Today I am hanging like a fruit bat on speed!
You would think by now that I would have learnt from my past but - why is there always a but? - it was a mates 30th so I had to. Honest. And not being one for restraint I dusted off my almost forgotten drinking shoes and after some considerable amount of beer and a shooter or ten turned me into this handsome, charming and effervescent life of the party character.
But today and I suspect tomorrow too I will suffer the consequences of my binge drinking sessions. I am also a whole lot less handsome and charming right now. Especially to my wife anyway.
At least I didn't drive I suppose.
I have been "in" hospitality for nearly 20 years - the first ten in the UK and the last ten here in Amanzimtexas. A lot of the last 10 has been spent owning night clubs here and the experts will tell you that unless you are disciplined it can become a slippery slope quite quickly. A drink with this customer and a drink with that customer and before you know it you're coming home inebriated every night. That was me a lot of the time towards the end. Honestly, I had given up I suppose. I have now been out of it for 6 weeks or so and have missed it but less so now than in the first few weeks.
Last night was a reminder because, as you do, we ended up in my former club until the early hours. I'm over it now, I needed to do it, I needed to see if by some miracle, something had changed in 'texas. It hasn't.
So I've told a few people about this great idea I have to write a blog. With the exception of my first follower (in New Zealand no less) I've pretty much got blank looks all round. By the way,in case you're wondering about my NZ fan, he's actually a mate that moved there recently with his missus. Thanks bud!
Just keep it interesting I'm told, so I'll try.
So, my hometown of Amanzimtoti...people leave all the time to live elsewhere but why do people tend to come back here? There's nothing really here of any real interest. Sure the beach is nice and we now have a semi decent mall with movies (even more reason for the red necks never to leave). I've given this a fair bit of thought as I am one of those people that grew up here, left and then came back. And sadly I inflicted it on my wife too.
Besides the obvious stuff like maybe they want to be near family...why would you move here? The town is largely dysfunctional, sandwiched between a poverty strewn township and the sea with limited space to grow and and an economy mainly reliant on the Prospecton industrial basin and the Toyota manufacturing plant in particular and some one man band light industry in Southgate. It is said that Zulu King Shaka tasted the water in the local river and named the town after the sweet water he tasted. What a crock of shit I think - it's not like the Zulu warriors kept a journal and an itinerary! The people in charge have even "identified" the exact rock that Shaka stood on 200 years ago! C'mon, really in this day and age the story needs to better than that.
And you definitely don't want to taste the water now!
But why do they come back? Why do some people, me included, have such fond memories of the place? Is it unusual or do people from other small town have the same feelings? Is it the roots you develop as a kid here, is it that the suburbs are generally quiet and leafy, is it that it's only a 20 minute or so drive to Durban or is it that it's just convenient to commute for work and probably a bit cheaper to live here than some other areas?
I don't know the answer but what I do know, people from Durban only make the journey under duress, 'Toti people are considered (by Durban people) to be lower down the class ladder, but not quite as low as those from The Bluff or Queensbugh I hasten to add! Every now and again some bright spark property developer will announce to the world that 'texas is the next BIG thing to happen. People will flock here from the northern suburbs he says, they will give up their conveniences, their nice and manicured roads and pavements, their wide choice of restaurants, their near access to Durban's own "International" airport (thats another story for another day), their good schools and their choice of sports facilities.
Somehow I doubt it. But thats only my opinion.
The truth of the matter is Toti is pretty much like a turd on your shoe, no matter what you do, once you've stepped into it its almost impossible to get it off completely! Amanzimtexas - you love it but you hate it.
ReplyDeleteAwesome blog Boss :)t
Tanya, that is probably the best description for Toti that I have heard. A turd on your shoe eh!
ReplyDeleteYou know its wrong, but everyone around you is doing it, so there has to be something good about it. You look down at the counter, as to what has been put in front of you, it really doesnt look that great, and you know that its going to hurt your senses, but you give in anyway, and follow the party. By the time you realise it, you have done it one too many times, and you have this bad feeling inside that you know is either going to come out, or make you see life very differently.
ReplyDeleteNow you ask yourself, am I talking about drinking, or am I talking about the small town that gets under your skin and by the time you realise, you have become an "alcoholic" to the small town, you either love or hate.
Wish Blogspot had a 'LIKE IT' button!
ReplyDeleteOk, you'll just have to imagine that Ive 'LIKED' your reply.