Cycling The Road Less Travelled

The further south we go, the more and more familiar, the more “western” things have become. A few weeks ago, we were told “it all gets better from here”…i.e. bigger cities, bigger malls, cinemas, everything we could want at our fingertips. Lusaka was a shock to the system and Windhoek is as modern, as western a city as they come. Tall, modern buildings, theatres, fancy restaurants, campsites with pools and super-sized malls, full of shiny, new, pretty things. Instead of searching for a cold bottle of Pepsi from a small hut on the side of the road, we now go to the Shoprite and browse through aisle after aisle of stuff. I should be thrilled… I suppose….but I’m not. I’m bummed.

I won’t say that we haven’t pounded back the Magnum ice creams and espressos (cause we have), but I would gladly give it up to be back in Sudan or Ethiopia again. I miss the beauty and quiet solitude of the Nubian Desert, a chance to sit and think without a million blinking lights and endless advertisements telling me that my life just isn’t complete without the latest, shiny gadget. I miss struggling to get my tent up in a sandstorm, I miss cycling through a maze of goats and chickens darting on and off the road. I love seeing the excitement in little kid’s eyes as they crowd around us and the giggles as they see their image on our camera. These things are exciting! They feel so genuine; make me feel alive and so much more in touch with the rest of the world.

Super-sized shopping malls, franchises, all things “familiar” are the things we wanted to leave behind for a little while. It’s too soon. I’m really not ready for Starbucks yet.