As we make our way up the east coast of South Africa we get to see many cities, small towns and communities. Wether it be just driving through or stopping by we get to see on our travels how vast the cultural range is in this amazing country and as the landscapes and environment changes so do the cultures and the people. South Africa has to be one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world, we have 11 recognised national languages and plenty diverse cultural groups. We started our trip in the very ‘1st world’ Cape Town and made our way to the very rural Coffee Bay, from sky-scrapers to mud-huts, highways to goat paths and from towns to villages we now found ourselves in one of the most beautiful and raw places in South Africa. This is our experience of Coffee Bay in the homeland, the Transkei.
Being in Coffee Bay is a little bit like going back in time, the people in the Transkei still live very much the same as they have been for the hundreds of years they’ve been there, they have their own governance based on traditional Xhosa heirachy, grow their own crops and herd their own cattle, living happily off the land with little need for much more. The outside world has slowly crept in and there are a few western elements to the area but for the most part it’s as rural as it gets and we got to live and share in their culture for the short while we were there. We stayed at the very well known Coffee Shack Backpackers where we are so well accommodated and looked after. It’s a personal favourite stop of mine, I love the people and it is such a relaxing and peaceful place and I am humbled by the beauty and rawness of Coffee Bay every time I visit. The backpackers works closely with the local community and offers a number of activities to the internationals and locals who come through here and there is always a great vibe.
Our stay was a shorter one than usual being a mid-year trip so unfortunately we didn’t get to experience everything that was on offer but hey, more the reason for the guys to come back to South Africa and visit again ;). We did do the very popular hike to Hole in the Wall though.
Getting around in Coffee Bay is much like getting around in Lord of the Rings.. you walk everywhere! So we got a bit of fitness in on every activity and the car remained unused for our entire stay. The best thing about walking is that you take everything slowly and really get to take in your surroundings and just be wherever you are and Coffee Bay is quite the place to be. Our 9km walk to Hole in the Wall has to be one of the most scenic walks around, you walk amongst hills and valleys, past villages and free roaming cattle with the cliffs and the wild ocean right beside you only to make your way down to a geographical wonder where you get to reward yourself with lunch and a swim right on Hole in the Wall’s doorstep.
For most of the guys who come on these trips it can be quite a culture shock seeing first hand how people live in a place like Coffee Bay, where it is ok for a male to have multiple wives, where you live in a mud-hut without electricity, where you walk for km’s to get fresh water, where your wealth is determined by your cattle and your crops, where school isn’t a pre-requisite, where medicine and medical treatment are what the western world would consider primitive.
The demand for things like electricity, schools, proper housing and healthcare are becoming more and more necessary though, not only to Coffee Bay but to the Transkei as a whole. The importance of learning to speak English and having a high school education to give the local people and youth a chance of a prosperous life outside of their community is a dream they realize and strive for but it isn’t without difficulty. Being so Rural makes it difficult for service delivery from local government, lack of funding and infrastucture don’t help the cause either. The Coffee Shack are incredibly active in the community and contribute greatly in this regard, we got to spend the morning out at the Montessori School they built for grades 1-3 and see the positive impact they’re making in the community. As much of a cultural shock it may be for most of us it is probably ten-fold for the local kids of whom many have more than likely never seen a white person in their lives until recently let alone a camera or a cellphone or any of the things we take for granted. Our time with them was so much fun, the amount of love and curiousity the have to share in incredible and our short interactions with them on all of our visits I’m sure is as memorable for them as it is for us.
Heres a short edit I made that shows a little bit of what Coffee Bay was like for us.
Coffee Bay is an extraordinary place and I recommend anybody travelling in South Africa to visit, our time was brief but it has again been incredible and one we won’t soon forget. Up next, Durban!
See you soon
Luke