i love the photo of Daniel! and I wish you well for the remainder of your trip! If you are passing Edmondsham, once you are back in UK, do pop in! Best wishes, Hanna