Notes from the Cape

Today, I used public transport to get home from work. Yes, you read correctly, I took the train. This is the first time that I have been on a Train in Cape Town for about 15 years (this of course excludes Bigsey’s, the Restaurant and Bar coach). Now, you may be wondering why I used the train to get home. It was not because I wanted to experience public transport first hand, or because I needed the extra exercise walking to and from the station. And it is definitely not because I had any urge to walk home in the cold, coastal rain!

The reason that I used public transport to get home from work is because my car is spending the night in hospital, and is currently connected to life support systems.

It all started on Friday morning when I drove to work. I got into my car at home, started it and off I went, completely unaware of what was not going to happen. At about lunch time I went to my car to fetch something and upon arriving, I pressed the button on my remote control. Nothing happened! Nothing at all.

“Great!”, I thought, the battery on my remote has gone flat. “Not to worry, I will just let the alarm go off, as long as I lock the car afterwards the alarm will eventually stop, hopefully before I get arrested for trying to steal my own car.” –not that it was going anywhere as I soon discovered. So I opened the car door, and there was silence! Deafening silence.

“Hmmm…lets see if the car starts!”

“Nope!”

“Hmmmmmmm…battery must be dead.” Well, I guess that answers my question regarding weather I should renew my AA membership or not (Automobile Assoc, not Alcoholics Anon, although by the end of it all, possibly the later). So I phones the AA, we got the car started and off I went. I drove straight to a battery place who informed me that it could be the battery or the car, but they would have to charge the battery overnight to find out. That would leave my car without a battery. So figuring that since my car had been serviced (by the agents) days earlier, it must be the battery, which was probably due for a replacement anyway. Besides, I was going to the REM gig the next day, and I was not prepared to be stuck after the gig at 12:00am with a flat battery.

Swapping the old battery for a new one was a painless exercise, and I drove home. So far so good…..or so I thought. On Friday night we were going to meet a friend for supper. I opened the garage door, pressed the button, and yes you guessed it…nothing (the silence at night is even more so than during the day). These deafening silences are really starting to get to me. My car, while switched off, had managed to completely discharge a brand new battery in about 3 ½ hours. That takes some skill!

This morning, I jump started my car and drove to the agents (the same people who had serviced my car a week earlier). They agree that there is a fault, however they cannot find it. They have put the battery on charge overnight, and will continue tomorrow.

As far as using the trains go, not much had really changed from my last experiences (at least what I can remember of them). The trains are fuller, which is probably a good thing. The queues at the ticket counters are much longer than I remember, and the old timetables have been replaced by electronic signboards – which was a complete surprise to me. I really did not think that Metrorail were so technologically advanced. I also don’t remember hawkers on the actual platforms and trains, which was a bit of a surprise to me. My train started on time, and left from the correct platform. The electronic sign above the platform was correct.

What I did notice is that nobody on the train used cell phones, I think they were trying not to be soft targets for bag (or phone in this case) snatching. I tried to sit on a busy carriage, and I was very aware of my surroundings, probably the paranoia a car commuter who is only aware of the bad stories regarding train travel.

I was very aware that I was the only passenger – in fact the only person I saw from when I entered the station – that carried a laptop. I desperately tried to make it look as small as possible. However nobody seemed to look at it or take the least interest in me, and I arrived home without incident.

The only big difference – which has just struck me now – is that the carriage I was on was totally multi-racial. When I last traveled on the train as a scholar, only whites were allowed on the first class coaches. Yes it is difficult to believe now, but that is how it was then. When that bizarre and sick rule was in place, I was too young to notice. It is good that we are getting more integrated; it counts, even in the small things.

Lets see what happens tomorrow. The really interesting part is when we negotiate the cost of all of this – I’ll keep you posted.

Two good things have come of this:
1) I have decided that it is in fact a good idea to renew my AA membership
2) The security code I was given for my radio (you have to enter a code if you loose power) does in fact work!