Lessons and misadventures

by Tamara Lesabe (South Africa)

I didn't expect to find South Africa

The harshness of the rising sun cut through my sunglasses while the irritability of peak morning traffic gnawed at my more impatient sensibilities. It didn’t matter though because I was on the road to an adventure and possibly the budding of a new relationship, or so I’d told myself. This hiking trip to the vast mountains of Magaliesburg symbolized the beginning of new things for me. It was also in part an experiment of compatibility for my date (John) and I. The outcome of which would determine our way forward together. So, off to unknown territory we went. The road, despite what the administrator had said was not easy at all. The gravel, more fit for a 4x4 vehicle painfully scraped the bottom of John’s very low Mercedes making us cringe with every pothole. We missed some turns and in other instances had to simply take a leap of faith. After a lengthy cringe-worthy ride, we finally made it to the hiking “parking lot”. It was more of a patch of grass outside someone’s property with a sign written “PARKING”. There was a man, a gardener it seemed, standing inside the property. He stared begrudgingly at us, almost like he knew something about the place that we didn’t. I then noticed that ours was the only car in the lot. We were alone here…together of course with the creepy man who wouldn’t stop staring. I felt a slight chill at the thought but brushed it off as we began our journey. The trail was substandard at best. A path blocked by overgrown bushes and markers that were barely visible if at all present all made for a very confusing hike. We got lost a few more times but didn’t mind much because we had something to look forward to- the rock pools. Swimming in the rock pools was the main event, the reason we were enduring it all. The reason I had a brand new bikini in my backpack and an entire photoshoot planned out. The excitement of experiencing the cool, fresh and naturally flowing water on our bodies kept the conversation flowing and happy. On the way, we stumbled across what looked like a rundown campsite. Although advertised as functional, the old, dirty wood and walls, the taps that no longer worked and the eerie silence and darkness that surrounded the heavily locked yet dilapidated cottage gave us the jitters. We left as fast as we could. As we continued walking we spotted some rocks hidden between the long, yellow strands of grass. It was a rock pool. Sadly, it was two thirds dried up and covered in thick marsh. A little disconcerted, we chose nonetheless to sit for a while and take some pictures. Not allowing this puddle of a pool to deter us from our mission, we were back on the track soon enough. About thirty minutes into walking, the path ahead looked very dry and unpromising. In a state of frustration and slight denial, John and I desperately went through the map again. There were no more rock pools. This realization hit harder than the scorching sun on our skin. The disappointment on my end and anger on his were palpable. We were sold lies. John’s anger began to scare me. Suddenly I was so aware of the fact that I was alone in a wilderness with an angry man I barely knew. My anxiety sky-rocketed. In resigned defeat and exhaustion we began to make our way down the mountain. It was a long, quiet and uncomfortable walk. “This isn’t how today was supposed to go” I said to John as we stepped into the car I was worried had been stolen while we were lost in a scam of a hike. The drive seemed to take forever with only the sounds of the radio to dim the pregnant silence between us. “Well, that was definitely some type of adventure” I thought to myself. Maybe not the one I wanted, but it definitely gave me the answers I needed. “We should plan something soon. Maybe not hiking?” John said awkwardly as he stopped in my driveway. I smiled, nodded and walked away.