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Hi!
I had a proper goodbye party with friends of Addo in PE, and with a proper hangover I left my home of 2 weeks. Off to new places!
After Addo I went with the Bazbus to Coffee Bay, which is in the Transkei region. This is the poorest area of Africa, and driving through the scenery we finally had the feeling we were in Africa. Our driver handed out bread along the way to the kids in the townships, which are located next to the high way, and it was the first time I saw kids fighting over bread. It made quite the impression on everyone in the bus.
When we arrived in the Transkei, together with a group of 3 boys we were transferred to Coffee Bay. The road to Coffee Bay was constantly crossed by all sorts of animals, ranging from horses and dogs to goats and pigs! After quite the intense ride we arrived at the backpackers, and the entertainment started right away. As there is little around the backpackers (burned out cars used as play tools by the local kids, and a store that only sold 10 kg bags of rice), everyone hung out at the backpackers and it was very booming!
The next day we hiked up to Hole in the Wall, THE scenery spot in Coffee Bay. Must say after my past hikes this was a stroll along the hills, and it felt as if we were walking in a Jurassic Parc movie (without the dinosaurs ofcourse..). The actual Hole in the Wall was actually just a cave-like opening in a giant rock, but it was a nice summer day and we all enjoyed our time :) In the evening our group had a nice fresh fish braai with some proper drinking afterwards. Fun times!
The next day I went up to Durban, together with another friend from the Coffee Bay trip. As I am again staying at a couchsurf host, we met up during the day and enjoyed time on the beach. In the early morning my host took me out to do some surfing, and as expected I SUCKED. But thats normal apparently ;-) I will try a real surf lesson today probably, but I see now why so many people do it!
At the moment I am still lingering in a bit of a travel-dip. My host was very honest in telling me that 5 weeks to travel from Johannesburg to Uganda is no fun, and that my idea of going into Mozambique for my diving license before Nouki gets here was too cramped in time as well. So I had to re-think my schedule, and as expected travelling outside of South Africa is a lot more difficult. Plus my visa to Mozambique is single entry, so there is no point to go there just for 1 week.
After having such easy and fun transportation in South Africa, all because of the Bazbus, I realize I'm more and more reluctant to head out of South Africa up north to Uganda.. It's all a matter of having a little bit of trust, because I it WILL work out and I am sure I WILL meet people there too. But still. It's all part of the journey, and it will be ok again soon :)
So not being able to head into Mozambique after Durban, I am now going to Drakensberg and will probably spent an entire week there, as Nouki arrives in Johannesburg next week Sunday. There is not much between Durban and Johannesburg, and as Johannesburg is not a very safe city I prefer to spent as little time there as possible. It kind of feels as if I'm waiting for time to pass by at the moment, but Drakensberg promises to be very beautiful, and I am sure I will meet a lot of people in the backpackers.
After my 2.5 weeks with Nouki, I will head into Mozambique for my diving license and a bit of travelling along the coast for about 2-3 weeks. On November 7th I booked an extra flight from Maputo (Mozambique) to Dar es Salaam (Tanzania). I will spend about 2-3 weeks around Dar Es Salaam and the island Zanzibar, maaaaaybe even get to go to Arusha/Serengeti for a few days, and than around November 20th I will take a bus to Kampala in Uganda, from where my flight leaves on the 24th.
So it is pretty much sorted again, and I am sure my nervous feeling will disappear again as soon as I see the white beaches of Mozambique ;-)
I had a very nice dinner party yesterday at my host with his friends, and they all gave me tips and tricks for my 5 weeks travelling to Uganda, which brightend my mood for sure :)
As this is already a little bit of a mood-blog: tomorrow it's my mothers birthday, and the 1-year anniversary of my sisters wedding. So far I have been dreaming about my mum every night since I started my journey, and I guess it is a way of my mind to process it all. I must say that in total I have felt much better here than I have the past 8 months in NL before I left, and I am very happy about that!
Allright, got that off my chest, now it is time to enjoy the sun and get some surfing done!
Big hug to all
x
- comments
JJ Thanks for the update Didi, can't believe you're in Durban already, feels like you were here the other day still :) missing you loads here in CT :) Wishing you well for the journey out of SA and meeting up with your friend :) I think Drakensberg will be a great chance to spend more time in nature and maybe even see some of lesotho, excited to hear how your diving goes in mozam :) my mom asks about you and your finger :) ? Wishing you peace over the next few days.. much love :)
Chantal Wendel Sounds very exciting! So nice to read about your adventures. My thoughts will be with Rina and you tomorrow for sure. Best wishes!!
Corina Lief zusje, tot nu toe ging alles prima en hoewel je nu een dipje hebt ben je daar ook al bijna weer uit. Volgend weekend komt Nouki en dat zal vast zorgen voor de nodige gezellige afleiding waardoor je daarnaar weer gemakkelijk verder kunt met je fantastische reis! Lieverd ik ben trots op je en je gaat nog een fantastische tijd tegemoet :-)
Ning Wah Choy Diandra, ik FB je met het telefoon nummer van de vriend van mijn neef Daan Choy in Mozambique. Je hebt het nummer van Sebastiaan Peters in Kampala, Uganda , nietwaar? Goed dat je zoveel van/over je moeder droomt, dat betekent dat ze dicht bij je is. Hou je haaks en geniet maar verder.