Baz Bus Road Trip part 2

Wednesday 2 Feb: Bus to Port St Johns

This morning we were picked up by the NUD express shuttle service to drop us off to Kokstad, where we would be pick up by the Baz bus to Mthatha to go to Port St. Johns. We arrived in Kokstad around 10am and the Baz bus would only just come around noon, so we had to wait at the petrol station. To kill time, I bought a puzzle book and some coffee, as we woke up early that day. We spent time doing crosswords and other puzzles and soon it was around 12 o’clock.

The Baz Bus arrived and we were happy to hop on. The drive to Mthatha took about 2 hours, which we filled in watching the movie Disturbia in the bus. Driving into Mthatha, we were dropped at yet another petrol station, where the shuttle to Port St Johns backpackers was already was waiting for us. So we hopped in and left for the Jungle Monkey Backpackers in Port St Johns. Arriving there we were welcomed by a hippie looking guy and after we checked in he showed us the property.

After settling in in the dorm, we freshened up and sat down for a nice cool drink to celebrate the arrival in Port St Johns. Not much later we ordered some dinner, as we were all quite hungry from the bus drive. We decided to go for the home made hamburger with chips. A good choice! Afterwards we chatted for a while and enjoyed the stars high up in the sky before heading to bed.

Thursday 3 Feb: Port St Johns Beaches

A full day at Port St Johns, in the morning we woke up early and ate some lovely breakfast at the backpackers. During the breakfast we decided to have a lazy day at the second beach of Port St Johns. The backpackers offered us a ride in the back of the bakkie of Papa G.

After a scenic drive and some stories from Papa G, we got dropped off at the beach. One of the staff members from Jungle Monkey had joined us, and later we found out he was our guide. We thought this was a little bit weird, as we were just going to lay on the beach.

Walking over the warm sand, the guy told us that he could show us the Blow Hole if we wanted to. We agreed, cause we figured that it would just be around the corner, but we were mistaken. We had to walk up the cliff and go down via a very steep ladder and ropes, and as we were wearing flip flops, this was not easy. Though it was sort of worth the climb. The blow hole did not actually work while we were there, as it wasn’t high tide, but the hole blew out air and that was pretty cool to see. The climb back was a little bit harder, as this was going up the steep cliff and the wind was present. After the climb, we got back to second beach where we took a dive in the warm water of the Indian Ocean to cool off from the hot sun on our heads. We phoned Papa G to see if he could pick us up to lift us back to Jungle Monkey backpackers, where we sat down at the pool and chatted about our cliff climbing adventure, before taking a shower. In the evening we ate pizza at the backpackers and spend the rest of the evening chatting to each other and trying to spot some stars, as it was very cloudy.

Friday 4 Feb: Baz Bus to Mthatha and Coffee Bay

Last day in Port St Johns. In the morning we enjoyed a nice breakfast, and after that it was waiting for the shuttle bus to Mthatha again and then on to the Coffee Shack in Coffee Bay. The shuttle bus only came around half past 12, so we relaxed at Jungle Monkey, playing games.

Arriving on at the petrol station at Mthatha, we had to wait for the shuttle from Coffee Bay. We spent our time eating something and sitting in the sun. When the shuttle arrived, we stepped in and we were on our way to Coffee Bay. The drive took us yet another 2 hours, but over a very bumpy road, full of pot holes. Entering the village at Coffee Bay, we were dropped off at the Coffee Shack backpackers, where we would stay for the following 2 nights.

We were welcomed by a happy and energetic woman, she showed us the surroundings and we received a welcome drink at the bar. She also told us that if we wanted to join the Khosa village tour for that night, that we should sign up. We did this and we had to hurry, because they were about to leave to the village. After a quick change, we got into the shuttle and drove to the village, where we were welcomed by the Khosa women of the village. We entered the big rondavel hut, where the women had to sit on the floor and the guys could sit on the chairs. We got some traditional and home-made beer, and they started singing and dancing. After this celebration, we got some traditional food. It is called Pap, and it was very delicious.

Stay tuned for more on Anna’s roadtrip …