Seeing as how Mark now had another week in South Africa we decided to head out to Sun City, and to stay overnight. It's actually a pretty cool place - basically a big water park with fancy hotels and casinos. Kuda knew someone working at a hotel just outside the park, so we stayed there (and got a room upgrade 'cos our original room hadn't been made up properly). The first night we just visited a big casino where Mark won quite handsomely and then we headed back to the hotel.
I just don't get the whole casino thing though. In fact, walking around the endless rows of slot machines (which are mostly just video game things these days, with very few actual mechanical ones with spinning wheels), I just feel terribly sorry for all the poor sods sitting in front of them. It's similar to the sadness I feel when walking around a gym seeing people cycling stationary bicycles or jogging on treadmills (after having driven their cars to the gym - bloody Epsilons!). I always get a strong sense of desperation - desperate to lose weight or desperate to win a few quid, it's both the same thing. For the record, my idea of 'not desperate' solutions - to lose weight, eat less. To earn more money, be entrepreneurial (e.g. start your own company or join a start-up) or get a better job (or a better education to get a better job).
But Mark plays roulette or blackjack. I still struggle to 'get' the attraction of roulette in general, but Mark plays quite simply on the higher odds options (like 'red' or 'odd') after watching the previous results and so doesn't play the numbers. But at least I can kinda get why people play blackjack. At least each hand is very quick, and the player does get to think and appraise their odds with each card, so I enjoyed watching Mark play, but I still had no inclination to play myself.
I know there is the simple 'buzz' of a win, so I've enjoyed playing cards with mates at home, but playing for money when you know the casino has better odds just seems plain silly to me. And besides, the prospect of winning big money has never really appealed to me either. Its the fundamental reason I've never played the lottery or bought a scratch card - I'm 'weird' I know, but I've always, since I was a kid, felt that I wanted to earn any money I get through my own labors, and not just be given it for no genuine reason.
I guess it might have something to do with Karma or something, but I love the story of my generous Aunt in America offering to pay my college fees when I was 22. But since I'd worked all Summer I had the fees saved up myself. I told my Aunt I had the money myself and she understood and respected my motives. Later that year I was dealing with the college authorities over something else (I can't remember what), when the lady I was dealing with asked what occupation my parents had. She then discovered that I was actually eligible for a government grant to cover my college fees, something I had never even considered. The following week I received a government cheque for the entire amount, and I felt immensely proud for not having accepted my aunts original offer of assistance. Its about having the confidence to be independent and stand on your own two feet - and the rewards, ultimately, for doing so.
Anyway, rant over, back to Sun City. The next day was a gloriously sunny day, and was perfect for all the water slides and generally exploring the whole complex. We all had a go on the kamikaze slide - they always have one in water parks - a big slide with a vertical drop, and generally no queue. The 'no queue' bit should have been a bit of clue, but Mark bravely gave it a go regardless. I think he gave himself a right fright though, as halfway down he tried to climb out of the slide! I was trying to video him and captured it nicely I think, even though I was laughing so hard. Needless to say, none of us did it again.
There is a massive, very fancy hotel in Sun City, but only residents are allowed walk into and around it. We tried to walk in but were turned away, along with lots of other people. So instead we went exploring some of the lovely forest trails and eventually realised we could gain access to the hotel via one of those trails. So we just sauntered in and explored the hotel acting like we were residents (even though it was a mad fancy hotel and we were all wearing shorts and I had no shoes or sandals on at all). After another wander through the casino we drove back to Joburg.
Mark's last night we went to a famous Joburg jazz venue (I forget the name of the place) and after a few technical problems saw a pretty good performance. We had met up with another friend of Marks - a famous South African actress named Nambitha (we'd met her previously for a dinner in Jimmy's Prawns (a chain of restaurants - there are lot's of chains here in South Africa), and she'd been accosted by a couple of groupies, signed a plate for the owner of the restaurant and received a free bottle of champagne) - and so we felt safe in her company, seeing as how this venue was in one of the rougher parts of town. The place was fairly quite though, as the following week was a big jazz festival, so I think people were saving themselves for that. But after the show we kinda stumbled into a private party a couple of doors down (I think Nambitha's notoriety might have had something to do with us being invited in). In was actually in some marketing company's office and was a really cool party, with everyone being really friendly - in fact, it was probably better than the jazz gig.
The next day we bid Mark farewell at the airport (after he met up with an old friend of his fathers - which turned out to be quite unexpected and emotional). We stayed another night in Kuda's kind hospitality and the following day she drove us to Pretoria, which we planned to check out and then rent a car for the rest of South Africa.
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