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Published: April 25th 2011
Day 29, Thursday, March 24th, we set out for our next destination on the Wild Coast, Mdumbi. We could not get into the Mdumbi backpackers that our friend Shavonne recommended so we stayed at the nearby at Mncbine cottages. The place is usually used as a surf camp but it was empty at the time so we had the place to ourselves. The owner had told us we would just be without electricity since the generator was being fixed. But he assured us everything else was working including the gas- generated refrigeration, stove and hot water. Plus he told us they had plenty of candles and lanterns for light. It sounded rustic and romantic so we thought why not. We had a lovely orange rondoval and nice big kitchen and dining area. We were up on a cliff that was a five-minute walk to the beach. Once we unpacked we headed straight to the beach and lazed away the rest of the afternoon. When we returned we realized a few things were not exactly working. The hot water was not working initially so John helped the caretakers try to get that situated. It seemed that the gas was out but when
the caretaker moved the gas from another rondoval he disconnected the water completely. Luckily we had showered that morning because they could not get the water fixed that night. We told them to go home and we could work on it in the morning.
Day 30, Friday, March 25th, marked our first month in Africa. We awoke to a rainy peaceful morning. Mdumbi is known for it’s abundance of fresh seafood especially crayfish (African lobster) and oysters. Ndlovu, a sweet young man from the village, was one of the caretakers of the property. We had told him we would love some fresh seafood when we arrived. He and his friends took our request seriously and spent 6 hours of the night hunting for fresh crayfish, which they brought us that morning. They came with 18 beautiful crayfish for us to choose from. We bought 5 and they distributed the rest among the village. They charged $15 Rand/crayfish (just over $2US), which seemed very reasonable. I worked on my blog and the travel website until the rain cleared. I went for a long walk exploring the area and to seek out the secluded secret beach. Along my way I thought
to see if I could find some fresh oysters. As I was intensely searching among the rock pools I noticed a small woman with a wrought iron pole and a bag. As we searched we got closer to each other and I approached her. At this point I had only found a collection of beautiful seashells including some iridescent oyster shells but no actual oysters. As we met I said “Molo”, Xhosa for Hello, as that was pretty much the extent I knew of the language. She replied Molo and since she spoke no English we communicated mostly with gestures and hand signals. She showed me her stash of dozens of oysters she had collected that morning and I showed her my collection of seashells. Knowing this was her livelihood I tried my best to tell here I would by 2-dozen oysters from her and that I stayed in the orange rondovals on the top of the hill (not sure how much of that she understood). I was determined to find at least one oyster on my own I could eat right there on the rocks and I wanted to watch her technique so I stayed close by. As she
found beautiful seashells she would bring them to me. Finally, an hour later and further down the beach, I found my oyster. I pried it open with my pocketknife and a rock and ate it sitting on the rock ledge overlooking the crashing waves. Needless to say I don’t think I have a future in the oyster collecting business. Shortly after I came upon the secret beach. I was a secluded stretch of golden sand in between jagged rock jetties. I lingered and took some photos before walking back upon the coastal trail. There is a walking trail that goes along most of the Wild Coast that many people spend days to weeks walking and camping. Along the path is a known waterfall that falls into the ocean and is known to be quite beautiful. I would love to do that trail some day. I returned after being gone all day to John preparing dinner. He was working on a spicy crayfish gumbo. The daughters of the woman I met oyster collecting came by our place with the fresh oysters. We bought 2-dozen for $20Rand (just under $3US). Ndlovu cleaned the oysters and set up a fire to grill the
crayfish. John had a bit of a challenge when the gas ran out for stove in the middle of cooking but we got it resolved. Also we did get the water working that day but not hot water. It was no big deal just the challenges of staying far off the beaten path. The day ended perfectly with delicious seafood feast by candlelight.
