Desirous of Everything at the Same Time

"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes 'Awww!'" - Jack Kerouac, On the Road

One of the things I've always loved most about travel, whether simply across state lines or across oceans, is that one tends to be surrounded by people searching for more. Maybe they're looking for someone or something, but oftentimes fellow travelers are looking for experiences, ones that can't quite be captured in photos or described in words. Sometimes you stumble into them at local pubs, on the sidewalk asking for directions in an odd accent, sitting next to you on the airplane, or on your way back from a tourist spot... like Robben Island. 

Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela (among other notable people) was imprisoned.

Roommates with one of the guides, a former Robben Island prisoner.

I can't say I went to Robben Island expecting to meet new people, but our particularly rocky ride back to the mainland provided us an opportunity to do just that. Admittedly, Lindsey E. was a bit annoyed when a stranger, who we'd later find out is named Jason, sat down next to her on the ferry. He kickstarted conversation by calling her out on her sea sickness - an uncommon ice breaker. When we returned to the shore, we met the rest of his friends and were invited to join them for an early dinner at a Waterfront restaurant called Ferryman's. Being the "yes man" that I am, I countered Lindsey's and Alex's hesitation by taking them up on their offer. 

By the end of our extended dinner, we'd made four new friends from Canada. Two of them - Carly and Jason (yes, there are two of them, just like the two Lindseys) - met on Facebook and are the most perfect couple you can imagine, and the original Jason and Devon turned out to be incredibly friendly and funny gentlemen. They later invited us to join them on their tourist adventure the very next day, which turned out to be the best decision we've made since being here. 

The Canadians are staying in a guest house (similar to a bed and breakfast as we Americans know it) and their temporary "landlord" had offered to escort them around Cape Town for the day. For just R500 each, which is about $50-60, we got to see the most breathtakingly beautiful views we've ever seen, and in the company of great people. Our tour guide was even kind enough to show us some of his favorite local spots, and he introduced us to some local music which will definitely become a favorite. 

UCT - where we'll be going to school

Just a casual view from the car... and this was every single km of the drive

Raymond, our INCREDIBLE tour guide

Tourists in a new hometown

Boulders Beach

Boulders Beach

The distance from where we were, Cape Point, and New York

The wind was ridiculous, but this place makes you feel like the world is yours

We live here. And you should too.

Looking down

Baboon and its baby - just walking along the side of the road

If we hadn't said "yes" to joining our Jason, Jason, Carly, and Devon for dinner, we would've missed all of this. Even though many of the spots were on our list of things to do, there's absolutely no way we'd be lucky enough to see all of these things in one day - and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Just wait until you see my real camera photos, as opposed to the iPhone photos. I kept thanking my lucky stars for such a great day, and I seriously felt guilty for getting to see so much while so many people will miss the opportunity.

As a traveler, you're surrounded by the most amazing people, who are often "desirous of everything at the same time" and willing to make the most of each day. A handful of decisions had to happen to make yesterday possible - from Alex deciding to go to Robben Island that day, Lindsey E. deciding to leave one seat empty, me deciding to join our new friends for dinner, Jason & Carly deciding to turn their Facebook friendship into a real relationship, Jason & Devon deciding to take three weeks off work to tag along... all of those decisions (and more) led us to the right place at the right time.

I'm bound to have 720,351,932 memories to hold onto after this year, but I can guarantee that dancing in the sea breeze to our new favorite band while watching the sun start to settle on a breathtaking day will rank high on the list. And we've only just begun.