The road less travelled
We took a long drive this past weekend up the western coast to see the wildflowers in bloom. It did not disappoint. Though we may have had a few detours through beach towns ,bird sanctuaries , and farmers markets, we eventually ended up in fields of flowers . Surrounded by a multitude of colourful blossoms (many we know as annuals in Canada), there were Ostrich prancing over yonder , and zebras grazing in the fields and the occasional mongoose in search of a cobra 😳 Not to mention the tortiose we almost hit. All of this framing the lazy turquoise lagoon on one side and the ever riotus Atlantic on the other. Sound amazing? It was!
On the way home our navigational guide “waze” took us on a bit of an adventure / education. ‘Waze’ is a specialized version of google maps that plots your route based on the fastest way in regards to traffic, road closures, detours etc. All In real time. It’s great when your trying to get downtown to a meeting or finding a tourist venue, it even tells you where the speed cameras are and what lane to be in. Where it falls a little short is in discretion. Waze doesnt know where the rough parts of town are, or the rural townships that are very unhappy about gentrification. Waze doesnt know that we are affluent white foreigners with a car full of young women😳 So when we ended up in such an area , where we couldn’t get speed up if we needed to, and were subject to some keenly interested gazes , suffice it to say there was a little prayin going on!!
Whether our fear was legitimate or an imagined bias, it is something we deal with everyday.
South Africa was colonized by both the Dutch and English and for the average tourist you could get the impression that the Capetown area is a reasonably clean , modern city with a beautiful cultural heritage . Pristine white Dutch colonial buildings tell a story of order and elegance and influence . Particularly in the country side, the roaming plots of land , ancient trees and never ending rows of vineyards give one the impression of pastoral calm. This is a place were I will happily get out of the car to explore and chat with the locals .
On the other hand, just around the bend is a town where the real locals live. The families that have worked these farms for centuries , on the land that was their own before that. It would be a dis- service for me to try and explain any more then that with my current level of understanding. This is where the tapestry of events gets very complicated and I dont believe we can ever find the right thread to follow back to the beginning . Most South Africans we’ve met , both black and white ( yes I’m saying that) seem to get over whelmed when they try to explain the history from a position of restitution , but the beautiful part is that they genuinely work towards it. There is HOPE in and for South Africa.
In the meantime, my ears will listen intently , my eyes will observe objectively and my heart will offer love to everybody. We will continue to use “Waze” and in doing so, keep our prayer life vibrant!
Blessings from abroad ...or a broad 🙋♀️
Jan
P.S,
There were wildflowers on both sides of the bend
