Dion, what a character… When he opened us the door of his backpackers' lodge in Muizenberg, south of Cape Town, he was wearing a pair of cotton trousers and a sweater which were ... say ... overly dirty and worn off… We wonder since how long he had not changed, not to say washed. He has an odd age, dishevelled grey hair and a beard long of 10 centimetres.
Behind this very atypical appearance hides in fact a crazy but true scientist. Of Afrikaner origin, he has graduated with a phD at UCLA ann has a passion for physics. The words are weak, but he reveals us with passion and confidence that within the next 2 years he will be given the next scientific Nobel Prize. Since 86, he researches and explores the quantum physics, until recently have found a new theory related to the dynamics of the universe and a fortiori its creation. He speaks to us about torrs, electrons, positive and negative, and does not hesitate to share his passion drawing us up sketches and diagrams over bits of paper.
Throughout Delphine's questions, he tells us the various stages of his life. Divorced. Four children, of whom his only girl died a few months old. Him, his child born sclerosis illness, his handicap for life. His problems with alcohol and weight. His 9 months living with nothing, sheltered in his car parked in Johannesburg. His revelations, dreams and questionings. And today, his job as a backpackers' house manager.
We could have listened to him for several days, and I could tell about him over ten pages. What is certain, is that he made a great impression on us and we will remember him. What is less certain, on the other hand, it is to see him one day speaking in costume tie on television, looking over his Nobel Prize.
Laurent
Their travel stories are enthralling. They tell us how they negociate with the chiefs of villages, how they queue at water points, manage their supplies, and deal with fraud and provocation etc.
Wecan see that they are happy talking to us, and we can feel that they have spend very long periodes of time just by themselves, surrounded by people completely different and like coming from another world. As for the continuation of their voyage, they do not know too much about it. We will see in two months Stev tells us. `We just follow the stream'. `Why not India? '
Stev and Nadine adopted such a marginal rhythm of life that it will be surely very hard for them to return to Europe, within the urban and capitalist jungle….
Laurent
We met Steve and Nadine in a backpackers' hostel in Swaziland, during our road trip in South Africa. Stev and Nadine are of German origin and deeply rroted travellers: they have been riding their bicycles on the roads of Africa since April 2006, which is approximately 2.5 years at the time of our meeting!
After leaving Berlin, they crossed France, Spain, Morocco to Senegal, Mali, then went down to Congo, Uganda, Tanzania and downwards as far as South Africa while passing through Mozambique. With approximately 45kg each one to carry, they crossed mountains, deserts and villages hidden in the bush and savanna.
Around this mining activity, many perversions in slavery and the saling of the gold / diamonds to the rich of the world (have you seen the movie `The king of diamonds' ?). The mines employed hundreds of thousands of workers, with crushing black majority. The white men directed by force and humiliation, the apartheid reinforcing this system of slavery. Kapinga worked all the year round at the mine, and returned to his country once a year to feed his family.
We can see through his face the suffering from his past. However Kapinga often smiles, and is caught sometimes with small crises of crazyness when he jokes or try to imitate the animals. He tells us stories of imprudent tourists wounded/ killed by local fauna (lions, hippos etc).
Kapinga is humble and impresses me by his modesty and his good mood. He is proud of his new status (despite of his worn off clothes, he always carries his professionnal plate as guide of the Delta), and I can only admire him for it.
Once again, this meeting enabled us to relativize on our daily minor problems!
Laurent
We spent 3 days with Kapinga in Botswana during an expedition in the Okavango Delta. Kapinga knows all about the widlife, and shared with us his knowledge several times during our walks and visits in the Delta. Kapinga is about fifty years old. He has 3 children, including one of 28 years who is like him a tourist guide and mokoro poler (cf article on Botswana). He speaks Setswana as the majority of botswanan people. His English is limited and approximate, and we can see that he learned it only throughout his contacts with the tourists.
Kapinga is caught sometimes with coughing fits. I believe to guess his past and directly fire him the question. I was right. Kapinga worked 10 years in a gold mine in Johannesburg in South Africa. Having read a book on the subject, I know how horrible were the living and working conditions. It should be known that in Africa, many countries grew rich by extracting diamond and gold mines.
We met Lucia for the first time in a French restaurant in Rio, “Chez Guy”. We did not know each other before, and yet we spent a first evening very sympathetic together, with also Elba the head chef who served us her best dishes, wine and cocktails. Guy, the owner of the restaurant, is a friend of my father in Paris. Lucia, Brazilian, is a good friend of Guy.
My father contacts Guy. Guy contacts us and tells us about Lucia. We give Lucia a call, and suggest her to go for a drink. The connection made, it did not take a long time before we enjoyed each other's company. Already Lucia offers us to stay in her flat during the great Carnival of Rio at the end o February. We are chuffes, and do not know how to thank her. Without Lucia, we would have spent the Carnival… in Argentina!!
