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Published: April 18th 2006
Packing up the Ford
Bret poses as we prepare the car for our ride to Cintsa.The two Aussies (Bret and Tim) and I set out in their small rental from J-Bay to Cintsa....where we were to stay at Buccanner's, a legenday backpackers place. The 7-hour drive was fantastic as the green scenery fo the rolling hills had us smiling. We arrived at Buccaneer's around 4pm and were situated in a small dorm room which had eight beds (I was lucky enough to snag one of the non-bunk bed beds. The room had a great little deck which overlooked the bay. The one bad thing about Buccaneer's we noticed immediately was that it was situated on a steep hill so going to and from the beach was a haul. In addition, it was not long until we also found out that the staff at the place was not very friendly which made the entire experience at Buccaneer's very unsettling.
We crashed early the first night and the next day I joined a few others in the morning for a visit to a local school where the kids performed songs and dance. I also played soccer with some of the boys which had them in stitches. In the afternoon, I took in the beach with Bret, Tim
Yellow H3
Small world....I had just spoken with my friend Kirk back home in NJ and he told me he just bought a new yellow Hummer 3 car. Well, wouldn't you know it but just 1 hour into our trip, a new yellow H3 comes onto the highway next to us. Small world. and a French girl whose name I can not remember. That night, we met a Brit by the name of Micheal who told us that the Coffee Shack (another legendary backpackers) in Coffee Bay was having their 6th Anniversary party the following night. That was all the prodding we need to leave Buccaneer's. So the next day the four of us took off for Coffee Bay (Micheal had his own rental car in which he gave a girl a lift in....I once again rode with Bret and Tim...but this time I did the driving).
Once again the scenery on our ride was outstanding. The route to Coffee Bay had us snaking through valleys and up-n-over mountains. About five hours into the trip, after we had turned off the major highway and were heading towards Coffee Bay, I notice a large gathering of people in a wide open field. As I was driving, I turned off the paved road and onto a very muddy dirt road to investigate (Tim and Bret were a bit concerned as there were about a thousand or so people and we were the only white faces). But I had no fear..."they are going to love
Monkey Business
Since Bret and Tim had not seen any wildlife in Africa, we decided to detour to the Addo Elephant park (which was on the way) to take a game drive. Our first sightings were a group of baboons. us" I assured my two Aussie friends (of course, I had no idea what to expect). What we found was the local school racing tournament. I parked the rental among the few other vehicles and we ventured out among the crowd. At first people were very frightened by us and parted as we drew near (imagine the parting of the Red Sea as the Jews walked across). But I soon identified the leader of the event and spoke with him at length about the event, the people and the area (the beginning of the discussion was about the kids but soon he was telling me about the tremendous AIDS problem and how it is killing his people). As I looked upon the kids racing, it was sad to see that they were running without shoes, on a circular path that was not mowed or paved (the track was marked mainly by sticks and the crowd) and they were wearing their everyday clothes instead of sports gear. But everyone was all smiles and the kids were enjoying themselves. Soon their fear of us"whitemen" subsided and they were all posing for photos. As we left, many of the kids waved and Tim
Slow Moving
A large turtle makes its way through the national park. & Bret thanked me for the opportunity.
Once again we were on our way towards Coffee Bay. A bit about Coffee Bay: it is one of the most beautiful spots of the Wild Coast. There is not much more there than some huts, a trading store, a plain camping site and two lodgings, although the tiny village is slightly growing nowadays. The bay got its name in 1893 when a ship full of coffee beans ran aground here. Some of the beans did take root and grew into little coffee shrubs, but the soil was too salty for the plants to thrive, and today you can look in vain for the coffee trees of Coffee Bay.
We finally reached the Coffee Shack in Coffee Bay by 5pm and soon learned they take their partying seriously as the bar has rules on drinking (see photo below). We spent the next few days enjoying the wonderful beaches, the majestic views from the cliffs and of course drinking and smoking with other travelers. One night a group of us were taken to a local village where we participated in dances and had dinner with the locals. There was even a Q
Wide Loads
A group of elephants enjoy a watering hole in the park. & A session where one of the locals asked "why do all of you from Western countries always ask us about numbers...like 'how many people live here' or 'how many villages are there in the area'. I fielded the question with 'back home, our democracy sometimes hinges on numbers as the more people in an area (or state), the move electoral votes that state receives and thus more weight on the voting outcome'. Some peole understood. There was a long pause and another traveler said: 'we are just interested in numbers'. Everyone laughed. My last day at the Coffee Shack I used Micheal's rental car to teach one of the employees at the Coffee Shack to drive a stick shift.
