Seth and Oakie

Driving with a left-handed stick-shift on the left side of the road is probably one of the most terrifying things I have done in South Africa (well, at least until shark diving tomorrow). Driving along the highway is fine, but this is what goes through my head when I have to make a turn:

"Ok, turn onto the left side of the road. Stay left! Crap, I have to downshift. Oh no, we're going to stall. Downshift! Downshift! And now I'm not breaking fast enough. Don't flip, little car! Why are the windshield wipers going?! Aaahhh! The stupid blinker is on the other side. Now we're going to rear-ended because no one knows that we're turning. Blinker, now!"

Fortunately, Seth drives 90% of the time. We have put some serious miles on our little Hyundai named Oakie - tomorrow we will complete the gorgeous 1,000 mile drive from Durban to Cape Town. Despite the fact that Oakie has what Seth describes as "wheelbarrow tires," she has served us well. Most importantly, she has not been broken into.

Beyond his willingness to drive, Seth has many other qualities that make him a perfect travel companion. He makes me laugh. A lot. He charms the locals. He made all the reservations at our hostels. He lets me read out-loud to him the history of all the towns we pass. He knows almost everything about soccer. We get hungry and tired at the same times.

In five more days, I will be car-less and Seth-less, but in the mean time, I am greatly enjoying their company.

Just for fun, here are some pictures of the baboons we saw along the side of the freeway today. They created quite the traffic jam!