Lucia was born in Rio. Put aside an 18 months spent in France, Lucia lived all her life in Rio; she is a true carioca! She knows all the corners of the `cidade maravilhosa', and often tells us various stories about Rio in the lat 30 years. The places where lovers meet in secret, where it was good to walk, to go out. Lucia likes to make us discover Rio, and we love it too! Landscape designer of profession, she likes the green and quiet places. She takes us along to see a sublime plant store / garden, brings us to a photo expo in an old house built in a tropical garden, and drives us around the Tijuca forest. Full with ballades sympas and resting.
Before leaving, nothing more natural than to offer Lucia a pretty bouquet of flowers. Dried, so that they can last for a long time. Coloured and bright, to remind the heat of the Carnival, her good mood and her generosity!
The day of our parade in the Sambodrome, Lucia accompanies us there and gives us psychological support. We impregnate ourselves with the experiences of Lucia, who loves the Carnival and eventually did it 4 times parading for a samba school in the Sambodrome. She tells us stories, and gives us good practical advice. How keep our costumes in place while dancing, how to keep money arounf our waists, how to parade without knowing the song nor dancing samba...
Lucia speaks to us witn an almost perfect French. We are admiring her ease, we could have believed that she lived for more than 20 years in France! Against her French, we speak Portuguese like Spanish cows… Lucia also loves cooking. The first evening, she teaches me how to cook a ratatouille, the Vaucluse way!
Lucia's family lives in the district of Barra, on the other side of Ipanema, in the west side of the city. Lucia will take us along a whole day there, to make us discover a gigantic beach, and introduce us to her brother, sister and parents, who nicely invited us for lunch on their terrace with sea view. Mmmmmh, it was soooo good!!
It is with sadness that we left Lucia, in Rio on 26th February 09. Thanks to her we spent a splendid Carnival. In the Sambodrome, in the streets, or on her sofa looking at the parades on TV, surrounded with all the Cranaval hats we had scattered in her living room…
We shared with Lucia friendly moments that will remain engraved in our memories of Rio, this city that we love so much… Lucia, once again: THANK YOU!!!!!!!!
Tchemoko T. is the school Principal of Kalabambougou, Mali. Principal, with a big `P'. Tchemoko is the chief, and everyone must respect him. The children are afraid of him, fleeing away when he approaches armed with his stick, or crying, when they leave, punished and corrected, from office.
Tchemoko will teach us the principle of 'corocracie'. One morning, inadvertently on a good mood, I made a joke. He felt insulted, and I was given a lesson straight away. A lesson of respect, and more particularly the respect for older people. I did not answer to him that in France, it was rather the opposite: the old men owe the respect to the young people, and when they don't they get beatten.
The following day, he calls me again in his office to tell me that I have another bad habit: `I heard you calling me Tchemoko, and not Mr. T. or Mr. the Director, like you must'. I pass the details of the conversation which followed and which really amused me well.
Next to this, Tchemoko is sympathetic. He recognizes our work, is happy that the children are happy, and is astonished when we say to him that it is time for us to go. He offers us tea, biscuits and peanuts, and even a hot sheep with potatos at 8.30 am.
An anonymous source will say to us that Tchemoko T. is like a `chambre a air' (litterally an 'elastic bicycle wheel chamber'). Go find who invented this expression, but roughly, it means that Tchemoko is sometimes nice, sometimes bad, and totaaly unafraid of expressing his moods.
Tchemoko is always very elegant, whether whering hois suit and tie or his local boubou. When Delphine compliments him on his elegance, he answers naturally: `Nice, isn' it?' with a very proud tone. And yes, you got it, Tchemoko is also very proud! And that is why he is often upset when we tease him or when do not understand each other. It is true that we are not naturally born 'corocrats', and it does take time for us to learn how to respect `the older'.
The last 'incident' made us laugh quite well. Before our departure, we invite Tchemoko at ALAD - our charity premises - to thank him and share a good home made apple crumble. The day before the invitation, a 'messenger' kid who ran several kms from the school to us hands us out panting a handwritten message: Tchemoko is sorry, he will not be able to honour our invitation. Delphine, amused by the words and the `messenger' technique, replies on a paper, while attaching a small candy to the package. The answer of Tchemoko, the following day, with the same messenger, on signed and stampped paper:
`Mr. Laurent and Miss Delphine,
Hello, I have received your nice gift, whose meaning is not understood. I give you back your only candy. Thank you very much. Good stay for the little time. The Director. '
(trans from french)
Sayaka is 28 years old Japanese woman, and has been traveling through Africa for 18 months… she does not known when she will return to her country. She likes to ask me questions about my life in Paris, my family, Laurent, and she does not get weary of the explanations that I give her about our travels, she is easily filled with wonder.
