For some reason South Africa seems to have many public holidays that allow us to have a little break from work. This past week there was one on Friday and then on Tuesday which made for a great long weekend. The four of us decided to use this time off to go on a little adventure along the coast of South Africa. Originally we were going to drive to Cape Town which would of been about a 24 hour straight drive with no stops but then we rationally thought about it and figured out that we would be driving more than we would actually be in Cape Town so decided it wasn't worth it. Instead we chose a couple of spots along the coast that we wanted to go to and planned a mini road trip. So around 4:30am Friday morning, we all jumped in our red rental car and started our journey. Originally we thought 24 was the age to rent a car so I was going to do most of the driving but we were wrong and Matt was able to sign on as a second driver for the trip. It was a short hour and 40 minutes drive to our first stop of the Oribi Gorge. Here we saw gorgeous views of the gorge and did a little hiking through some rock formations. There was also a suspension bridge that you can walk across that was pretty high up and a little scary when a gust of wind came but still fun. Then we were able to pay a cheap R40 to drive our car through a small game reserve where we saw warthogs, zebra, gnu, ostrich, and springbok which was very exciting. I tricked my roommates because I thought I saw an elephant but it was really just a fat zebra in the distance. Needless to say they weren't happy with my false animal spotting and are holding that as a point against me when we go on a real safari in September. After hanging out there for a couple of hours, we continued our drive to Coffee Bay which was about 5.5 hours on very windy and bumpy roads. The part of the road closest to Coffee Bay had some really bad patches of road with massive potholes that luckily didn't damage our rental car. Coffee Bay is a cute little town with no main road, some hostels, and a small beach. Some of our friends told us it was a cool place which it was but we didn't really know what to do or where to stay so I would most likely go back with people who know the area so we can really experience it. We stayed at Sugarloaf Backpackers and had our own private hut to sleep in which was really nice. We definitely overpaid for dinner and breakfast because we didn't know that there was going to be a self service kitchen for us to use but you live and you learn right? Saturday morning we got up and took a walk to the beach to check it out and climb on some rocks. The view was beautiful and very peaceful to sit and mediate for a little bit before heading to our next stop.
Suspension Bridge
One of the views at the gorge
Our hut at Sugerlof
Beach at Coffee Bay
After we checked out from the hostel, we drove approximately 9 hours to Jeffrey's Bay which is a bigger, well known surfer and beach town. Luckily we only made one wrong turn and the roads weren't full of potholes so the drive wasn't too bad overall. In Jeffrey's Bay, we stayed at Jeffrey's Bay Backpackers where we had our own room with two sets of bunk beds. The place was pretty simple and the owner was great and helpful throughout our whole time there. Sunday morning we got up, had breakfast and spent the day on the beach which was gorgeous and great weather. Kellie, Kevin, and I walked down the beach to trip and find the surf competition the owner of the backpackers told us about. I ended up walking ahead of them collecting shells and thinking about all the conversations I have had with people walking along the beach. This was another nice moment for me to think about the beach and how spiritual the beach and ocean are in my life. After tanning out for a little bit, we found the surf competition which was a junior amateur competition which ended up being pretty boring because there wasn't many waves. At night we went back to the hostel, got pizza for dinner, and then hung out at the hostel bar for a little bit to talk to the owner who has kids that live in Chicago and California. It was interesting to talk to him about differences and similarities between South Africa and the United States. Staying at the backpackers made me appreciate how diverse people are and how big and small the world is. To be at a backpackers in South Africa whose owner has kids in the States was a pretty cool connection that made me appreciate where I am right now in my life and know that I am happy with my place.
Jeffrey's Bay Beach
Sunrise at Jeffrey's Bay
Monday morning Kevin and I got up and went to the beach to watch the sunrise which was absolutely gorgeous. It was a great way to start the day and take pictures of the sky. I have always enjoyed watching and taking pictures of sunrises and sunsets because they are so natural and beautiful yet I can be reflective and embrace the beginning and end of that particular day. After this great start to the day, we packed up and drove to Storm's River which was about an hour and 40 minutes away to the world's highest bungy (SA way of spelling bungee). Kevin, Kellie and Matt all jumped off of it but I didn't because I hate the idea of being tied to my feet and jumping off something head first. We will be going skydiving at some point this year which I will definitely do but bungee jumping is not my cup of tea. While they jumped, I was up in a lookout with a lady whose husband of 16 days was jumping as part of their honeymoon trip. She was a nervous wreck but I enjoyed her company and talking pictures of my roommates jumping. All of them did it and had a blast. After they jumped, we got on the road and drove all the way home.
The trip was very fun and relaxing overall and a great weekend with the roommates. It was definitely a lot of driving but luckily with four iPods and great company, the trip was a success.
South African Fact: Gnu is similar to the antelope and buffalo.
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