After four days at the "C-Shack", Tim, Bret, Micheal and I, along with Claudia (a South African yoga instructor) decided it was time to leave and head for the Transkei, and area which, within the "old" South Africa, 10 homelands were created, four of which were granted "independence" by South Africa (not recognised by any other country in the world). These former South African Homelands/bantustans ceased to exist on 27 April 1994. They have all (including the former so
Buccaneer's in Cintsa
We arrive at Buccaneer's at night and check into a room with about 8 beds. Joining the three of us is Mark (a Brit) and Troy (another Aussie). We enjoy a few beers on our balcony overlooking the bay. called independent Homelands) been reincorporated into South Africa. Transkei is quite a large territory in easternmost Cape Province (today's Eastern Cape), with a larger main part protuding slightly into Natal and bordering Lesotho, Natal and KwaZulu, and two smaller enclaves -- one in Natal, bordering KwaZulu, and another in the Cape Province, bordering Lesotho and Orange Free State. The appeal of the Transkei lays in the fact that it is mainly untouched by 'Western progress'.
Our target in the Transkei was a backpackers called The Krall. At this out-of-the-way place there is no electricty, no phones, no shops....nothing but clean living and untouched lands and beaches. For a shower one needs to take buckets of heated water and carry them to a tank which overhangs the shower hut. The four guys and one girl stayed in a round dorm room for two nights as we enjoyed the solitude of the area.
Our next destination was Durban. Micheal and Claudia headed back West towards Cape Town and we headed East. I took us a lot longer than we expected so as we approached Port Shepstone (which is about 100kms from Durban), we decided to spend a night at the
Buccaneer's in Cintsa
This is the view the next morning from our balcony. Mantis and Moon (another celebrated backpackers which was outside of Port Shepstone) as it was already 7pm. We left the next morning and made our way up the coast towards Durban. As Bret and Tim are avid surfers, we stopped at all the beaches along the way to check out the surf. We finally broke out the boards at a popular bay where we all went for a swim and surf. It was not until 3pm that we made it to Durban where we choose to stay at Anstey's on the Bluff.
Ansteys is a laid back backpackers which is only a block from the beach allowing Tim and Bret easy acess to surfing. I of couse tried to put my few surf lessons to use and get better. At Anstey's, I met two African-American guys (one from Colorado, another from NYC) who had been in volunteer programs in Zambia and Angola respectively. It was great to be able to chat about sports, NYC and other 'Americana' issues with them as I had not hung with any Americans for some time. After three days at Anstey's (including a trip into Durban city where I was able to see surfboards
School Performance
We arranged a visit to a local school through the people at Bucccaneer's. Here a wee little one is taken in by the camera's lens. being made), I decided it was time to move on. I had met two Dutch girls who had a rental car and were heading East towards Swaziland (my next destination). I asked them for a ride which, after they found out I had an "audio bug" alowing them to listen to their MP3 players in their car, they were too happy to oblige.
Now I was traveling with Irene and Meke in their very luxurious mid-size rental towards St. Lucia. They wanted to go on a game drive so they were heading for Mtubatuba (which was about 22 kms from the coast town of St. Lucia). I had no specific plans so I went to Mtubatuba with them. We pulled into the Khumbulani Backpackers and my heart soared. After spending weeks staying in dorm beds, here was a backpackers that was an acutal house! A South African couple (now in the 60s) turned their lovely home into a backpackers. Complete with large kitchen, dining room, living room with couches and TV.....and the entire house was air conditioned! It turns out the two girls and I were the only ones there so I had the large dorm room to myslef
School Performance
The older kids perform their songs and dance with their teaching leading the way. as the girls shared a double room. It was only 1pm when we arrived in Mtubatuba so the three of us decided to drive to St. Lucia. There we had lunch and then embarked on a sightseeing 'sunset' boat trip that was to provide sights of birds, hippos and crocks. It was a good time especially as the girls had not seen any animals since arriving in South Africa. The next day, the girls went on their game drive to a national park/reserve in the area and I enjoyed a lazy day in the HOUSE!!! In the late afternoon, I ventured to the small town where I helped three guys push a stalled honda civic 4-blocks to a gas station.
The following day, the three of us headed towards Swaziland. My South Africa travels had ended and not once did I use the ever popular Baz Bus that soooooo many travelers use. I was very happy with myself that I was able to use public transportation and secure rides with other travelers. It is upwards and onwards as I tackle the rest of Eastern Africa.
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