'surfing the east coast'

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So a few weeks from my last entry, and i've managed to make it down to the eastern cape to Jefferey's bay - some kind of surfing mecca. Down the east coast has been fun if a little tiring, St. Lucia in Kwa-Zulu Natal, down to durban for a few days, on to Coffee Bay( surfing outcrop on the wild coast), on to quite a boring port elizabeth, and here to Jefferey's bay complete with surfing factory outlets, surfer dudes, so on and so forth...

my purpose of South African travel seems to have taken a slight turn from original plans... not bad in a way but deviates from what made me interested in South Africa in the first place. The idea of lots of 'foriegn travellers' going down the coast for hostel stays and party time, gets a little tiring and is also quite funny, considering many people have this explanation to delve into culture, and really see how the natives live. I find even people that have reletively quite a long time experiancing this south african culture, still dont feel what its all about, why its here, how its been changed, where its going and all that.

This isn't to say this backpack travel culture isn't fun and it does have its advantages, meeting poeple, so as not to feel a complete billy no mates, it just doesn't expose you enough to something completely different, something you can really take away, to make you understand, feel, taste, and 'enrich' your mind a little.

In between the chilled out experiences of coffee bay and surfer city jefferey's bay, glimpses of what i am on about spring up at me. Durban's pre- apartheid history, was brought home in the museum there, even just looking at pictures, the workers hostels, pass laws and general idea of the time, humbles you as these things always do. In between the partying and the endless bus journey from one place to another, the bus driver anounces your passing mandela's house, a big plot, on the road nextto his birthplace of a small village, the name of which escapes me, and then you look around at the vast Transkie landscape of rolling hills and 'god sunshine' views and the whole travel/party experience seems to make a strange mix of experience!


Anyway, enough of my rambling, i need to go have lunch then prepare for another couple of frustrating hours of rolling of my surfboard in an attempt to look cool

joelx

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