Away

9. New experiences

Dubai.  A place both of them heard of but never visited before.  They have an 8 hour stop-over and their flights included a one day visa to go and explore the city.  Their suitcases remain in storage, so Brett only has his backpack and Eddy the crazy violin shoulder bag.  They haven't discussed doing anything together but silently they moved together through passport control and towards the exit where the taxis are parked.

"Sir.  Come Safari", a short man wearing a red and white scarf tells them.  "Safari Sir,  good experience.  Three hours only".  Brett and Eddy look at each other and nodded.  Why not.  It's something new to experience, and isn't that the whole point of traveling?  They are shown to a big 4x4 parked in a long row of others. They get in the back seat. It's higher than the other seats so they had almost a 360 degree view around the vehicle. Brett felt a bit uneasy as he looked around the vehicle. The roof was reinforced with roll bars. The sides had steel bars with handles for people to hold on to.

An elderly Asian couple climbed into the seat directly in front of them. They turned and greeted Brett and Eddy in what Brett assumes is some variant of Chinese. Eddy greets them back. Brett smiles.

He never learned Mandarin, the language of his ancestors. His family has been in South Africa for 7 generations. Sadly, they have lost most of their culture, including the language. Even home cooking has become some hybrid of Asian, African and Indian food. The couple made some small talk with Eddy for a while and then turned to sit properly and fastened their seatbelts. "You don't speak Mandarin?" Eddy asked. "No. I grew up English. In South Africa. Never learned any". Eddy didn't reply to that, instead deciding to explain some of the local culture to Brett.

"Did you notice the scarf the man was wearing that greeted us inside? If it's white, it's called a GUTRA. If it's red and white like his, it's called a SHEMAG. It works well in a desert environment like this. To eliminate dust and heat they can easily use it to cover the mouth and nose as well". "Oh. Have you been here before?" Brett asked. "No. But I love studying the national dress of various countries. Most have evolved through necessity due to environment, culture, weather and so on. And most countries see it as a symbol of national pride".

"OOK, OK, we go", the driver said as he sat down. As soon as they exit the airport area, he turns on the car radio. Lively Arabic music starts playing. Brett hears what sounds like a violin but different somehow. "They play violin here?" he asks. "That's called a rababah. It's a predecessor of a violin. But they do play violin sometimes as well. I'm surprised you were able to distinguish it amongst all the other instruments". "I play violin", Brett said. "I think I can recognize the sound in a hail storm by now" he said with a smile. "No way!" Eddy exclaimed. "Me too".

Whilst the vehicle made its way away from the airport and towards the open desert, they discuss all things violin related. Both started learning at age 6. Both studied it at university. Both performed as part of orchestras. Brett kept going with orchestra work, whilst Eddy's career focused more on recording and sound editing.  Amazing how two people who never met each other have so much in common.

"Are you going home for a visit?" Eddy asked. "I'm not quite sure.  My dad is sick and mom asked me to come and help out with the shop whilst he recovers.  She didn't explain what's wrong, which is kinda odd.  So I have no idea how long I will be here.  I even had to give up my place in the orchestra.  Guess they can't wait for me forever.  Where are you from? And why are you going to South Africa?", he asks Eddy. 

"Originally born in Taiwan.  My family moved to Australia when I was young.  Later I moved on to live and work in Singapore.  But I ended up living in Malaysia.  The daily commute wasn't too bad and it's much more affordable.  Why South Africa? It's complicated.  Wanted to start fresh.  So I picked a random destination on a map".

Brett thought it was a very brave thing to do.  He's sure he would never be able to just pack up and go somewhere random like that.  He smiled at Eddy and then looked out the window.  Nothing but small sand dunes.