There’s nothing like a first-time experience. And when travelling, they’re there for the taking.
I was swimming in the kelp when a big shadow shifted beneath me. My heart gave a jolt. I stopped and let my legs sink down, adjusting my mask. Yes, there it was. It moved dreamily, first curving one way, then the other, like a slow and languorous song. My swimming partner gave a thumbs up. ‘Yes,’ he pointed downwards, ‘this is what we are here for.’ I looked at him, eyes big. ‘I must swim down there? To it? Canʼt I just look at it from up here? It’s really quite impressive enough!’
With a wry look he hooked my hand in his rubber belt and, eyes fixed on mine so I would follow suit, took a deep breath in and flipped his legs up and his head down and we sank to the bottom. And there they were, a whole school of cow sharks weaving gently between the kelp roots. The light dappled against their skins, and I reached out and touched a sandpapery back as one moved past like the Battlestar Galactica. It was magnificent!
Thereʼs nothing quite like the first time you do something you’ve never done before. First times are one of the drivers of the travel industry because itʼs the one sector in which youʼre assured of satisfaction if you seek them out. Thereʼs always a new country, and if youʼre lucky enough to have done them all, a new city or town, or a mountain you’ve never climbed, a river you’ve never gone down, or a site you’ve never camped in.
In her story ‘First-time campers’, Getawayʼs Vuyi Qubeka writes that travel is still a growing trend in her culture – a hangover from apartheid days. Camping was non-existent on that list, considering the fact that it wasn’t far removed from many people of colourʼs reality, either for themselves or for family members. But Vuyi had been on a trip around southern Namibia with Gear Editor Melanie van Zyl, whoʼd grown up camping and knew all the tricks. (Read her beautiful story, ‘Walking with the wise giants.’) On that trip sheʼd loved being close to nature, the quiet of the bush and the joy of simple living. And she wanted to share this with her parents. So, with the help of Mel and another camping old-timer, Marshall Rinquest, she put together a checklist for the perfect, comfortable campsite and then packed them in a car and set up camp in SANParksʼ newest national park, Mokala, in the Northern Cape. And what was the first thing her dad did? Well, find out on page 86.
There are so many first-time opportunities we present in this issue. If youʼre travelling for the Olympics, use our insiderʼs guide to Rio and São Paulo (page 94). I will be saving it for my first time to Brazil. Or do something active: there are 12 adventures (and some more meditative experiences) you can experience in our arid regions, compiled by Jacques Marais, on page 68. He has a motto I love: Collect memories, not things. Travel is one of the best routes for doing that. Just pick one, and go!
To our readers
Weʼve received some great feedback on our last few issues and would like to thank you for taking the time to let us know what you enjoy (and what you donʼt). It helps us plan future stories so keep sending your letters to [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you!
This month’s contributors
Ernest White II
A storyteller and explorer, Ernest brings non-traditional narratives to the mainstream. In 20 years of travels as a journalist, South Africa and Brazil remain his favourite countries. He tells you where to go and what to do in his old home, Rio, and São Paulo (page 94).
Vuyi Qubeka
After an epic adventure in Namibiaʼs Zambezi Region last year, Vuyi was inspired to take her parents camping for the very first time. This is how it unfolded (page 86).
Ben McRae
Despite working as an Ocean Lifeguard in Australia, Benʼs roots in southern Africa run deep. He travels back each winter, armed with his camera, to capture its hidden corners and unique cultures. This month, he shares some inside information on how to make your pictures of Namibia soar (page 62).
This story first appeared in the July 2016 issue of Getaway magazine.
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