In the Mean Time

It is still going to take me some time before I can write something satisfactory about Lagos. I will therefore first try to fill in the gap between the two trips to Lagos.

I left Lagos just before Christmas looking forward to spend three glorious weeks out of this place. Three months was just too long. It actually went quite fast with all the hard work that went into the project, but I started getting even more grumpy than usual towards the end of my time.

Everything started out as planned. I arrived home a day before Christmas and had time for a quick lunch at Hartenberg with my friend Andrè and daughter Cecilia.

Christmas day Cecilia and I had a lovely lunch next to the sea at the Brass Bell in Kalk Bay. After I had most of a bottle of Hartenberg Cab-Shiraz, Cecilia had to drive and we spent the rest of the day just lazing around the Peninsula. The time just seemed to fly and before I knew it, it was my sister Kittie's 60th birthday. We had a huge party at her daughter Ilse's place in Somerset West, where we saw lots of Kittie's friend and our family.

The next day I left to visit Regina who was at that stage staying with our son Marthinus in Nelson, New Zealand. After the twins, Leon and Alex, were born in Dubai in November 2008, Marthinus and Nicola decided to move to Australia. After I left for Lagos, Regina went to help look after the twins in Sydney.

About a month after Regina arrived in Sydney, they decided to move to Nelson, where Nicola's parents stay.

I arrived in Nelson after nearly two days on the road (or in the air), on New Year's Eve, to what can only be described as a Culture Shock. The only thing Nigeria and New Zealand have in common is the fact that there names start with an "N".

It was really the best antidote for the three months in Lagos. Nelson is just the most perfect spot to forget about the troubles of Africa. Just imagine; the most dangerous creature we encountered was a Sand Fly! There are no snakes, no natural thorns and apparently only one poisonous type of spider. When Marthinus' in-laws asked Regina if we are planning to move to New Zealand, she said that she would feel guilty because life would be too easy, compared to South Africa.

We spend 10 lazy days in and around Nelson and were treated to lots of Kiwi hospitality. Paul, Marthinus' father-in-law took us for a trip on the Marlborough sound with his big motor yacht. We were rocked to sleep on the waters of the sound that night.

One of the highlights was a trip with Nick, Marthinus' brother-in-law, to West Port, his hometown on the West Coast of the South Island. Just the trip to West Port was already spectacular as we drove through about 200 km of lush green mountain passes, winding around a river. Imagine Bloukrans Pass in the Eastern Cape stretching for 200 km; absolutely stunning.

Nick showed us the area where he grew up and took us to eat the pies and fish and chips he remember from his youth. It is a day we will remember for a long time.

It was also great to get to know our grandsons a little. It is interesting how they already show such different personalities at this young age. At least now they know that Oupa and Ouma does not only live inside Skype.

Unfortunately all good things come to an end and Regina decided to go back home with me. Just before we left New Zealand I was told that there were problems with the project in Lagos and I would not be returning there soon. Unfortunately it was tro late to change our flights and we arrived back in Cape Town on the 10th of January, tired but happy to be back on home turf.

I worked out that since I left Lagos I had traveled about 41,000 km to get back to Cape Town; about the same distance as the circumference of the earth.

Then the Big Wait started. I have been waiting for nearly 4 months for the project in Lagos to get back on track. In the interim I have been working at our office in Cape Town, with the knowledge that I could anytime be called on to go back to Lagos.

I have since been made a job offer by an Israeli company to work in Southern Africa from an office in Centurion, Gauteng. I started with a week's training in Tel-Aviv and now I am back in Lagos.

But more about all that in the next installment.