Officially finished with the Garden Route, we began to see firsthand how “real” Africa is. True, we had been to Soweto in Johannesburg, but the touristy manner in which it was presented to us left a sour taste in our mouth. The people were genuinely poor, but giving a bit of an extra show in hopes that the sympathetic, do-gooding tourists would give them money or a sweet. Now, though, driving through small, poor villages and townships gave us a new perspective. Nearly all of the homes are haphazardly built, with shaky foundations, chipped paint, and either tin or straw roofs. Midway through the drive we passed through the town where Nelson Mandela was born, Mvezo.
We had been warned several times by multiple people about driving through these areas, but mainly by white Afrikaaners. One could argue they are historically blinded to the realities of today. Through our admittedly limited encounters with black folks, it seems they are just trying to carve out a life for themselves, albeit in worse circumstances than the whites in the country. To be sure, a large percentage of them were listlessly wandering around, but most of them were doing the same errands and life tasks all of us do: grocery shopping, using the bank, spending time with children, etc. To us, they have been nothing but kind and genuine. Almost every person has a wave or a gentle smile to offer us.
In terms of safety, the rules of the road and the rules of traveling hold true regardless of location. Drive smart, don’t provoke or antagonize anyone, smile and be friendly, treat people with respect, and keep your head on a swivel. Because we have a car and travel bags, we are diligent about locking our doors and putting padlocks on our bags when we leave them in the hotel or the car. To be sure, bad things can and most likely will happen this year, but we are taking the necessary precautions to limit the chances.
We arrived in a small, predominantly black village mid afternoon after a 4 hour drive. Accommodations were limited, and the few we found online were advised against by our previous AirBNB hosts. Apparently Port Saint Johns isn’t the safest of towns.
Tucked away between a lagoon and a forest was the Lodge on the Beach, a four bedroom home converted into a bed and breakfast once the two eldest daughters moved out. Three bedrooms with three private bathrooms. We chose the middle as it had a size-able bed and directly across from a bathroom.
Our host advised us to hike through the forest in search of a hidden beach, an opportunity we couldn’t miss. 30 minutes later we found the hidden location, but decided against continuing further as it appeared quite a ways away. Instead we returned from where we came and spent the rest of the day at our location beach
We lagged quite a bit earlier in the trip so we are pressed for time. This morning we have a 5 hour drive ahead of us on our way to Durban’s. Before 8:30 we have already seen monkeys, geckos, and went fishing for crawfish with the locals.
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