Day 31, Saturday, March 26th, we woke up early packed up and took a walk on the beach. We spoke to the owner and told him about the issues we had encounter and he told us we could have the two night stay free so that was very cool. We ate the second dozen oysters for lunch before leaving Udumbi to head to Port St. Johns. As we turned off the N2 to the coast the scenery changed dramatically to high cliffs covered in tropical vegetation. It was so different than the rest of the coastal areas yet it was so close. We stayed at Amopondo Backpackers. It had a nice open-air restaurant lounge and proximity to the beach that overshadowed the run down rooms. We enjoyed the sunset met some cool people to hang with
that evening.
Day 32, Sunday, March 27th, was overcast but a nice break from the heat the days before. The waves were not great for surfing but even if they were it was not an option. According to the locals, there have been 6 shark attacks in the past two years at that beach including 3 surfers, 2 body boarders and one swimmer (who was completely eaten). The Zambezis (Bull Sharks) are very aggressive in this area so we did not see any surfers nor did we want to take a chance. We went for a hike to the waterfalls with a few others. We stopped at the rope swing over the giant gorge along our way. You stand on the cliff and put your foot into a rope to swing out and back over the gorge. It looked quite difficult since you need to start and end on a steep cliff. John went first and attempted to start lower but was drug all the way to the bottom of the cliff where he had to hang on while going out over the gorge. It was quite scary but also pretty amusing to us all. I was able to
get my foot in and swing over but when I tried to jump off at the top of the hill I lost my footing and slid back down and had to hold on for a second swing over the gorge. It was funny as well. We hiked through lush overgrown jungle, balancing on a large water pipe and narrow bridges, and avoiding huge spider webs woven across the path. We arrived at the waterfall. We swam and entertained ourselves with a rope swing into the water. On the way back we stopped at a tiny restaurant in the forest called the Wooden Spoon where I ate a delicious lintel burger and john had a pizza.
Day 33, Monday March 28th, we spent the sunny morning on the beach before saying goodbye to Port St. Johns and heading towards Port Edwards. Our friends Shawn and Tanya set us up for the night at a casino hotel where they had points for free rooms. We walked into the modern well-appointed room with a beautiful fluffy king size bed. It seemed like extreme luxury compared to the simple accommodations that we had been accustomed to the past weeks. We met for cocktails
and did a little gambling. I played roulette and John played Blackjack. We didn’t win enough to pay for our trip like we had planned. We had a nice dinner and some good wine before heading for the comfy bed.
Day 34, Tuesday March 29th, we slept in not wanting to leave the comfort of our room. As we were leaving the hotel we heard a strange noise from our car. It was another flat tire (not so lucky with our cars here – especially since this is our third car). John, now being an expert on a quick tire change, had it changed in no time. Tanya & Shaun took us into Port Edward to the pier for a seaside breakfast. After breakfast we went snorkeling before heading to Durban. We were going to stay on their boat in the harbor during our time in town. We arrived at Wilson’s Wharf that afternoon to their beautiful 55’ catamaran named Free Spirit. The boat has a large deck on the bow and on the stern, a large kitchen & dining area and four sleeping quarters. They stayed with us that night. We had a delicious seafood dinner at the harbor
restaurant while watching the sunset.
Day 35, Wednesday, March 30th, we woke us from a nice sleep from the gentle rocking of the waves. It was a hot sunny day and S & T recommended we check out Ushaka Marie Park. It is a water park and aquarium combined. We went to the water park side. First thing we all did was ride the tallest slide: a sheer drop into a small pool of water. It was a fun nostalgic day reminding me of the water parks I frequented as a kid growing up in Arizona. The highlight of the park is the lazy river tubes, which float you by the shark tank. Also it is Oceanside so you can enjoy the beach as well. There were no waves that day so it was a nice day for swimming. When we returned John and I went to the yacht club to watch the weekly sailing rigada. We mingled with the locals and watched the boats come in. S & T were tired so they went to bed early.
