Commuter Friday

When one mentions the word “travel” some thoughts that come to mind are “exploring”, “sight-seeing”, “adventure”, “new places”, and “new people”. Travel does not necessarily need to mean travelling to another city or country. Trips to the grocery store, to granny, to school or to work are all forms of travelling. My travel highlights are always seeing new places and meeting new faces. Sometimes we can meet these faces in the strangest of places. 

Cape Town is filled with so much diversity, and each person has a story of their own to tell. Using public transport is one way to meet new people, that’s if you are open to the idea of course. In Cape Town, a number of trains, buses and taxis are made available as an alternative mode of transport to personal vehicles.  Using public transport however would naturally mean placing your life the hands of someone who is usually a total stranger, and being dependent on them to get you to your destination safely and on time.  Train delay’s and bus strikes are things which happen all too often in Cape Town, in the country actually. Fees increase, and commuters comply. 

Being stuck on a stationary train for 40 minutes with complete strangers all around you is not exactly an idea of fun. This however is the perfect opportunity to sit and observe others. People with different personalities, coming from different backgrounds and cultures, all handling the situation differently. Each of these people having a story of their own to tell,  but the one thing that they have in common is that they are all in Cape Town at that one time (in the stuck train of course). It would be quite interesting to come across various tourists (visiting or living in Cape Town) and ask them “Why Cape Town?”. Cape Town is AFRICA, and those abroad are drawn to this Africa. The flaws and perfections all make Cape Town the city it is today, sure everyone yearns for a CRIME FREE WORLD, why wouldn't we? We could keep hoping and wishing, or we could change the world one step at a time.