Road Trippin' South Africa: Sunshine Coast & bungy jumping off Bloukrans Bridge

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Continuing my trip along the South African coast I arrived in the Sunshine Coastand did a few stops there.



The first one was Port Elizabeth (PE). I drove there from Chintsa, passing East London on the way and taking about 4 hours. In PE I stayed in "Island Vibe Backpackers". There are a few backpackers in SA that belong to the same owners. The one in PE is a big, modern house and very comfortable.

The problem with traveling during winter is that days have been too short. While in PE, I only had a couple of hours to drive along the beachfront and have a glimpse of the city center.



Just like Durban, the beachfront was beautiful, with a good walkway, excellent beaches, piers, etc. The city center itself looked interesting enough to walk it for half a day and take photos. It's a port city and I think ports are always appealing.

That being said, PE is a big city. I'm sure that there are a lot of good things to do, but nothing out of the ordinary, just like with most big cities.



So the next day I packed my things and drove a short distance to Jeffreys Bay; one of the top surfing spots in SA (and apparently of the world). At this time of year there weren't many people in the town, so it was pretty quiet. I also stayed in an Island Vibe Backpackers here and just like in PE, it was a good choice.



Jeffreys Bay is a small town with great beaches and constant waves. I didn't leave the hostel for the three days I stayed there though, so I didn't have a look around the town.



I decided to pay for a 3 day surfing lesson package. I had never tried surfing lessons before and I guess it was just as good a time as any to give it a go.

Like I said, there weren't many people in the hostel, so the 3 days were very relaxed and I had a dormitory to myself.



The first morning after having had breakfast I went to the surf school and had my first lesson along with 4 others.

It was about 2 hours of trying to unsuccesfully get on the board. At the end I was fully worn out and had taken good beating falling off the board and being crashed by the breaking waves. But it was good fun.



After a shower and as I was having lunch I saw a group of people from the hostel heading to the beach to play beach soccer and as they passed, they invited me.

I didn't need much convincing and a few minutes later after finishing my lunch I was running in the beach. I've got to say it was a lot of fun, but the match took the best of me. By the end I was dead tired and could barely move. Our team won.





In the evening I went to the bar and had a few drinks with the other people there.



The next two days I found it harder and harder to get off the bed and do the surfing lessons. I did however improve and by the end of the third day I was standing on the board. But that was it. I think this is a sport that requires a lot of practice and dedication. I don't know if it'll be something I take on. But the experience was good.



After my "surfing experience " in J-Bay I headed on to Tsitsikama. This place is at the edge between the "Sunshine Coast" and "The Garden Route". It's also a beautiful place with an impressive coastline (mostly rocks and cliffs) and forests. There are a wide range of activities to do there, such as blackwater tubing, mountainbiking, hiking in national parks, ziplining, etc.

I stayed in a small village called "Storms River" for three nights in a Backpackers called "Dijembe"; also an excellent choice. Especially because of the people that worked there, Michelle and Neil. Very friendly and helpful.



During the days I stayed there I did a hike in the Tsitsikama National Park which I really liked. The coastline as I said is really impressive. Huge waves crashing into rock formations and creating 20m high water walls, walkways, suspended bridges, etc. Besides that the hills and viewpoints from cliffs are amazing. There's a very nice picnic area as well, with a magnificent view of the coast.



In the park it's also possible to do kayaking, scuba diving and snorkeling. It looked like an amazing place to dive, but unfortunately the dive instructor was out for a month when I was there.



The ext day I had to make a doctor's appointment to get a ear checked out. I had an earache that had been bothering me for a few days. Fortunately nothing serious in the end. No scuba diving for me for the next 2 weeks though.



The other thing I did while I was stayiing in the area was to finally plan my next 3 months. I needed a date and destination to fly out of SA. Also, I needed to see whether to fly out of Cape Town or Johannesburg. I opted for the latter. So right now I have a ticket to Europe and also a ticket back home from Europe in a few months.



And the last activity in Tsitsikama was to do the bungee jump there. It's in the "Bloukrans Bridge" and it's the highest BRIDGE jump in the world with 216m. It used to be the highest bungee jump in the world until 2007, but now it's been surpased by others.



Last time I had done a bungee jump was in 2002, in Indonesia. So, 11 years later I was rather nervous about the jump.

But I pulled myself together and did it. The day I went it was drizzling so there were barely any people jumping that day. So it all took about 10 minutes from when I got to the place until I was in a harness and ready to head to the bridge and jump.





There is a walkway underneath the bridge which is pretty much a long metal cage-like corridor that takes you to the jumping area. While walking along the walkway you can see in every direction (including the bottom, 216m below). In the meantime, the person accompanying you is telling you the procedures and what to expect.

When getting to the jumping area there is a DJ playing music to cheer up the customers I guess. You get sat down and they start gearing you up for the jump and doing the safety checks.

It's all pretty quick and before you know it you're standing in the ledge, looking down and ready to jump at the end of the "countdown from 3" they give you.

The moments leading up to the jump and the moment just as you're feet are leaving the platform are the most nerve wracking. After the few seconds it takes you to get to the full extent of the bungee cord you relax. It's all over too soon, but it's so worth it. The adrenaline rush is unbelievable.



And right after the jump I got on the car and drove on to my next destination which was "Nature's Valley", my first stop along the "Garden Route".

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