ZigZagging South Africa (11/30/00)

First, I got word from Steph that she is safely back in Switzerland.

I can tell you now that the website updates are going to become less frequent (and will not feature photos until after the trip--sorry, I'll try to be entertaining.)

Connections are getting hard to come by and will be even more so as I continue.

Here is a very brief synopsis of the past 10 days.

When last I worte I was in the Drackensburg planning to take a 3 day hike and sleep in caves. I woke the next morning (at 4:30am as I have been every day?!), and it was cold and damp.

So I said to myself, "Self, let's get outta here." By 6am I was down the road not sure where I was heading.

Long story short, I rode through some beautiful mountains, an area called the Golden Gate (just like San Francisco), then through Lesotho.

Lesotho is a separate country, known as the Mountain Kingdom, so this was my first border crossing and it was painless!

Lesotho is the country with the highest low point. Think about it :-) As I exited Lesotho the immigration officers asked me how long I had been on the road. When I told them I left in mid-October, they were very curious to know if I had voted in the presidential before I left.

I was embarrassed to admit that between preparing for my trip and other commitments that it was one of the rare times I had failed to vote. But I did advise them that my conscience was somewhat clean since I was not a resident of Florida, and I had planned to vote for Nader :-)

Anyway, I finished the day riding 60km on a dirt road before landing in the tiny town of Burgersdorp! I found a room, had a bath, a hot meal, and hit the sack.

The next day I planned to head to Namibia, but then again, I thought that I didn't want to be stuck at a border on Thanksgiving. I had heard that Coffee Bay was a beautiful coastal spot, so I headed down there.

Coffee Bay is in what is known as the Transkei, a beautiful region in on what is known as the "Wild Coast" of South Africa.

On Wed. night, Nov. 22, I arrived at the Four Winds backpackers run by a very nice couple, Chris & Laura Venter (and their daughter Blaze). There were a couple of guys from Israel staying there who had started on motorcycles(Honda XR 600) in Cape Town about the same time as Steph and me, and they were riding all the way home.

The Israelis, Adam and Dotan, both work as farmers on Kibutzes. In addition, Adam had just spent two years in the US working as a motorcycle mechanic.

We became fast friends and on Thanksgiving which was a non-event for everyone but me, we went trail riding with some local guys. The ride was great and we got to see some great beaches and visit some local villages.

The bad news is I lost my digital camera (which isn't even mine--it was a loaner, I'll replace it Carlton). Like a dope, after taking a picture I didn't zip my pocket it all the way, and that was all she wrote.

Later that day we went to a place known as the Hole in the Wall. It is a big rock on the coast line with a hole about 20 yards (meters) high through which the sea crashes giant waves. You can stand right on the edge and feel the waves crash past.

I would suggest doing a search online and trying to find a photo of it. It is really fantastic.

Friday was rainy so we visited every bar in Coffee Bay, which means going to all the other backpackers (hostels). Friday night Dotan prepared a nice Shibbat meal. The boy can cook!

By now, Adam and Dotan had invited me to travel with them, and I was happy to accept. I have done enough travelling alone to last a lifetime. The best experiences in life are the ones shared with family and friends, be they new or old.

So on Sunday, we headed to Durban. Peter, a guy we had met at Four Winds, told us about some friends of his, Francois and Fay, who had a big house in Durban and would love to have visitors.

The ride to Durban was wet, foggy, cold and miserable. But what was waiting for us at the end of the road was well worth it. Francois and Fay are fantastic people. They are my age but their kids have moved out of the house already (you can tell I'm getting a late start in life :-) So they were used to having people running around and you could tell they were really excited about our adventure.

I couldn't have asked for a better connection than Francois. He is a computer network specialist, a top notch surfer, a solid frisbee player, an excellent Djembe drummer, drives a '74 Volkswagon van, maintains his own web site, has shoulder length hair, and is generous to a fault.

His wife Fay is beautiful, lively, and thrilled to show us around the town where she has spent her whole life.

Sometimes one good connection can make all the difference.

So, basically we have spent this week surfing, body surfing, playing frisbee, and eating BBQ (called a brai here).

We also went swimming in the "sea pool" which is this cement swimming pool right on the beach. You stand on the wall closest to the waves and hang onto a chain between the rails as the waves crash against you until you finally get knocked into the pool. What a riot.

Since I'm riding with Adam and Dotan, I'm following their agenda which takes us next to Mozambique. We got our Visas yesterday (lucky for us there was a consulate here in Durban).

The roads are not good in Mozambique, they had massive flooding there earlier this year. Likewise, Internet connections will be very difficult to find in what is one of the poorest countries in the world.

Today is Thursday, November 30 -- Happy Birthday Mom! We plan to try to see some Zulu dancing later today (although it is cold and wet). The weather all over South Africa has regularly taken fairly dramatic turns.

Friday we plan to ride up to Sani Pass and have a drink at the "highest pub in Africa".

We should be off to Mozambique on Sunday. So, I will try to check-in once more before we leave. After that it may be a while.

I wish I could be providing pictures, but for you more resourceful types, I will bet that somewhere on the 'net, there are aleady pictures of every place I have mentioned.

Warm Holiday Wishes from Durban, Kwazulu-Natal Province, South Africa

Jim