Day 33, Feb. 24, 2008: Home
By the end of the night, They had run out of water, and we were all very thirsty. The four of us who traveled to the festival were leaving the festival together. Note that, in South Africa, and especially at this festival, very few people have cell phones, and those who do, have very very few minutes on them. We had to call our cab. He somehow ended up on the inside of the gate while we were on the outside waiting for him, so we waited like an hour or more longer than we needed to. He had his son with him who sat on Brandon’s lap in the front seat. By this time, we were all very dirty, and our driver said that it was all included in the fare a stop for us to wash at the beach. I washed my hands, but not my face, as the rest of me was covered. Brandon and Courtney jumped into the ocean. Abigail disappeared for a few minutes before returning. I think I know why.
I lost my card somewhere in one of the bags that we all carried, and the security person in the front of the pier said that I would have to check with the security person at the bottom of the gangway (the stairway to the ship from the pier) who said that I would have to check with the security people at the top of the stairway [“I can’t just let you on without your ID looking like that.” Remember My face?](where they have a metal detector, check one’s bags, and a computer for which to swipe one’s card and be checked in or out) who typed in my name and I was in. I couldn’t get into my room, and within the few minutes that had passed, Brandon, Courtney, and Abigail were all sleeping and so I just bought a new card. I have two now… but that’s another $25.00.
I went to the Mall and saw Roxanne and a friend of hers. I bought a box of Spiced Chai Tea (Caffeine Free, oddly enough). I stopped for pot of Hot Tea and a Huge Slice of Baklava. I wasn’t very hungry or thirsty, it was just that that was the only size offered. I still had strange thoughts of attention and distraction and focus and being and Zen. I stopped at the Internet Café, which only served the Internet, and so is hardly a Café at all, and Skyped Christine for nearly an hour. I returned to the ship and that’s all I can recall before recalling falling to sleep (or at least waking up the next morning).
I lost my card somewhere in one of the bags that we all carried, and the security person in the front of the pier said that I would have to check with the security person at the bottom of the gangway (the stairway to the ship from the pier) who said that I would have to check with the security people at the top of the stairway [“I can’t just let you on without your ID looking like that.” Remember My face?](where they have a metal detector, check one’s bags, and a computer for which to swipe one’s card and be checked in or out) who typed in my name and I was in. I couldn’t get into my room, and within the few minutes that had passed, Brandon, Courtney, and Abigail were all sleeping and so I just bought a new card. I have two now… but that’s another $25.00.
I went to the Mall and saw Roxanne and a friend of hers. I bought a box of Spiced Chai Tea (Caffeine Free, oddly enough). I stopped for pot of Hot Tea and a Huge Slice of Baklava. I wasn’t very hungry or thirsty, it was just that that was the only size offered. I still had strange thoughts of attention and distraction and focus and being and Zen. I stopped at the Internet Café, which only served the Internet, and so is hardly a Café at all, and Skyped Christine for nearly an hour. I returned to the ship and that’s all I can recall before recalling falling to sleep (or at least waking up the next morning).