East coast road trip
Trip Start
Nov 13, 2005
1
15
17
Trip End
Dec 22, 2006
Coffee Bay,
South Africa
Monday, December 19, 2005
Andrew drove, tailing Gary 2.5hrs to Umzumbe, where we stayed in a top class hostel. Cabins provided private accommodation and someday we'll have to make a return trip to stay in the tree houses which are being built at the moment. In true tradition 'We men, we make fire', the lads cooked some steak and sausage on the braai. Michelle had to give up at an early stage and left the others enjoying their beers and wine which eventually lead to midnight swims and jacuzzis!
Friday was a public holiday here in South Africa, it began rather roughly for Fiona and Liam who were feeling the effects from the night before
01 Road from Umzumbe to Coffee Bay
. Our first time in African waters sort of sobered them up but a lunch a Wippys did the trick. Continued our roadtrip through Mthatha, Nelson Mandelas, home town which is beginning to show the first signs of Christmas. Our journey through the Transki was fantastic, with numerous huts along the roadside. Plenty of new schools are being built through government funding, lets hope they get the teachers to fill them. Encountered a really bad storm, so the view was taken over by fog and heavy rainfall. Night two was spent in what can only be described as a hippy compound in Coffee Bay. We would have made a quick getaway the following morning but Liam decided the have a replay of Milford Sounds, New Zealand and locked the keys in the car. Despite desperate attempts by every local we could bribe, no one could open the lock of Andrew's Mam's car. After about 5 hours a locksmith arrived and left rather well off! To lighten our spirits we climbed up the hill to check out the view of Coffee Bay, went for a delicious seafood lunch and visited the infamous Hole in the wall. (No, not the pub in Dublin!) Once again drove back through Mthatha which had no petrol or water... what else could go wrong!
Last stop Port St Johns. Once again we found ourselves in a lovely hostel
02 The chapel on a hill
. Ended up in a rather deserted, yet nice restaurant downing plenty of wine and champagne. Returned to the hostel for a game of trivial pursuit, it is nearly Christmas after all. Our last day began on a walking expedition to a fabric shop, which the guide book lied about! We then went on a long drive, abandoned the car and went for a rather long walk which ended at a runway which had fantastic views out over Port St John. Just as things were beginning to look up, Lauras car stalled and we ended up finding the dodgiest mechanic who solved the problem and once again we were on the road. It was midnight before poor Andrew dropped us off in Durban, he must have had a very sore head listening to Liam, who talked for Ireland in an attempt to keep our driver alert and awake... 
