Blogs from Coffee Bay, Eastern Cape, South Africa, Africa

Nach einer äußerst spektakulären Fahrt über Straßen voller Schlaglöcher, Tiere aller Art und Menschen - gehend, stehend, laufend, sitzend, reitend oder liegend - begann der Teil der Schotterpiste. Eh nur 11 km, aber die hatten es in sich. Laut Auskunft des Hotels kann man schon mit einem normalen Auto auch fahren - je nach Saison (?) - aber diese Straße ist definitiv für 4wd gemacht und nicht für unsere Strassenkiste. Mehr als bei dieser Fahrt hab ich im Urlaub noch nicht geschwitzt (auch nicht beim laufen) aber diesmal war es purer Angstschweiß, der auf meiner Stirn stand. Immerhin sind war dann irgendwann beim "Hole in the Wall Hotel" nördlich der Coffee Bay angekommen, haben keine Kühe, Schweine, Esel, Hunde oder Menschen angefahren und: es hat sich gelohnt. Strohgedeckte Hütten dienen uns als Unterkunft mit Sicht aufs ... read more

My stay in Port Elizabeth was pretty unremarkable – much like the city really. There isn’t a lot to see here but I did manage to see quite a bit of it via my taxi mission across the city trying to find a camera repair shop. At the second place I visit inside the gargantuan Greenacres Shopping Mall, I give the stroppy shop attendant a big smile as a new non-Sony battery brings my camera back to life. The attendant does not seem to enjoy my absolute joy and relief. With nothing much happening at the hostel, I finalise the rest of my plans in South Africa, which is another achievement unlocked – I’ll be picking up a cheap hire car in Durban which I will now drive to St Lucia, the Midlands, the Drakensberg and ... read more

Leaving the beautiful Umzumbe and hearing so much good about Coffee Bay, made our expectations about this place very high. For that reason Coffee Bay came as a shock. The backpackers hostel 'Coffee Shack' where we stayed was located in the middle of this poor village mixed with the local habitants without any security. This made us on first side a bit suspicious and afraid. It was definitely a misplaced feeling, as the local people welcomed us with open arm and stealing was handled the old fashion way if you were caught. Discovering a bar in the village where locals were playing jembe (drums) around the fire made us finally feel more in SA. We went with 15 other backpackers on a hike to Mapulzi, which was beautiful, but which was also our first bad experience... ... read more

From Shelly Beach I drove to Port Saint Johns, entering "The Wild Coast". I had heard mixed comments about the Wild Coast. Ones saying that it was an amazing place and others that it wasn't really worth going to and that I had to drive through the Transkei, with bad roads full of potholes and loose cattle roaming free everywhere and that I'd get stuck in traffic jams driving through the townships. And that it wasn't very safe. I decided to check it out for myself. And I agree with the first comment I wrote. The Wild Coast is definitely worth going to and staying there for at least a few days. That is if you're into beautiful rugged landscapes, walking through Xhosa villages, surfing, fishing, laying on the beach, disconnecting f... read more

After leaving Addo, Mum and Dad dropped me in Port Elizabeth, where we said goodbye before they began to drive back towards Cape Town to fly back to Ireland. We had spent one night in Port Elizabeth before going to Shamwari, but it wasn't a place that we particularly warmed to. The first issue was that there was no running water in the city, but, with some difficulty, we found one B+B that had the water working. Other than that, it rained the whole time we were there. There is not a whole lot to do or see in P.E. anyway. If it was summer time, the beach would be an option. We visited the Location Apartheid museum, which was very difficult to find and seems to be in the middle of a township. It is ... read more