After spending a very privileged time in Cape Town, before driving to our holiday house, I needed to visit my father who is in a nursing home. I had not seen him in a number of years and was pleased to see that he was much the same. Most of the faces I was familiar with were still there and after doing the rounds of visiting, I also asked about the nursing home’s financial circumstances. It is in a deprived area where most of the folks are living in severe poverty. My father had made no provision for his old age and has out lived his money that was spent on gambling and drinking among his many vices. The nursing home is in need of help as much as he is and Darlene and I were able to step in making a sizable contribution to both. Recently we had read The Ultimate Gift by Jim Stovell and have been following the principles of his work. January was the Gift of Hard Work, February the Gift of Money. March is the Gift of Friendship. In January I completed the construction of a 1,000 square foot vegetable garden. In February I fell behind on what I wanted to achieve in the Gift of Money which was about helping people, so I carried it forward to March, as I focused on the Gift of Friendship, reconnecting with two very important and old friends in Cape Town, and making some new ones in Brazil.
When I was at the hotel, the people who worked there I wanted to give some things that would make a difference in their lives. The bell boy who carried my bags to the room, I tipped him what he would earn in an entire day. It was US$ 10, but a fortune to him and he stopped to talk to me to understand why I was being so generous. He explained how hard he worked and no one had shown him respect for his efforts, and that this was not just a job, but a way out of his struggles if he could just find a way. So I gave him something else. I gave him hope by sharing my story of how I came to be at this 5 star hotel, The Table Bay Hotel where Bill Clinton and Michael Jackson have been guests. We stood in my lavish suite as he learnt that I was once a struggling Cape Townian as he was, but hung onto my dreams and did find a way out. On parting, I gave him a DVD of my keynote address in Barcelona, Spain that I did for IBM and the documentary that I did that aired on PBS.
The concierge knew who I was as he had helped my on my boat when I was docked in front of the hotel in 1998 during the round the world race. Little did I imagine then that I would become a guest! Ikey was so proud of what I had achieved and that I did remember him. He had helped re-tie No Barriers during his day off when he came to visit me. I too gave him a DVD. Where ever I went in the hotel, he would come up to say hello, but was never intrusive. I was proud to be in his company as he seemed to grow taller and walk on air.
I drove 500 miles round trip to Knysna where our holiday home is. This was a birthday gift I had given Darlene in 2001. Unfortunately Darlene was back in the States closing a deal with Prudential and could not be in Cape Town with me. The drive was long and monotonous. An hour into the drive I stopped and gave two women a lift and learnt their story. They lived in a small apple grown area where there was very little work. Hence they searched for work further a-field but could not find consistent employment. One or two days a week they were able to find work in a vineyard. It was a situation of where they would get a message that they were needed the next day. From where they lived was no public transport, and even if there was, they could not afford it. So at 6 am they would begin hitch hiking and hope that they could make it to the vineyard by 8 am, a distance of 30 miles. In the afternoon after their shift, they would once again hitch home. Sometimes it would take them 4 hours to get a lift home as competition was fierce for the few people willing to stop. When I dropped them off, the front seat passenger passed me R10 ($1.20) for gas. They were surprised when I declined and I thought it unusual that they would offer a seventh of her day’s wage.
Over the next several hours I was to learn that motorists expected hitch hikers to pay their way. Each person I offered a lift offered money and was most appreciative when I declined. Each person a story to share that was fascinating. The one thing that every one had in common was struggle and a hard life. One man was trying to get to see his baby as he had been hurt on the job and the doctor had instructed him to take time off the construction site. His baby lived 200 miles away and he rarely saw the child. Another was building his house and needed to price materials. He did have a van, but as he was not going to purchase anything, could not justify the cost of using it for his research.
In a town called Swellendam, night fall was approaching and I still had 3 hours ahead. It was starting to rain and I was having a hard time staying awake. Two people were hitching, upfront explaining that they had no money to contribute towards the gas, and was relieved when they sat down.. He was 25 and his girlfriend was 19. They had left Johannesburg six weeks previously to get away from meddling family and to find work. Hitch hiking across the country, what started out as an adventure had quickly become a nightmare. Work was not to be found and soon all their savings had eroded. They were sleeping in gas stations where the bright lights provided safety. It was not sleeping but more nodding off while one stayed alert to protect their belongings. Two backpacks comprised their worldly possessions.
In the hours they were to spend driving with me, their story was unbelievable. They had not eaten in three days so we stopped to get us fed. The girlfriend was craving vegetables but with absolutely no money, that had not been achieved. They begged for food and it was the poorest of the people, like them, who fed them. When they knocked on the door of a home that looked wealthy and sought work, they were chased away. Those who had means were hostile and evasive, not willing to help or reluctant to help.
They had no debt and now just wanted to get back to Johannesburg where they had friends who would be able to help them get back on their feet. They needed to find work desperately. They had no accommodation and could not even afford a backpackers lodge. When the rains set in as we approached the town of George, I offered to get them a hotel room. The prices were high and with the rains getting heavier, it was harder to find places and I was in a hurry to get to Knysna. When we did find a place, still pricey but I was willing to go ahead, they asked if I would rather give them the money as it was enough to buy a tent. They could have one more night of discomfort to have months of some sort of shelter in a tent. It took them away from the gas stations and gave them a chance to get back. It cost me $50 to change make a world of difference to them. How many more lives can I help in my travels in this world. My work on this trip had only begun.