The Trankei and Bulungula

So I'm not breaking a for a moment with this updating blog thing. I just posted the bungee jumping and the Kichaka game reserve and now we are onto what I would call our first dive into something that feels a little more like Africa: The Transkei.

The Transkei is the section of land just being the Kei river and is characterized by big rolling hills with what looks like lots of pastel round houses no top. This is one of the only places in South Africa which was not conquered and is home to the Xhosa people. The X in Xhosa is actually a click so all you guys back home who've seen Russel Peters second live performance; this is the the language he's making jokes about. Enough with the history, back to the trip.

We woke up at Buccaneers before dawn and packed up and hit the road in time to watch the sun rise again. Our first destination was Coffee Bay to see the 'Hole in the Wall'. We reach Coffey Bay sometime around noon, ate lunch and head on to the Hole.

The Hole in the wall is a beautiful beach with an maybe 50 meter off short that has a giant hole through it. The beach was amazing: sandy with rocks surrounded by the most inviting forest with opening for camping. On the far left of the island with the hole there was some see cliffs made of what looked like Basalt. They were almost begging to be climbed.

Picture: Karina, Dion and Julie at the Hole in the Wall.

We spent some time wandering the beach and through the forest, soaking up the beauty of the place. After maybe an hour we had to move on as there was a 45 minute hike into Bulungula the backpackers were were going to stay at this night. I didn't want to leave but if we stayed we wouldn't have been able to enjoy the afternoon at Bulungula.

Bulungula is the best backpackers in South Africa. This is a bold statement but having been there and had the like of Buccaneer's backpacker(another very good packpackers) staff tell me as much I don't think its far from the truth. The backpackers is located at the mouth of a river and is made up of traditional Xhosa huts (mud and dung floors and walls) with beautiful beachs and bays to either side. Its protected from the winds off of the Indian oceans by a burm and a stand of trees. They have drums, amazing local Xhosa food cooked by the nearby village, a fire pit and great music.

I will only cover the highlights since this place to me was so special and sharing it with my Karina, my sister and new friend Dion was amazing and can't capture the magic of the place.
The first night some other people staying there, Dion and I drummed by the fire for quite some time. Joseph and Lindiley being notable characters.

The next morning Karina and I saw dolphins feeding and jumping in the bay just beyond the river mouth. After breakfast we hiked part way down the beach towards a hidden beach but never made it. Instead we did some body surfing and soaking up the untouch beauty of the place.

On our walk back we met a group of children from the nearby village and they started playing the drum we brought with us for the day. Dion and I did some cappoeira with the kids on the beach. Doing cartwheels and rolls to the beat of the drum. That night we ate an amazing vegetarian Xhosa meal with striking flavours and texture.

Picture: Me and the kids from on the beach at Bulungula.

The next days we resolved to make it to the hidden beach. Set out earlier this time and move quickly. The kids from the previous day joined us as did a german software programmer (forgot his name). After not too long we felt the need to break away from the kids and asked them to give us some space. We crossed a headland and onto the next beach.

At this point the beach ended and we all hiked up onto a steep hill overlooking the beach and looking back towards Bulungula. The wind was gently blowing off the water. We took in the beauty and untouch nature of the land here. It was an amazing experience. Karina and I walked to the top and then found a beautiful place to look out over the Indian Ocean. We stood there side by side taking in the smell, sound and beauty of the place. We probably wouldn't have left till night fall but Julie and Dion reminded us of our destination.

Picture: Beachs looking back at Bulungula at the tip on the upper left of the picture.

We continued along the hill top for another 5 minutes before we spotted 4 butterflies sitting on three blades of grass. We again paused to enjoy such unique beauty in such an amazing place. With some light left we continued on to find the hidden beach as the sun grew close to the horizon. With the beach in site we turned back resolving to visit the beach tomorrow and stay another day.

We hiked back, watch the sun set from on top of the hills. The colour of the sky and clouds was beyond words and by the moon light we hiked back. This time not taking the same way we had come we waked over top of the hills instead of crossing the rockie head land we had used to come. Now this whole hike to this point had been done without shoes on and we continued into the night this way. The grasses and land in this area was so gentle but we soon discovered there were parts at the top of some of the hills that had prickle bushes. Rocks, soil, prickles, grass, sand, they were all amazing to experience through our feet. The sensations were amazing, something I had never realized I was missing. How many of us in Vancouver have hiked barefoot. I also realized I have never slept under the stars before. The closest thing I had come to this was in Australia where I slept in a swag.

Picture: Karina and I watching the stars at sunset.

Picture: Karina loving the beach and Ociean at Bulungula.

Wound our way back down to the beach after crossing many hill tops. Then Dion, Julie and I went skinning dipping in the surf. Dion and I stayed out in the water body surfing. Julie and Karina were cold and headed back to Bulungula early. Dion and I headed in after enjoying the surf and arrived back to Bulungula just before dinner. That night Dion played music for us from his iPod till the wee hours.

The next day I discovered I had forgotten the Rayban sunglasses that Karina had given to me as a gift on the beach when we were body surfing the night before. Dion and I went back to the location to see if we could find them but they were not there. Instead we spent the morning body surfing together.

Julie and Karina had gone to the beach in the opposite direction of the hidden beach near a sand dune. They had made this into a nudist beach and were relaxed into soak up the sun. Dion and I joined them and we did some more body surfing. We returned from the day to eat and relax. Our time at Bulungula was drawing to a close and we had to pack up for our 7 AM shuttle back to the car.

The car drive back was long as we made the entire return trip home in one long push. The beds of Wilderness were welcome when we arrived back late that night. The next day Julie flew home and Karina and I started planning for our trip to Cedarberg.