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Published: January 4th 2007
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Me (on the other side of the lens for a change!)
There have been several requests for more photos of me so here's one for you. It would have been better without the puffy arm and sling! I blame Jules for his ill wishes! Wielding the SLR with only 1 hand is tricky stuff so the accident marks begins the 'less photoed period'. After a brief overnight stop in Durban we decided it was time for a 2nd road trip. We picked up a cheap small car and headed down the South Coast. First stop was a small town called Umzumbe, the attraction was a cool looking hostel called the Mantis and Moon set amongst banana trees a short walk from a surfing beach. The place did not disappoint, we got a small wooden hut and access to table tennis, a pool table, rock pool for swimming, a Jacuzzi and free surf boards. We booked in for a surf lesson the next morning and watched the sun go down on the sundeck … happy days!
Marissa and I have been itching to try our hand at surfing for a few years now. Several attempts have been made in Devon and Cornwall only for the sea to be flat on each visit. We tried again in Mozambique and hit the same problem, now finally we would get to try it out. We did some stretches on the beach, practised lying on the board and getting to our feet in one fluid motion and waded into the water. Unfortunately this is where it ended. Marissa
Suddenly things aren't so cool
The morning after the accident we were greeted with a hail storm which turned into 2 days non stop rain. got dumped by a big wave and was washed up onto the beach with a dislocated elbow. Luckily her own first aid knowledge allowed her to snap it back into place very quickly, but the arm no longer moved. A trip to the local hospital followed, they took an X-ray and the instructions were to rest it for 6 weeks and movement would come back when the muscles recovered.
And then it started to rain. On several occasions I have heard South African’s tell me how little it rains over here, and it is clearly lies. This time it rained for 2 days non stop and at one point the skies chucked down hale stones the size of Malteasers - not something you want to be outside for.
All this changed our plans a little. We hung out in Unzumbe a bit longer to let the arm rest before heading further south to a small coastal spot called Coffee Bay. Coffee Bay is what I imagine Byron Bay to be like; a small hippy spot where people while away the time surfing and playing African drums. The weather picked up soon after we arrived so I was able
Mooooooo!
If you look really hard you might see James trying his hand at surfing again in the distance. I had the cows to keep me company on the hill while I nursed the injured arm. to get back on a surf board and fail miserably to stand on the damn thing. Due to Marissa’s lack of arm movement we had to spend a few days in the sun to re-plan our new route back to Johannesburg.
Have car, will travel.
This week we liked
*Table Tennis - At last a hostel with a table in good nick - let the games commence
*The Coffee bay hostels - campfires, drums, a great vibe and the odd free meal.
*The freedom of having our own car - no horrible bus rides with our rucksacks on our laps
This week we didn’t like
*Dislocated elbows - it puts an end to the games of table tennis amongst many other things. Too many to list, so lets just say it counts for all 3 dislikes.
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I feel strangely hollow ....
... I thought I'd be happy ... I thought I'd rejoice ... I thought I'd revel in your misery ... but instead ... I feel strangely hollow ... and maybe even a bit guilty! That's a real bummer - I honestly do hope it doesn't hinder your travels too much :-(