There had to be one...

Having been out of contact with the internet for a while I must apologise to friends and family who have been worried. We have been in 'darkest Africa' but we are now back to civilisation so I will catch up on all the news...

Saturday 2nd February

We left St Lucia behind in torrents of rain and had an uneventful 4 hour drive to Ramsgate where we were booked into the lovely Wailana beach lodge. We had a superb room with its own sundeck that overlooked the swimming pool and lovely manicured gardens.

The sea views from this sundeck were marvellous and I couldn't resist an early cuppa while I watched the sun come up. It was simply beautiful. After a sumptuous breakfast we were on our way again.

What an experience was in store for us. One never to be forgotten and not to be repeated too soon, I hope. I was mistaken when I thought it would be an uneventful drive.
As we passed a sign indicating that we were in the Eastern Cape, the roads deteriorated noticeably but the first indication that this was to be a new experience was when we come to some roadworks controlled by a man with a stop/go lollipop sign. To begin with the man was nowhere to be seen, there was simply a plastic road block across the road. The car in front of us stopped in the queue and the passenger got out for a stretch. He obviously knew something that we didn't. After ten minutes the traffic control fella reappeared and after looking both ways along the deserted (except for the queuing traffic) road, he pulled the plastic roadblock out of the way and waved the traffic through. We were on our way again. The next two lots of roadworks were a little more civilised. Each had a warning sign of up to 20 minutes wait but at each one we only had to wait ten minutes. In addition there were enterprising locals selling cigarettes and water and fresh fruit.

As we penetrated the Transkei the drive became more interesting and Ian had to keep his wits about him while driving. The scattered rondaval  type dwelling were predominately painted green and we found later that the green tinted limewash was cheaper than other colour.

Saturday must be wash day in the Transkei but there didn't appear to be any washing lines in the gardens. The houses were enclosed in barbed wire fences and the washing simply hung on the fences. Ingenious, no need for cloths pegs!



Life appeared to be all about people and their livestock; vehicles were certainly of a lower consideration. The road was pitted with potholes reducing speed to 20 or 30 kmh in places. Where the road had fewer potholes, speed humps had been built but the marking had been worn away. Sometimes, the only indication that they were there was the deep gashes in the Tarmac as a tribute to some poor unsuspecting vehicle that had hit them too hard. Ian found it safer to tuck in behind a taxi that unmistakably knew the road! Away from the towns, our progress was hindered by livestock (dogs,goats, sheep, cows, horses, donkeys mules and even domestic geese)wandering across the road and on one occasion, Ian had to break hard for an old woman with a huge basked on her head. She had sauntered into the main road, quite oblivious of our approach, and crossed in front of us as if she was the only person in the world, with all the time to spare.

Eish, only in Africa!

Driving through the towns were another experience. Vendors spread their wares across the pavements forcing the pedestrians into the street. Road markings had been worn away but there was little need for them since it was a free-for-all. Vehicles drove in both directions on both sides of the road while pedestrians walked between them.  We even even treated to the sight of a small pick-up truck (bakkie) with two horses tied up in the back. In Mthatha (Umtata) there had been an accident on a major intersection and the town was gridlocked. Even the police seemed reluctant to direct the traffic so we all had to find our own way with cars and vans in all shapes and sizes crossing in places wherever the driver could find a gap.

But the experience didn't end there! We arrived at our destination in the late afternoon. Geckos, the B & B that we were booked into left much to be desired. Comments on Trip Advisor indicated that the furnishings were 'basic' but I was unprepared for what I saw. We should have paid more attention when one trip advisor contributor who gave an excellent review raved about how hot the water was in the shower! It was quite obvious that Geckos is a backpacker's paradise but not what we were expecting and a far cry from the wonderful guest house that we had just left.

The bed was an old brass bed complete with a board (old door?) over the sagging bed springs and a thin mattress, but at least the bed linen was clean. We were,however pleasantly surprised to find that the bed was not as uncomfortable as it looked. The lodge was an old corrugated iron roofed farm house in desperate need of modernisation in the 1970s and although we could hear the sea, we had no sight of it. We also noticed to our chagrin that there was a public tavern immediately behind our bedroom. Needless to say our two night stay was cut down to one. We left the next morning as soon as we could and went in search of alternative accommodation.
Sunday 3rd February

Haga Haga is a family owned and run hotel with cabanas alongside it. The last 15km to the resort was on a dirt road and not a good one at that - Ian preferred to call it a collection of pot holes with a little bit of road eaten away by ruts.  My heart sank as I was sure we had chosen another pig-in-a-poke. Once again I was proved wrong. The hotel was very comfortable and our room had stunning views over the sea that was within spitting distance of our own veranda. We were able to relax and recharge our batteries after two days spent mostly in the car with dodgy, if not primitive, driving conditions.

Monday 4th January
We left Haga Haga just after lunch with very mixed feelings. We were very sorry that we hadn't been able to spend more time there as there was much still to see but on the other hand there was the excitement of meeting Heather and Mike and of a adventure ahead.
The staff at Haga Haga had been very friendly and as Ian was settling the bill, I chatted to Peggy who was behind the reception desk. She asked where we would be spending the night and I had to admit that I had no idea since Mike and Heather had made all the arrangements. Peggy and her husband Paul bid us farewell, inviting us to return again soon. None of us were prepared for just how soon that would be.
We dropped off the hire car at East London airport and while we were unpacking the boot, Heather came charging across the car park then held me in the tightest bear hug that I had had for a long time. Mike followed at a more sedate pace and his greeting matched hers in warmth. While Ian was completing the paperwork, we chatted about where we had been and where we were going. Imagine my surprise when Heather said that we would start our adventure in a cabana at Haga Haga! We arrived back just a few hours after leaving and the look on Peggy's face was priceless!