So where was I?.. ah, yes. So next morning it's time to take off to Durban. For the tenth time I try to get in on the drivers side, walk around then hop in. My ph just got a new truck-- the dealership is owned by a friend of the family so they delivered it last night. The guys are very excited about this. I'm happy if it has AC & a radio-- more importantly a radio. I haven't been on a real road in about 7 days, small winding roads with students from the local villages walking to school, swerving here and there, the drivers excitement to try out his new wheels-- okay pull over I'm going to vomit. My concern is not taken seriously til I reach over & smack the driver on the arm. I manage to open the door & spew on the pavement & not in the 'Bucky'. I'm misserable, they're squeemish & I squat for a while on the side of the road alone holding my stomach. I *ralph* a few more times & I see a monkey standing near by. Hey little dude-- want this? I'm done with it. Hop back in the truck & were off. They've told me the truck is called Bucky. I tell them I once had a little bit of a thing with a guy named Bucky who could shoot some mean bow- they laugh like there is no tomorrow at his name being 'truck'.
We stop at the ph's house in Pongola to drop off some meat with his wife & two kids. I think of how awful it must be to stay home all day. The house keeper stands at the door as he & his wife exchange words in Afrikaans & his 2 (maybe 3) year old daughter clings to his leg & cries for her daddy not to go. Nice little simple house, dogs running in the yard & two screaming kids & a husband who just stops in to drop off meat-- definately glad I am not her. I go wait in the bucky.
We arrive to Durban where I've decided to do some diving with sharks. Driving down the road there are signs for "Massage & Pleasure Parlors"... they tell me prostitution is legal there. Oh.. We get to a park called 'UShaka' similar to Sea World, but litteraly on the ocean, much better food & way cooler. I bought two vuvuzuela's for a couple of the guys back home & the two I'm with did a great job of breaking them in :) They sounded them off, played swords with them, & I recieved a few playful smacks too. We had KFC & I literally heard 'The Circle of Life' playing. I almost choked on my creame soda. "You all like, actually listen to this-- omg, toooooo funny I'm listening to 'aaaaaaaa-beesueeennaaaaa' in flipping Africa." They continued eating, one commented "what, its a good song."
Okay, wet suit on, standing at the unsafe looking top of this tank where my instructions are, "Just get into here *points at plastic cage type thing*, and don't fall into the tank." Oh, okay. I ask, "Um, can you come in with me?" Man responds, "No, this is something you must experience for yourself." Okay Rafiki-- I'm flipping out, can I get a little more direction?? Guess not. I'm not the best swimmer-- what freaks me out the most at first is the water-- until I see the sharks. I kick around & my foot slips out of one of the gaps in the enclosure-- scare the days out of myself & jerk it back in. Now I'm in a floating cannon ball position in the tank. The photographer is flailing his arms at me to pose & I shake my head no. The sharks come check me out, then continue their swimming. I unpeel myself out of the death grip of my arms & try to loosen up. The tank has now been jimmied out into the middle of the tank on a pully system-- if I lean over to much to one side the top takes on water & can flip, or let in a shark. I'm done with this whole shark thing & then-- I relax. There's a little school of fish swimming by & these amazing large creatures all around me. I almost missed it-- because I wasn't willing to get over myself. I let go- shit I'm already here, if anything bad is going to happen worrying isn't going to stop it.
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