2010 Christmas weekend – Part 2

The weekend

Our weekend began at 2:45am on Christmas Eve. That’s when I knocked on my parents’ door, ready to load whatever didn’t fit in Bro’s car. The idea was to get on the road by 3am, arriving at our destination at 10am. Having no air conditioner in the car, I wanted to reach my sister’s before the sun burned too hot. I forgot that, come journey times, my family walks away with the non-existent prize for “the worst time managers ever”. You guessed it! We did not start our trip at the very optimistically planned 3am.

After a few thundering rumbles, flashing lightning bolts and heavy sighs – all contained within the walls of my parents’ home – we got the last-minute stuff sorted, the luggage and presents loaded. As soon as we got settled in the cars, assured ourselves that we didn’t forget anything, we sighed all the frustrations, from a few minutes ago, into the night, and let feelings of excitement wash over us. Road trip!

We headed west – Mom with me, and Dad with Bro. Uhm . . . did you know it is possible to do back-seat driving by means of a cell phone? Or, as was the case with us, with a cell phone and an interpreter (a.k.a. Mom). Talking on my cell phone while driving is one multi-task thingy I’ve never been able to get a hang of. At some point there were flashing lights and some honking involved too. Why is it that men can complain about women drivers, but women are expected to accept the sometimes terrible (and often risky) driving done by men? Tsk!

Seeing the day awaken as you drive along the country roads is a wonderful experience. I didn’t have my camera at the ready that first day and I still regret it. The way the early morning sun kissed the mountain tops, and later spot-lighted its sides, was something I would have loved to capture in pixel. In the end I tried to memorize where I saw anything that caught my eye, with a mental note to try and catch it on our return trip. A partly cloudy sky influenced the way the sun beamed down on the area that day. It was unlikely that I would be able to capture that special moment on our return trip. But I hoped.

For the most part the road was very quiet, with very little traffic on it, which made it impossible not to admire some driving techniques demonstrated by fellow travellers. It was early morning when we got stuck behind one particular driver. The road we were on at the time had a few turns, a few shallow dips and one long incline. On the even stretch of road the driver seemed confused about the speed limit, constantly accelerating and slowing down at intervals. When he slowed down, I’d pick up a little speed, preparing to overtake him. As luck would have it, the road would make a small dip and he’d pick up enough speed to prevent me from passing. He kept driving that way, long enough for me to start thinking that there must be something wrong with his car. Then we came to the steep incline and, lo and behold, the little vehicle that couldn’t suddenly charged up the hill with a stunning show of speed!

Our journey ended in Ceres, a small town in the Western Cape. It is surrounded by mountains, which makes it very hot in the summer. We counted ourselves lucky when cloudy skies shielded us from the sun’s heat the first couple of days. We are used to much milder weather in J’Bay. The days there also seem so much longer with the sun only going down at around 9pm. It made for lazy days, long enough to take a midday nap and still spent quality time with the family.

The night of Christmas Eve the children got very excited about opening their gifts, especially the ones they got for each other. What amazed me was the true Christmas spirit they showed. They did their shopping together, then wrapped the items neatly to go beneath the tree. They knew exactly what each bought the other, but it in no way diminished the joy they expressed when they got to unwrap it with the rest of their presents. It was fun to watch.  The unwrapping of our gifts were interrupted when a group of children, related to the farm employees, showed up to perform Christmas carols for us.  They ranged in ages from three to early teens.  They started off with a song they obviously liked (not a carol) and could put a few moves to.  Their performance was done in  almost complete darkness, which lent a poignant quality to it.  It was very touching and a great way to greet Christmas Day.

I took a few photos while we were there and on the way back. Well, okay, it would be more accurate to say that I experimented with my camera – I botched up some potentially great photos.  I had better practice before I take another trip!

 

2010 Christmas weekend – Part 1

Preparing for the trip

When the subject of going away for Christmas first came up, I was torn. Torn between wanting to see my family and what I should do about my cat. The plan was to visit my sister and her family. They live on a farm with five dogs, three cats, and various winged animals. My sister insisted that her pets are used to other creatures, but that is not what concerned me. My cat is a loner – she does not have four-legged companions, so she never learned to play nice with others. Apart from that, did I really want to make her suffer through a seven hour drive, in summer, in a car without working air conditioning?

The thought of leaving her at a cattery didn’t appeal to me either. I didn’t even want to think about what it would be like for her with strange smells, sounds and people around. I’m probably more sensitive about the issue than she is, but I’m supposed to look out for her, right? Lucky for us (my parents and myself) my oldest sister, who had to work and couldn’t join us on the trip, offered to cat-sit. I was still going to miss my kitty something fierce, but at least she would stay in familiar surroundings, with only a small disruption in her routine.

With that sorted out it was time to focus on the next thing on the list. How exactly did we plan on getting to our destination? My brother had the idea that we should all drive down in one car, with him. I was convinced that we wouldn’t fit. You see, he drives a VW Polo. We would have to fit four people, big-boned and long-legged, in it. Excuse me?! Did you know that guys can’t sit and drive? It’s true. At least, it’s true in my experience. Getting in behind the wheel of a car, which was just driven by a man, is like getting comfortable on a recliner – the seat is pushed way back from the pedals, and the backrest is tilted to an angle well on its way to 180 degrees. That leaves an unfriendly bit of space as leg room in the back. I also had my doubts about there being enough room in the boot for presents and luggage. One of the presents was a computer, a tower case, meant for my niece and nephew.

Every time Bro mentioned something about us all driving in his car, my imagination went wild and a headache threatened. I had visions of being crammed into the back seat with some pieces of luggage stacked on and around me. I could just imagine myself when we finally reached the end of our journey, trying to unfold my body, like a tight wad of crinkle paper, from the back seat! Sure, we’d all fit. Ha!

Well, I’m nothing if not pro-active!  About a week before our departure date I booked my car in at its doctor for a thorough once-over.  It’s an annual thing that leaves me feeling like I’m missing a part of myself.  The next day I spent two hours at a fitment centre to get the car fitted with a pair of tekkies (a.k.a. tyres). The day after that I was left feeling stranded again when my car went to the pamper-centre for a valet treatment.  You do know about the unwritten rule which states a person should wait until the last minute to stress about these things?

The most fun things about long road trips, that I remember from my childhood, were the snacks and food that Mom packed for us to eat. There was no stopping at cafes or fast food places for us! Nah-uh! We’d eat at a picnic area under a big tree, somewhere at the side of the road. Packing our travel meals is something we still do. We usually end up packing more than we can eat, though. For this trip I made a conscious effort to cut out most of the junk food. Instead of cookies, I planned on carrots. Instead of chocolates, I planned on sliced apple, with and without peanut butter. Breakfast would be buns, with cold meat, baked sausage and boiled eggs, courtesy of Mom. Don’t ask me why, but boiled eggs, apparently, are a must on road trips. Drinks would be of a flask of coffee and bottled water.

Between work and getting organised for the trip, a few other items on my to-do list, like wishing all my blogging friends and WordPress neighbours a Merry Christmas, didn’t get crossed off before we left. Oh, well.

… to be continued . . .