Hooking up to the outdoors

Driving around on the impressive highways around Centurion, one can’t but notice a common feature in the countless cars that whizz by. ...

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Driving around on the impressive highways around Centurion, one can’t but notice a common feature in the countless cars that whizz by. Apart from burning leather at 120 kmph, all of them have a mysterious hook-like device portruding from the boot of the car. Early on a Sunday morning, the mystery was finally solved. An eyesore through the week, it transforms into a lifeline for South Africans over the weekend, pulling along trailers, boats, fishing equipment, tent carriers and caravans to the Beautiful Great Countryside.

Study in Contrast

In fact, one would be hard-pressed to find a family that doesn’t head for the countryside come the weekend. Coming from a country where the only rival to Sunday television comes from the newest restaurant in town, the South Africans’ love for the great outdoors was something of a culture shock. Centurion alone boasts of around 500 barai spots (that’s just being smart — barai is barbeque in Afrikaans!). And Sundays are designated steak time. And also time for fishing, camping or just chilling under the trees with a can of Castle. Weekend city traffic, consequently, is non-existent. And most restaurants, too, remain shut in deference to the mass exodus. Wonder what paaji of Kaka di Hatti would have to say to that…

Drool Scale Highs

If you are a bike freak, earmark early mornings on the highway as drool time. Shining Harleys, ritzy Yamahas, macho Hondas sporting tattooed studs and clinging women cut through the traffic to the lake with the ease of a hot knife through butter. Appropriately enough, they call it the breakfast drive.

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Giving them company — though not in terms of speed — are cyclists in aerodynamic vests and helmets, moving along in silent single files. But the slowest moving objects on the highways are the runners. Bare torsoed hunks compete with octogenarians with sagging muscles to complete the Sunday morning countryscape.

Pulling a Fast One

Sadly enough, this healthy trend has given rise to a rather ugly off-shoot. With most people ‘‘pulling the coin’’ (that’s being smart again, it’s the local slang for withdrawing money from ATMs) ahead of their weekends out, the crime rate has increased. Enterprising burglars, in fact, are said to be spoilt for choice: They can either help themselves to cash on a Saturday, or wait to have the house to themselves on Sunday.