| Actually the picture you saw with the Mercedes and all was the start of my second trip this time with Joan. I got to know Joan while I was in South Africa during my first trip trough Africa more or less per Hitchhiking. The first time I saw Joan, my future wife, was during a Party, of course. During my travel trough Africa I met a group of Swiss who were traveling by VW-Bus. I could not jump on their bus but we met several times in different places. The first time I met them was on the Island of Fernando Poo at that time still a Spanish Colony.
I reached this Island with my last penny in my pocket.
We wanted to meet again, the Swiss and I, in Cape Town. When I arrived in Cape Town I stayed in a wonderful Youth Hostel overlooking Cape Town. I did leave my address at the Swiss Consulate. So, one day just playing Ping Pong at the Youth Hostel the Swiss showed up inviting me to live with them in a nice apartment not far from the centre of Cape Town. A place called Gardenia Flats.
The Swiss had on the side of their VW-Bus marked down all the places they traveled trough Africa. Joan left a note on the car wishing to meat the Swiss. She was called to come anytime.
We were 4 boys in a nice flat and the parties and the booze were plenty. The flat became a meeting point, water hole, for all kind of “Africa Travelers” On Foot, by Deux Chevaux, Motor Bike etc. We talked again and again of our stories in Africa. We were great and big heroes.
Joan showed up and listened and smiled. Eventually the question came to her wondering what she did traveling etc. In a typical English understatement tone of voice she explained that after traveling by bus from England to India she went back to Europe by hitchhiking. All of a sudden it was very still. The party literally stopped. We all had our adventures in Africa but Asia with all the people etc. we could not at that time imagine easy traveling there and here there was a Girl who did it and on top of it while hitchhiking. Anyway she became a special member actually the only “white girl” in the round. Our motto was “white girls are too pale“
For me was Joan at that moment the ideal girl to travel with. During my travel, I often wished to meet a traveling girl. In Angola at a certain point had to wait 14 days for something motorized to come by and this gave me a lot of time to think about a possible future.
I chased after Joan like there was nothing else in the world. It was very, very slow going.
To make some money I worked at the German Club of Cape Town. After 3 weeks I became, funny enough, the Chief Bar Men. Probably because I was the only one sober at ten o'clock. At the same time I did not have much time in the evening or night. While my friends had a good party I was working. How many times did I get back to the flat to find everybody on the floor, is impossible for me to say. But, in any case, she was my girl. As often as possible we all spend our early evening time at Clifton Beach playing music, drinking the good South African red wine and watching the sun go down.
One day I had a heavy malaria attack and went to Joan. She looked after me and we became closer. But not too close, because as she always said one day you talk about South America and the next day you talk about India. |