PART TWO OF A TRIP THAT WAS..

As we entered there was a narrow passage that was dimly lit with neon graffitied walls. The Afro music was getting louder and there were streaks of black around me. There was both; a chill down my spine and rhythm in my feet.

At the end of the passage was the bar; full with native Africans yelling out their drink preferences. However, the dance floor was empty. I wondered why. The music is up-tempo, how can no one dance. Rajiv and Kaushik got us drinks. In the next half hour, I gulped down 3 large vodka glasses and was inebriated enough to ignore my fears and start appreciating the music. After about 10 more minutes the club suddenly got silent. It was 11 pm as I tried glancing at my phone. Then there were rounds of blasting music that got louder and faster… I wondered was it the music or was it my heart beating.

With the beats there entered a group of professional afro dancers on the dance floor. You had to be there to know what I am saying, it looked as if they performed the salsa, Paso doble and jived at the same time. Later the natives also joined the dancers on the dance floor. I could not make any excuse to myself and I was drawn to the dance floor. Their energy was unmatched, I was tossed and turned on the dance floor. I don’t know why I feared to visit this place and why I feared the Africans. It was midnight and I could feel a hand pulling me away from the dance floor, it was my husband, Kaushik reminding me of what time it is and wanting to kiss me happy new year. After a kiss and a hug that lasted seconds I was back on the dance floor with him. He is not much of a dancer hence it was mostly me leading and him following. After another hour of us doing our “Bollywood dancing”, twerking, some patent club steps the group was exhausted and wanted to go back to the hotel to rest. We had planned for the white shark cage diving to start the new year with a new experience. As it is obvious we overslept the next day and were late for our shark cage diving experience in Gangsbai which was a 3-hour drive. We reached the place a good hour late and feared that we will miss the one thing people come to South Africa and do. Shark Cage Diving is the must do that you see on each and every itinerary. Everyone somehow convinced me that last night, it is I who enjoyed the most and I am the one who got all of them late today. So I had to make the attempt of talking to the lady responsible for bookings. As I approached her desk fearing she would just slap me and send me back I could also remember the people we met at the bar. I was sure this lady will be equally friendly and would hear me out. To my amazement, she raised her head and smiled the minute she looked at me. I smiled back unsure. Before I could speak she asked,

“Weren’t you in fantasy land last night?” I said yes me and my group there, everyone standing at a distance flashed their pearly whites and waved back in unison.

“Helluva party, eh babe! Love your moves. What was that step you did, with your hands raised?”. She was referring to the Balle Balle step all of us have grown up doing at weddings and parties equivalent. I did the step and the group behind me just imitated and followed my lead.

She asked, “Are you here for the shark cage diving? What’s you slot?”.

“That’s what we were hoping you’d help us with. Our slot was at 10.30 am and we are late by a good one hour. Is there any way you can slot us in?”

She looked grim. She yelled out from over my shoulder, “Hey Cam, you up for a spin around the ocean with the Indian group?.”

We very expectantly looked at Cam who looked like someone who had woken up from a deep slumber. “Helluva party last night, eh Jenny?”

“Fancy a ride down the blues with this lot. They missed their turn. Hung over from our exuberance last night.” She winked at me.

All the eyes were on Cam now, if we get to experience the white water sharks and tell or we lie and tell our peers about it.

“Get into your swimwear and meet me at the pier in 15 minutes till I sober up.” The room elevated with excitement and all of us started with the Afro Bollywood dance again.

Our shark chaser reached the anchor spot. Safety briefings were given and we listened attentively. We were asked to keep our hands and legs inside of the cage at all times and click pictures discretely. We put on the wetsuits provided to us and the anchor was dropped.

Cam began attracting the Great Whites with the bait which was made out of a specially-formulated mixture. Once the Great Whites arrived, we had the opportunity to photograph these awe-inspiring animals feeding at the surface, right alongside the boat. The cage is attached to the boat at all times which is made of galvanised steel mesh. Two of the couples travelling with us on the shark chaser chickened out last minute and preferred surface viewing. Kaushik and I mustered courage and entered the cage. The minute we were inside I was completely lost in the beauty of the underwaters. I looked a shark in the eye which turned away and slapped my face with its caudal fin. Just when the instructor opened the cage gates and instructed us to get out, Kaushik spotted a disc with a long tail floating.

Kaushik yelled as he turned to get out of the cage;” Hey Cam , what’s that?”

“itzzz itzzz a ….. Stingray! What a stroke of luck, eh!

The creature was magnificent! We stared in awe as it grabbed the bait and swam across from our cage.

On return some of us were sea sick hence after a quick shower at the reception office we drove back to our hotel.

The next few days were in Johannesburg, this is where Kaushik was going to try his hand at gambling. Having won INR 25000 at Mahjong in Sikkim he was psyched to visit The Sun City. After check in at the hotel we were served an Indian dinner and we entered the Casino. After 2-3 rounds of losing precious Rands on the roulette which I was busy converting to Indian Rupees I exclaimed to Kaushik, “Maybe I am  not lucky for you. You aren’t winning. Let me take a stroll, come back and see you.”

“Hey, why don’t you try your hand at a table there.” Kaushik said pointing at the table at the end of the Casino.” I grabbed a few chips from his hand and started walking toward the table.

I randomly scattered the chips on the table and inadvertently put 3 chips worth 150 Rands on the number 32. 100 Rands on even numbers and 100 Rands on the third quadrant on the roulette table.

“No more bets,” said the dealer. As the ball spun around the wheel, Kaushik came to my table.

“oh my god!” “Am I really seeing what I am seeing!”

I looked at him and back at the wheel. The ball had landed on Number 32.

The dealer placed the dolly on the winning number and swept away all other losing bets. She then determined the payouts; it was 150 x 36 times, 100 x 2, 100 x 3. That was 5900 Rands which was about INR 25,000. In a single round!

Kaushik was elated and picked me up and swirled around.

“Did I say unlucky before? Ah.. I don’t think I meant it. Am I a pro gambler or what!” I said and triumphantly left the Casino.

The next couple of days were local sight seeings in the scorching heat and we returned to Aamchi Mumbai.

Why was this a trip of the decade, you ask? Well, read on THE TRIP THAT WAS and follow it up with the above real quick.

Fin