The Journey Inward

I woke up early this morning and laid in bed listening to the birdsong. The mesh windows were open on both sides of my room allowing for gentle breezes to enter the room and my view was out the back French doors to the deck and beyond to the trees around the lagoon. When I came out, I discovered that Walter had gone up to the deck with the beautiful view of the ocean to meditate and so I took the opportunity to do my stretches on the back deck overlooking the lush surroundings. The sun was peering through in a most whimsical way, turning the leaves and branches into a painting.

Once we’d had breakfast, we started on today’s adventure, a visit to the Mnyameni Gorge. Although it was not far from where we were staying, it was a long, hard drive but through fascinating land. It took an hour and a half to go 29 miles with little to no traffic. There isn’t a direct route down the coast, so you have to turn sharply inland and then make your way south again. Once you enter the area, the road is no longer paved and has deep divots, large potholes and very rocky terrain. It was slow going and required patience and concentration.

We drove through Port Edward and then crossed a bridge that signaled we were no longer in KwaZulu-Natal, but in the tribal lands of the Eastern Cape. This region is called the Wild Coast, partly because of its wilderness feel, but also because of the strong waves and dangerous conditions during storms. Many shipwrecks have occurred in this coastal section of the Indian Ocean, with the occasional artifact washing ashore. Some ship bones are visible along the coast, though we didn’t see any.

The tribal lands were referred to as the Transkei back in the days of apartheid. Blacks were sent to this area to live separately. Supposedly this area was not even considered part of South Africa. But after the end of apartheid, it was reintegrated back into the country in 1996. Today the region still retains its geographic and cultural identity. An interesting note is that Nelson Mandela was born in these parts.

The land itself is dotted with shacks, houses, and small communities. Cattle roam freely and cross the street regularly. People are walking everywhere and buses run through regularly. The land has steep, rocky cliffs, rolling green hills, and deep valleys. With year round heat and humidity, it is as emerald green as Scotland or Ireland.

I had bought new hiking boots in Umhlanga, so I was able to break them in on this trip. We finally reached the gorge after an hour’s drive or so down the twisting, turning dirt road leading in. There was no one in sight. There was no entrance fee or park ranger. We just parked on the side of the road and each got out to go explore. The gorge was deep and my fear of heights kicked in quickly. I stood a ways back from the edge, but did my best to capture the vastness. I also walked out across the waterfalls that were a bit lower than usual despite the rain. That gave me a great vantage point.

On the way back to camp, we stopped to buy food for a braai on the back deck. I had seen a coffee shop and was desperate for a chai latte, so we sought the spot out atop a high hill. The views were stunning. It turns out they had no tea, so I had a milk and sugar heavy coffee (my third in this country…and in my life!). The farm grew coffee beans and it was a beautiful walk around.

From there we went to Trafalgar Beach so Walter could fill some water jugs with ocean water for his friend. She uses it for a different reason than the locals on the tribal land, who pour it around their houses to keep the devilish child, Tokoloshe, away. He is said to be evil and mischievous and brings harm to families. We then drove back and walked down to the beach again, walking all the way to another human made tidal pool.

We bought beers and my favorite shots and had happy hour out on the deck overlooking the sea at our campgrounds. We braaied on the back deck or our cabin building delicious burgers. I introduced Walter to s’mores using chocolatey cookies and vanilla custard marshmallows. (The cookie game is not great in this country.)

The stars were plentiful and bright in the sky above us and I learned about the Southern Cross instead of the North Star and pulled up an app to identify the constellations in this Southern Hemisphere land.

Another wonderful day in Durban.