Monday, 5 May 1986: Buses vs. Trains and the Art of Detachment

7:45 AM, on the bus from Nelspruit back to Johannesburg

I had to take the bus because the train would take too much time and I need to get back to Johannesburg to meet with a South African Airways rep to get some internal plane tickets. 

This is a super luxurious Greyhound bus.  Probably most people would consider it more comfortable and convenient than the train although the ride can only be as smooth as the road and this one is under construction.  I still prefer to take a train, slow or not.  There is something inexplicably fun about a train – especially the nice South African Railways train I rode on.  The bus is too antiseptic for me with its closed tinted windows, air conditioning, tray tables on the backs of the seats, and cute uniformed hostesses who announce the itinerary over the PA system.

Grain silos west of Belfast, Transvaal.

 

In addition to the train ride, there was one other notable aspect of this trip to Kruger National Park.  Not the park itself, although it was a treat to see African wildlife in its natural habitat for the first time.  No, it was my conversation the night before last with Lionel, the innkeeper in White River.  I am proud of myself for listening to his racist and ultra-conservative rants without getting angry or sucked into an argument that would have gone nowhere.  As he carried on with his outrageous statements, I listened patiently.  I asked some softly-worded questions to challenge him but not get him pissed off at me personally.  I was able to detach myself from his comments and keep cool both outwardly and on the inside.  It seems that I’m learning to be emotionally detached and let go of my ego.  It certainly helps that this is not my country.