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Published: January 28th 2009
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Bomvu Backpackers
Bomvu Backpackers, Coffee Bay We spent the first day of our road trip travelling from Johannesburg to Durban. (Lots of not so interesting driving). There had been a lot of rain so the Free State was much greener and prettier than usual. We stopped at Howick to look at the waterfall which was fuller than I’ve ever seen it.
We arrived in Durban around lunch time and explored the city a bit. Durban is situated in the KwaZulu Natal province of South Africa. We saw the stadium which is being built for the 2010 soccer world cup and then dipped our feet in the sea for the first time on our trip. The sea is very warm on the Eastern side of the country. We also had a drink at the waterfront before heading back to our host’s house. Our stay in Durban was only for one night.
The next day we went south along the coast to Coffee Bay. On the way we travelled through the Transkei. The Transkei is a very rural and fairly undeveloped part of the country but it was very pretty. South Africans get annoyed when people think we live in mud huts (obviously we don't in most parts
The Hole in the Wall
The Hole in the Wall
of the country)…but in the Traskei people do!
The roads in the Transkei have a reputation for being terrible - potholes and animals everywhere. The roads themselves were fine... but the livestock really were a problem! We very nearly hit several cows, two goats, a pig, a chicken and a couple of geese (not joking). We stopped in Umtata/Mthatha to buy some food etc. The people in Umtata/Mthatha were very friendly.
We reached the backpackers in Coffee Bay about mid afternoon. While in Coffee Bay we stayed at Bomvu backpackers which had a very chilled, hippyish vibe. Bomvu is named after the Xhosa tribe which is the areas original inhabitants. It means "red-blanket people". The eight of us shared a loft.
On the day that we arrived we went to the beach - which was a bit of a mission because of the two small rivers we had to wade across to get to the beach (We found out later that the rivers were deeper during high tide). It was well worth it though. From the beach we watched a Humpback Whale breaching.
Every second night at Bomvu they have some drummers playing traditional African drums. So
Beach Cow
When the Transkei livestock weren’t on the roads they were chilling on the beach. we spent the first night dancing to the drums with the hippies. Every other night one of the drummers has a free drumming workshop where he teaches people to play. We did the drumming workshop on the second night (yes I know-very touristy) but it really was a lot of fun.
Bomvu also has horse-riding tours and surf lessons but we were only there for two days.
On our second day it was a bit rainy so we went to "hole in the wall". We decided to skip the 3 hour hike because of the rain and bad sunburn from the beach the day before. We still had to walk the last 30 minutes or so but it was an extremely beautiful walk with some amazing views. The rain stopped for just long enough for us to do the walk. The only problem was that we were all in "slipslops/flipflops" which didn't work so well in the very slippery mud so we ended up doing the walk barefoot. We also had about 30 "tour guides" all under 12 (local kids hoping for a tip).
I definitely would go back to Coffee Bay and Bomvu for a longer stay.
Bomvu Backpackers lounge/bar/drumming area
Bomvu Backpackers lounge/bar/drumming area.
Only place I’ve been where weed is sold at the bar and even the reception.
Random Facts: Durban
•Durban is now South Africa's second most populated city, the Durban harbour is now the busiest port in Africa.
•The indigenous people of Kwa-Zulu Natal are the amaZulu (Zulu) and KZN is often called the Zulu Kingdom
•Sugarcane grew well in the tropical climate. Thousands of labourers were brought from India to work the sugar plantations during the 19th century, and Durban now has the biggest population of traditional Indians outside of India. As a result, there is a strong Indian influence on Durban's architecture, cuisine and customs
Random Facts: Coffee bay
•Coffee Bay is in a very underdeveloped part of South Africa which means it is almost completely unspoilt by human development. Many of the local people still live in traditional Xhosa huts.
•Coffee Bay is believed to have gotten its name after a cargo ship ran ashore in the 19th century and spilled some of its coffee bean shipment on the shore. Local stories say that some of these beans grew into coffee trees, but unfortunately there are no coffee trees left in Coffee Bay
•The indigenous people are the Xhosa
•Coffee bay's local government is still based on the traditional Xhosa tribal system.
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