5 & 6 June 2025
In truth, I haven’t been away from home all that long. Some days it feels like no time at all, while other days it stretches into what feels like years. Every so often, I ache with the wish that I could just teleport home — or beam a friend up and have them here beside me. I’ve met amazing people, and I know I’ll meet many more, but I still miss my family and those friends who feel like family.
Jaco and I have spent hours on video calls and WhatsApp, planning his trip — which now looks set for August already! He still needs to tie up loose ends, finalize his resignation at school, and book his ticket, but his mind is made up. I never imagined things would fall into place this way, and though I’m hesitant to celebrate too soon, this feels real, right, and incredibly exciting.
The thought of having one of my closest friends here fills me with so much joy. I’ve already made a cheeky list of things I want him to bring: Simba salt & vinegar chips, dry wors, Bwell creamy mayo, Marmite… It may sound silly, but when those cravings hit, nothing else will do. The excitement has been buzzing through me for two days now, like a dizzy high I don’t want to come down from.
As if that weren’t enough, I also received my five-year tourist visa! I applied a little too early, nervous that there might be complications since I still had a valid one, but the approval came the very next day. It seems India really does like South Africans.
In the meantime, life here has blurred into one day after another. I’ve been exploring local shopping apps and finally found a lightweight, foldable travel yoga mat I’ve been searching for. Lazada, a local version of Shein or Temu, has stores that deliver within days, and my mat arrived only two days after I ordered it. It’s perfect — microfiber-light, with sticky silicone dots that grip the floor. It folds small enough to tuck into a bag and works beautifully as a travel companion. True, it doesn’t offer the soft cushioning of a full mat, but a small towel under the knees solves that. For R120, it feels like a little treasure.
Tonight I went on a shopping trip with Yasmin, a young girl I met on an app for solo female travelers. She’s here on a study break, bubbly and full of laughter. Full of ideas and aspirations for the future, her innocence & excitement made me smile. This girl has a bright future waiting for her… We wandered through Sungei Wang Plaza, which was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with tourists thanks to the long weekend. Some of the fashion displays in the shop windows made me laugh and cringe at the same time. Stranger than anything I am used to, these styles surely come from a different creative space I have never experienced. I wonder what I would look like in a few of these outfits, but that idea made me laugh out loud and I decided that as bored as I may be with my traveling wardrobe, I would never ever be seen in any of these… After ticking off Yasmin’s shopping list, she wished me goodnight, and we made plans for our next adventure tomorrow: Petaling Street and Chinatown.
