Where you leave is where you land

by Misha Krynauw (South Africa)

I didn't expect to find South Africa

I've never had an opportunity to travel abroad. I know, what am I thinking about even writing about travelling, then? It's interesting because the province I call home is so structurally diverse that an hour's drive can take you from the shoreline to the curve of a valley, the shade of a dense forest and back. The Western Cape, the home around my home of the city of Cape Town, has instilled in me a love of driving, sightseeing and spontaneity that is so easily satiated. I can choose to traverse the countryside; with tall hills and wide-sweeping vineyards turned golden by the afternoon sun. Or I could dive into hidden beaches just outside Camp's Bay, where the shore is pebbled and loose, and the rocks are warm for sleeping. I could drive up and around Chapman's Peak, wave at Hout Bay from the other end of the blue waters, and stop for the most magnificent pile of fish and chips and ice cream on the way back to the city. Or... I could stay home. I could watch the lights turn on with the stars, one by one until the city bowl is lit up with colour and power. I could drive alongside Signal Hill and wave my hand over the ocean water, fingers lingering over the spot in the distance, where the two oceans meet and churn through one another to make their own magical tides. There is much to do in the Mother City, and plenty of time to do it in, so we pick and choose our moments by the whim of the weather, and when we do leave, we cannot wait to come back. Whenever I fly to Joburg, or Durban, there is a sameness in the people that feels instantly home-like. In Joburg where the thunder roars along with the dancing crowds that give life to the nighttime, or in Durban where the lush green is akin to the meandering Garden Route that sees you past Knysna and Plettenberg Bay. There is a thread that is woven along borderlines, tying us tightly into the diverse fabric of the country we call home, here. South Africa thrives most when you seek out it's secret lairs and adventures. You could go up Table Mountain and see the world from the luckiest bird's eye view, and you could also go hunting for the perfect curry at Eastern Food Bazaar. You could go shopping at the V & A Waterfront sure, but wouldn't you rather go to the Old Biscuit Mill market? Don't even get me started on the art. There are galleries spilling into the busy streets of the city centre, and there is always an open dance invitation if you know the right place. There is music, colour, love and life teeming in the place I call home, so while I would love to list names of cities I've travelled to over the world, for now, I pacify myself knowing that I live in a city where people come to know paradise. I'd be remiss to leave home behind without knowing as I do, that when you're travelling around this country, the magic is simple: where you leave, is where you land.