the blog entry i'd started back in johannesburg airport got cut short. its now easter sunday and im back here now in new york. got back wednesday. jumped on the cab and headed straight to the office. the cabbie was great. our conversation jumped from new york in the 80s, paying rent to wine pairings (and how he and his girlfriend might have had a little bit too much to drink the night before). coming back to the office felt great too—everyone was glad (and surprised) to see me back and everyone wanted to hear stories and see pictures of the intercontinental trip.
with all the welcome, im somehow readjusted back to new york life. but before i get completely sucked in the now, i want to make sure that i am able to recall and appreciate moments of the great trip to holland and south africa before it fully fades into the past.
visiting the netherlands was great. in a way, it felt a whole lot like coming home. of course it helps that its my third time there and that more importantly coen, his family and friends are all familiar people ive grown comfortable having around. there's just something about the country i guess—its openness, its great value to coziness (gezelligheid) and human interaction (all traits that are a bit lacking in predominantly go-go-go-take-take-take US).
the days spent in the lowlands consisted mostly of walking or biking around, and hitting a few places here and there. throughout the day were appropriate stops for meals, cappuccinos and biertjes. lots of it. and at night after dinner, the trek to cozy bars or clubs, where drinks are the perfect complement to conversations and company. and once back home, grilled cheese sandwiches, cigar and whiskey or martini to cap the long productive day.
when coen had to go to work, toos (coen's mom, pronounced "toes") and fre (rhymes with "pray", coen's bro's girlfriend) took turns in taking me around. fre took me out to breakfast where the pancake was super lekker and to de pijp where there was a street market going on. id tried a healthy serving of herring which at that time was a great idea coz i enjoyed the taste and texture but at night proved a not as good choice as my stomach revolted quite a bit.
toos (my asian upbringing is finally used to calling elders just by their first names) took me to the hague where i got to see the parliament, the queens house, and the UN peace palace. and that night we headed to utrecht to meet the rest of the family for dinner to celebrate her birthday. it was great. i had enjoyed that meal a lot. very nice and cozy feeling as everyone took turns sharing stories and jokes, and giving presents. even i, who's usually mum at dinner tables, was up for the speaking up. it was a great honor being able to sit in some other family's dinner and yet feel very much a part of it. i was really tempted to take my camera out and capture the moment but somehow it felt almost intrusive. so instead i took mental snapshots to remind myself of the importance of celebrating life and people.
as usual, it was too quick a trip when it was time to go. and as my flight took off from schiphol airport, i did the usual 12-second flashback of the great moments of days' past. trying not to smile too much and trying to force back a tear or two.
---
if holland was coming home, south africa was definitely the journey to the unknown. the second to the last continent for me to hit and quite the adventure and exploration i had wanted. i stayed with richard, a friend from back in high school in manila. he's been based in johannesburg the past 2 years on a work assignment for ernst&young and who, with the notoriety joburg has for crime, thankfully lives in the great part of the city.
dove straight into action the first day and joined a tour that included a cultural village and a lion park. it was great seeing an overview of the different tribes that formed south africa. it helped as well that the tour guide is himself a zulu so he gave great insight to lifestyle in their provinces. it was easy to get immersed into the culture so i was game in trying their beer (which looked a whole lot like spit and tasted like some science experiment), doing some african dance, and sampling the great game-filled cuisine.
the lion park was great as well. saw some zebras, hyenas and of course lions but the highlight for me was petting the lion cubs. of course i was a bit scared as sh*t, especially when one of them tried to bite my leg. thankfully, it stopped its evil plans and i was able to pet the hungry little creature. and i managed to squeeze in one decent picture where i dont look as petrified as i was in the 100 other photos i had.
during the weekend, rich and i drove up to the northwest province to sun city—a golfer's/gambler's/thrill seeker's paradise. we had lunch in the palace hotel's grounds, which was quite the setting. the food and wine was great. after lunch, we headed to the top of one of the mountains where we were scheduled to do the world's longest and fastest zip line ride. at 280 meters high, 2km long and with topspeeds of 160kph, that ride has got to be one of the craziest things i'll ever do in this lifetime and one which i'd be glad to do again if given the opportunity.
the rain came saturday night and it never ceased. we spent the night in a nearby hotel where we had a very filling dinner. was scheduled to do an elephant ride safari sunday morning but that got cancelled. instead, rich and i just drove around the pilanesberg safari in search of whatever animals we could. in the expansive rain-swept land, we spotted some giraffes, wildebeests, impalas, many types of deer and a black rhino (one of south africa's big 5). the animals were a bit few and far between in the rain but it was good to see them. once we were back in jo'burg, we went straight to monte-casino, a tuscan-inspired hotel casino that was yet another huge complex. there we had another great meal complete with bottle of wine.
monday consisted of visiting 2 places that play a very important part in south african history and society. pretoria is the seat of government. there i was able to visit some monuments and museums. soweto (short for south western township) is a black township ten miles from joburg that played a key role during apartheid times in south africa. and though it presently has its own share of rich, middle-class and poor, the majority are still poor.
in soweto, we visited a house, perhaps 2.5x6 meters where the grandma gave us a bit of overview of their house. that space was the kitchen, the living and sleeping quarters. and though it sounds tempting to view the situation with pity, it was more inspiring than anything. she spoke of the south african belief and philosophy of ubuntu—humanity's oneness and human beings' interconnectedness with one another. that her neighbor can knock on her door if she needs sugar and that she will give her sugar if she has it. and that in her own time of need, she can do the same. ubuntu is "humanity to others". it is "i am what i am because of who we all are."
tuesday was spent mostly in the apartheid museum. that place was moving. considering that the abolition of apartheid is very recent history, it was great to be able to learn more of the events and people surrounding it. and though those times were very cruel times (eg. black people roaming outside townships at night was reason enough to shoot them), it certainly produced some inspiring heroes—biko, archbishop tutu, mandela, etc.
tuesday night was my flight back to new york. south africa proved to be a great adventure and learning experience. i was able to do some safari, visit some townships and villages, enjoy some great meals and wine, learn a whole lot about history, witness first-hand the expansive divide between the haves and have nots (electrical fences dividing them included), and most importantly experience the great south african hospitality and friendliness (without getting myself robbed, mugged or killed in the process).
---
it sure was a great trip to the netherlands and south africa. holland is a third home of sorts. south africa was a whole other world (but oddly familiar as it is as focked up and/or as rich and great as the philippines, depending on which side of the social fence you're on). and though its time to dive back in to the bit of dog-eat-dog run-run-run, me-myspace-and-ipod nyc lifestyle, it sure is comforting to know that i now have 2 guiding philosophies to keep me grounded—the dutch philosophy of gezelligheid, giving priority to that cozy feeling that comes from a sheltering environment and empathetic company. and the south african spirit of ubuntu, the ethic and humanist philosophy summarized as humanity towards others.