It is not common to cross a young Japanese woman in the middle of nowhere in Swaziland. She is currently working as a volunteer in Mozambique, in a hospital. One day, she knocked on the hospital door and asked whether she could help. They took her.
Traveling alone in Africa with a small budget is rather brave, and fascinates me, her philosophy of life, and her thirst of discovering and helping is impressive. Used to make a very good living working in finance in Tokyo, she says that she is now “everyday in disorder”. We hope that we will be able to see her again in a few years, in Japan this time!
Delphine
A little bit everywhere, on the road, in their homes or in backpackers' hostels, we meet during our travels many people with atypical and captivating profiles. Guides, fellow travelers, inhabitants of places we visit, many have interesting lives and stories that we would like to share with you.
These people have touched us and have definitely left a print in our long voyage.
We dedicate this section to them - Portraits.
To not deteriorate 4 weeks of relationship although friendly, I send him a nice answer and explain to him the principle of the gift, recognition and invitation. We also found that time goes quick. Even if Tchemoko is 'chambre a air', we spend very good time with him in his school, and we will be delighted, in the future, to meet again and share a yummy yummy apple crumble. Inch Allah!!
When we met Damian, we were already perspiring and breathing short. In full effort, loaded with our heavy backpacks, we were like Damian hiking the mountain trails leading to the Inca site of Choquekirao. As it is of custom between the hikers, we greet ourselves politely. We walk some of the way together, and start chatting. We quickly find ourselves a common point: Che Guevara! Damian wears a blazing red tee- shirt of the Che, and especially marked with the letters ‘La Higuera’, this small village of Bolivia where the Che was assassinated and that we had visited just a month ago! Connected by the effort and by the Che, we feel immediately at ease with Damian and continue the road together merrily.
Damian taking a coffee break, we separate. Two hours later and 700m higher, we find ourselves again. Knackered, we were negotiating the prices of a donkey with a peasant. Damian greets us and sits down next t us. He hears us asking bread to the peasant who says that he does not have any to sell. This is at this precise instant that Damian shows us one of his greater qualities: generosity! He takes out of his bag two pieces of bread and gives them over to us. In this moment of tiredness and ordeal, at the 2nd day of this difficult hike where we were far and deprived from all and everything, this small gesture appeared enormous to us and touched us a lot. Delphine to thank him offers him a Brazilian bracelet that carries happiness. The pact is sealed. Since this moment, our relationship is based on generosity and share.
We will spend the three following nights in the same camp-sites. We share the aperitif, dine together under the stars, and spend the whole day visiting the Inca site of Choquekirao. During all this time together, Damian also acts as our Spanish teacher correcting all our spelling mistakes… And especially mines, as Delphine making a fault every two words, it is too exhausting to correct her!!
Damian physically has everything of the typical Argentinean. He has dark hair, wears the beard and the moustache, and has strong Latin features. He is thin, is dressed as a typical long time traveller and shows a good physical resistance. He is one of the rare to have done the 65kms and climbed the 3000m of altitude without a donkey! Damian in addition to being generous is also courageous! The day of the visit of the Inca site, he will make a little bit more than us, deciding to some more remote terraces when it was already the end of the afternoon … making him going back to the camp site in the total dark, solely lit up by his forehead light…
Like every Argentinean, Damian also adores the dulce de leche. At my greater pleasure, he regaled me with some during what seemed to me like a royal breakfast! Did he feel pity for me when he saw me soaking my dry bread into a black coffee? Damian will also offer us his ‘home made’ pop corns, and we will regal us with german salami we brought with us from Cusco. In a hike, all the food doubles in taste. And when it is shared… oh… the pleasure is indescribable!
Damian like us is carrying out a long voyage. The conditions which made him leave are on the other hand less happy. Separated from his girlfriend after 6 years, he decided to leave his work and throw himself on the roads of the world… When we meet him, he has travelled already for 5 months. He travelled through Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, and on his way towards Mexico where he will take a plane for Europe. He will go then to India, Thailand, and surely to Australia. As for all the other travellers alone, we admire his courage!!
We will finish the 5 day hike together. Despite the accumulated tiredness and a last tough day (16kms and 1000m of altitude), we arrive at our final destination (the small village of Cachora) the three of us very proud and happily excited. We take the last photos together, and in the taxi that leads us to the main roads where we separate, we promise to keep contact and eventually meet again one day… somewhere on the roads of the world…
Damian has a travel blog. If you want to follow his adventures and improve your Spanish, go and check http://damian-se-fue-a-dar- una-vuelta.over-blog.es
