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Published: April 15th 2006
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Shanty Town
From the InterCape bus I took to George, I snap this photo of a shanty town. I decided against the ever popular Baz Bus (a bus that goes from Cape Town to Durban and allows people to get on & off at all major cities along the way) and instead decided to take a shot at public transportation and hitchhiking.
The Garden Route is the stretch of South African coastline that extends from Mossel Bay to Storms River. It features beautiful beaches and warm water of the Indian Ocean and ends with the Tsitsikamma Coastal National Park region.
My first leg of the trip is from Cape Town to the beach community of Wildernes. I bought a ticket on the Intercape bus for the 7 hour trip. It was on a Sunday and the bus dropped me off at George, a sleepy little town about 13 kms from Wildernes. Once I got off the bus, I was surrounded by nothing...no taxis, no buses, nothing. I put on my backpack and walked about a mile to the main road and took my first shot at hitchiking. A police vehicle was parked in the lot next to where I had my thumb up and I got one office to take my photo. After about 15 minutes, I
got no rides. One of the officers then approached me and asked where I was going. He then offered to take me to the backpackers in Wildernes. Nice cops! You can imagine the surprise on the other travelers when I arrived at the Beach House Backpackers in a cop truck!
I got a dorm bed in the house which was amazing...reminded me of a million dollar home in the Hamptons. The 1st floor dorm room looked right out on the ocean and had a large deck as well. If this is what backpacking in Africa is going to be like, I am going to survive very well.
After exploring the small town and a walk on the beach, I met a girl (Vicky Sleet) who was working on an article for Time Out magazine about the Garden Route. It turned out she was heading north and would be able to give me lifts in her car all the way to Plettenburg Bay. Along the way (since she was from South Africa), she played tour guide and showed me all the sites:
Knysa: A bustling town similar to cape cod. The town is built on a lagoon which
Results of Hitchhiking
I got a ride with the local police who took pity on me. You can imagine the other travelers' surprise when a cop truck pulls up to the backpackers. is fed by a narrow opening to the ocean by two cliffs (called the two heads). We spent a night at the Wildside Backpackers which is a roadside reststop turned into a backpackers. For me it was a trip back in time to my fraternity days as the place was packed with 18-22 year-olds on a drinking binge party. One night there was plenty for me.
Plettenberg Bay: an upmarket resort town that was a huge party scene for the rich and famous in the late 70s and early 80s. Now it hosts mainly reserved tourists looking for dolphin tours, whale watching and scuba diving trips. Due to Vicky's contacts, we spent our first night at a super-luxurous boutique hotel for free. When Vicky left town the next day, I traded down to the Northando Backpackers for one night. There I met a few other travelers whom I am sure I will meet up with later along my travels in Africa. The next day I signed up for a dolphin tour which was a blast. The creatures swim along side the boat and even show off by jumping through the large waves. Then we got to see hammerhead sharks
swimming in the area.
Storms River: No longer having the luxury of a friends car, I woke early and used local transportation to get to Storms River. I was the only white person on the large beat up bus but the ride was great. The bus snaked its way along local roads to pick up the various locals looking to get between cities. After a few hours, the bus pulled over on the major highway and the driver said "Man, this is for you..Storms River." I thanked him, got off the bus, and watched it as it continued its journey towards Jeffrey's Bay. Alone standing on the side of a two lane highway with wonderfully green mountains surrounding me, I put on my heavy pack and starting walking down the small paved road that
the sign said "Storms River". After 40 minutes, I came to a dirt road that had signs for the two backpackers I had read about. I walked to the Tube n Axe place as it was closer. I checked in (it was still early...around 8:30am and everyone was still sleeping. The place was very rustic which matched its natural surroundings of the national park. I
decided to rent a mountain bike and try my hand at the 22km route through the park. What I did not realize at the start was the route was 5km downhill, then 5km up hill (ending at a large cliff overlooking the ocean) and the same for the return. It was a blast but the 5kms up hill at the end winded me something fierce. In all it was a great way to see the beauty of the national park. That night I met a young English girl who had traveled south from Kenya and she gave me good tips for my travels north. That night I slept well in my bunk bed.
In all, my week on the Garden Route was outstanding. I have to thank Vicky for the rides and the tours. It made the beginning of my African travels very easy and enjoyable. Lets hope the trend continues.
Tomorrow I enter the Sunshine Coast as I make my way to Jeffrey's Bay (J-Bay).
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