Day 36, Thursday, March 31st, S & T left that morning. We went to Avis to exchange our car for
our fourth version, a white Toyota Yaris. Our buddy Smiler also arrived that afternoon so we got him from the airport. That night we cooked a nice dinner on the boat and sat out on the bow watching the stars.
Day 37, Friday, April 1st, we spent a glorious morning at the beach. We surfed and sunned for hour. We had a picnic lunch before heading into town to check out the Indian Market. It was a hot bustling day downtown. We walked through the crowded streets toward the market. As we walked the sights and smells were intense (quite a contrast to the mellow beach). We went into the seafood and meat market and one of the sights was a bit too much for me; the “smilies”, sheep heads with fur and all, hanging from meat hooks at many of the stalls. Luckily Smiler found us a nice piece of fish quickly so we could move on to the Indian spice market. We entered the market with colorful flower and vibrant piles of spices everywhere. Smiler made a delicious spice rubbed fish with saffron rice for dinner.
Day 38, Saturday, April 2nd, we met Smiler’s friend for
coffee and a trip to the craft market. They had beautiful clothes and jewelry and I had to treat myself to a dress to wear to the wedding we would be attending that afternoon. Smiler’s friends invited us to join them for their wedding celebration so the three of us went to the yacht club at the beach that afternoon for the party. The couple had been married three weeks prior in a small ceremony in Costa Rica, then flew to London to celebrate then to Durban for another celebration. It’s sounds familiar to what we did but I am glad we didn’t try to fit it all into three weeks. The party was casual and fun. We all danced until the closed the place.
Day 39, Sunday, April 3rd, we left Durban and the boat and headed up the coast to St. Lucia. The village lies within a world heritage site that contains 5 eco systems. Monkeys roam the streets and hippos and crocodiles live in the estuary. Tanya grew up there and said it was not to be missed. She and Shaun were coming back from Mozambique with some friends so they stopped for the night to
meet us in St. Lucia. We all went for a sunset river cruise. As we sipped on wine we got a close up view of pods of hippos, crocs, waterbuck and fish eagles. It was really amazing.
Day, 40, Monday, April 4th, we left St. Lucia since we had to keep moving. We made a detour through Swaziland. Swaziland is a landlocked kingdom separate but surrounded by South Africa. It is run by a monarchy (the people are currently trying to overthrow for democracy). A king who has 20 wives leads the monarchy. The country has beautiful scenery, a strong traditional culture and abundant wildlife. We spent most of the day driving through the region. That night we stayed at Sondzela Backpackers that is located in Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, one of best wildlife parks in the area. As we arrived at the gate we were greeted by a beautiful herd of zebra. Including baby zebras and all. Once we entered the park at dusk we started seeing lots of other animals; Impala, bucks, vhilhabeast, and warthogs (love the warthogs). There are no predators in the park so hiking and mountain biking safaris are permitted. I went for a walk
that evening before dark to get up close with some more zebras.
Day 41, Tuesday, April 5th, I took a morning walk to see some more zebras and monkeys. The sanctuary is so peaceful and lush. We stopped by the lake to see the hippos and crocs before we left the park. We were heading towards the Northern border of Swaziland, a much less traveled path. The landscape became more mountainous and lush as we drove. The road turned into dirt and became more treacherous. It had been raining on and off which made conditions slick and muddy. The only vehicles we saw were logging trucks of the lumber workers along the road. Johnny’s superb driving skills got us through with no worries. The scenery made the trek well worth it. We crossed the border back into South Africa and made it to Kruger Park that evening.
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robyn johnny
robyn+johnny
Week 5 & 6 Africa
Hi family & friends. We are having a great time in Tofo, Mozambique. The weather is sunny and we have been getting lots of surf. I even saw a whale shark when I was surfing the other day. We rented a beach house and are staying here through the beginning of May. Hope you enjoy the latest blog post. I will write more soon. Happy Easter! Robyn & Johnny