Beyond Jo'burg

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I left Jo'burg for Durban first thing in the morning, I set off in a surpisingly chirpy mood considering I had a 12 hour bus journey ahead of me. Leaving from the same hostel in Jo'burg as myself was an American guy called Nathan, and a Canadian guy called Alex. All three of us were going to Durban and as the journey progressed we got to know each other pretty well. The one black part of the day came early in the journey. I was at a suppposedly reputable petrol station to get something for breakfast. I was at the end of the que, and when it came for me to pay they said they could only accept card payments. Long story short, I went through the normal procedure of paying with card and left the place feeling a bit uneasy at what had just happened. My suspicions were confirmed when my bank informed that a large quantity of funds had been taken out of my account. I took this news rather well, as I was reassured that I would get my money back. I suppose it would not be the whole African experience if I was not defrauded in some way!

Other than that the journey to Durban was rather enjoyable; with me and my two new chums buying some cider and sinking them on the way. We arrived at our random hostel, certainly in the mood to party. After befriending 5 American students who were also in the party mood, we hit the town. The next day after an excellent night, the three of us fell out of bed to make our bus at 0700 which would take us to Coffee Bay. The 12 hour journey was a rough affair to say the least; the copious amounts of alcohol which was polished off the the night before certainly did not help though.

Our spirits however were immediately lifted on our arrival to Coffee Bay, especially on seeing our Hostel - The Coffee Shack. The hostel is what I would call a surfers paradise. It is situated in the corner of Coffee Bay, and is almost in a world of its own - it has a real hippy vibe. Everybody is really friendly and chilled and up for having a good time. Although, they used a tab system for everything, which just made ordering anything far too easy. Over my four nights there I went on scenic hikes, went cliff jumping, and sat around the camp fire sipping a few ciders. A good indication of the enjoyable vibe of the place is I had originally planned to only stay there for two nights, stayed for four and could easily of stayed more. It was certainly the best part of my trip so far.

Next stop Port Elizabeth.....................

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