ON THE BACK OF A CAYMAN

There is that brief moment as I slowly wake up in the morning and feel overcome with a blissful calm and an eerie sense of confusion as I ask myself where am I and what day is it. It’s Saturday, it’s 5 a.m. The sun has yet to rise and for some reason unbeknown to my subconscious self, I automatically leap out of bed to the soothing sound of a bird’s chirps chiming from my alarm clock.

It was then that it all came back to me suddenly. A friend, acquainted with my affinity for driving, loaned me his car for a weekend. For the next two days, I would be the custodian and caretaker of a 2008 Porsche Cayman S. As a bonus, I learn that this beauty is fitted with a 6-speed manual transmission, all the more to enhance a visceral motoring experience. The mere thought of being behind the wheel of such a vehicle makes me both feverish and nervous, with pre-first-date butterflies in my stomach for added jitters.

Everything was prepared on the eve: my clothes were laid out, my CDs selected (as Bluetooth or an infotainment screen weren’t standard options in 2008), bottled water and, of course, my faithful coffee mug. All my essentials required for an early morning getaway were packed!

ESCAPING WITH DAS BIEST

Lewis Carrol, storyteller and author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland once wrote: “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” With the Porsche’s power plant all fired up, I set off to indulge in the pastoral pleasure of driving. With neither a destination nor an expectation in mind. Liberated of any GPS to remind me of where I was or where I was headed. As I escape the main roads, I cut through the farmer’s fields to discover the paths less travelled. There I succumbed to the excitements of winding curves and rural landscapes that pass by at a frenetic pace. It’s all so joyfully overwhelming.

As I arrive at a crossroad, I proceed randomly without giving a second thought. It’s that particular moment when a new route reveals itself and its share of surprises and unexpected encounters; birds of prey, the majestic flight of a heron and even the nonchalant crossing of a snapping turtle longing to immerse in a large lake.

There, in the rural solitude, I roll down the windows to let the wind tousle my hair. I’m transported by the aural symphony of those 295 horses at full throttle; with nothing ahead of me but deserted roads. Alone at the wheel of the Cayman, blissful and disengaged, I breathe deeply, and as I exhale, I’m overcome with a sense of gratitude and pure unbound joy; a feeling that can only be achieved by escaping and finding myself in the middle of nowhere! I’m immediately transported to my childhood, and remember the simple pleasure of the Sunday drive with the family; a moment when going for a ride represents an adventure, a source of delight and a means to let time go by.

DIE PORSCHE UND ICH

As the landscape comes alive before my eyes with every passing kilometre, I find that time stands still. To many, motoring has become an automated and quasi mechanical formality. However, I consider the act of driving as a form of meditation, with the feeling of being encapsulated in a comfortable and familiar space. Existing in the present moment, I rejuvenate, ground, and recharge. I reconnect with nature, my nature and lose all notion of time.

Being “at one with the universe” is not only limited to our spiritual selves. We (or rather I) can also be at one with all the mechanical components of an automobile, as each accessory carries out its task with (in the case of a Porsche) Teutonic precision and harmony. As I make my way through parts unknown, the road ahead untangles and becomes linear. As it cuts across vast fields, I succumb to the temptation to slow down in order to indulge in a little sudden acceleration. As Das Biest roars and speeds, it penetrates me like a roller coaster; an “ephemeral and extraordinary” pleasure! However, the excitement never diminishes with each subsequent try at repeating this operation as each twist, turn and motion feels unique, and every path and curve is different.  

At dawn, I lie in bed and attempt settle down for the night after my tour of thrills. I can still perceive all of my journey’s sensations reverberating within me; a resonance under my palms, that won’t soon be forgotten, like a stormy sea that continues to haunt someone after they’ve returned to dry land.

Behind the wheel, through the countryside, reality escapes me and suddenly, anything becomes possible!

You never forget your first time!