A LIFE CHANGED: THANKS TO TRAVELING
In and around Cape Town, South Africa
July 1997
The journey of discovery began one chilly July morning in 1997. The dark winter mornings in Cape Town can sometimes be awfully depressing but this particular day, whilst huddled under the snug duvet, I felt strangely energized. It had to be today, or never. We'd long discussed the possibility of packing up and heading out towards the exciting world of travel. Yes, it had to be today. Decision made. And what a decision that turned out to be. Little did I know the changes this decision would have on my life. We made the initial enquiries about flights to London.
The excitement was tangible. It felt as if an ominous black cloud had miraculously disappeared by doing something about all the indecisions of the past few months. We began putting plans into action immediately. How would my company react to my resignation? Would someone buy my car and Trevors boat? Could a decent tenant for the house be found? Would I have enough finances to leave behind to cover policies? Would Trevor be able to secure his working holiday visa by then? Suddenly the enormity of the decision hit home. Could all this be achieved in 4 months - the provisional date of departure being 18th October? Of course it could. Anything can be achieved if the desire to do it is strong enough.
Trevor had been having the same stuck-in-a-rut problem that I was experiencing but up until now, neither of us could or would do anything about it. Being a frustratingly organized kind of guy, he initially thought it was a somewhat rash and impulsive thing to do. I explained that something or someone had to light the fire under our behinds otherwise both of us would have continued in blissful boredom for the rest of our days. He rifled through cupboards to unearth his passport and made a call to the SA Embassy to start arrangements for a Working Holiday Visa for himself. This would allow him to remain overseas for 2 years. I was lucky enough to have a British passport so didn't have to concern myself with all that bureaucratic stuff.
For three and a half months from making our decision to leave Cape Town, everything whirled past in a frenzy of activity and deadlines. By mid September my car was sold, the house rented out and Trevor had sold his boat. My final day at work turned out to be a huge surprise. A farewell lunch with the office girls aboard the buffet carriage on the Cape Town/Simonstown train. I'd had no idea at all that this was planned and couldn't believe the way the girls were treating me. It almost made me want to stay. I would miss my colleagues. Eight and a half years is a long time to work with anyone and the team spirit amongst everybody was so special and quite unique. This final goodbye made me realize just how close the trip was. Only one month to go. The nerves and the reality started to take over.
We contacted everyone we knew in the UK so that we wouldn't be alone when we arrived. We managed to find the names of some reputable employment agencies as we would have to start the job searching very soon after arrival. The networking had begun. We had been told that this is so important when arriving in a new country. The final few weeks in Cape Town were a real mad rush around of organizing and arranging. We had a final farewell do at the Hard Rock Cafe, packed boxes, put them into storage, organized my kittys flight to Durban [Trevor's parents were to take care of him], drove up to Knysna for a last visit with my parents, bussed back to Cape Town and then moved in with friends for the last couple of days before flying out. By now the nerves were jangling as the flight to London was imminent.
Route taken and entries by Real Traveler Janet
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On The Plane
Our big moment arrived on 18th October and we had an extremely surprising send off as some of my friends pitched up to... Continue reading »
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Arrival In London
19th October 1997
We arrived at one of the busiest and largest airports in the world where we had to split up for a while due to me hav... Continue reading » -
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Tramping The Streets
20th October 1997
Slept like the dead last night and woke feeling very weird in this exciting city. Was I really here? I felt like a st... Continue reading » -
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Impressions of a Challenging City
OK, from now on I've decided not to write a daily journal, I'd bore the hell out of you. We both now have employment and each day is much the same.... Continue reading »
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New York
6th May 1998
Having spent 6 months working in London, myself and Trevor, decided to blow some of our hard earned cash on a visit to the... Continue reading » -
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The Capital City
10th May 1998
I don't believe this. It's STILL pouring. Unbelievable. I just hope that Washington fares better. We packed up and... Continue reading » -
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The Magical World of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and friends
14th May 1998 [pm]
After the pomp and precision of the morning’s regimental displays we managed to bask in the long awaited sun, a tota... Continue reading » -
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Back to London... again
Yet again we're back in London. Run out of bucks... need more... have to work... Ugh! Continue reading » -
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Nepal: The Big Everest Trek
This was the adventure of a lifetime. Just so much to write about but please be patient and hopefully one day I'll get to completing this journal... Continue reading » -
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