Day 23 - WildCoast/ Port St Johns

One just has to love the early morning smells of Pondoland. Mixed up somewhere and somehow in the fresh clean sea-air, there is always a sniff of wood-fire smoke, warming the old traditional 'Donkey' for a decent hot shower. Added to which, the obligatory stench, now and then, of the ancient 'Transkei Sewer Systems' here in our beautiful Estate 😳!!!

Directly across from our camp, the 50m's of lawn, the 80m wide Mzimvubu River (still bank to bank), is an Indigenous Coastal Forest, climbing the cliffside, all of 700m high. I'm not sure if Reeds and Bamboo along the river are considered Invasive and/or Indigenous or not, that aside this natural jungle of several different tree types is awesome. Driving through the 'jungle' yesterday, it was so encouraging to see a signboard indicating that there is a deforestation project, of alien vegetation taking place, right here and now. Brilliant!

And then of course, how could one ever disregard inside the 1960's Transkei Ablutions? Even here 60 odd years later, drip stains in the toilet bowl from river water. Plugs chains without plugs and the then most fashionable....Shower Floors!!!😳 Cracked, broken, smashed, wall tiles, cleverly pieced together like a mosaic puzzle! Algae and Moss encroaching on grout spacing, anything between 10 and 30mm wide. Rusted chrome pipe and sticky plastic shower curtains, also attacked by Mould, like under a Diesel Mechanics thumb nail😳

I spoke to Roy from 'White Clay Resort' earlier and he has given us the Thumbs up to make the trip from Port St.Johns via Mthatha and Mqanduli to Coffee Bay and Hole-in-the-Wall. Despite the approaching weather front we believe we have made the correct and calculated decision to continue tomorrow morning.

As of today we have officially been 'off-the-grid- for three weeks now. Apart from the absolute luxury of Munster for a few days, we are 'Winging' it.

In the afternoon a trip back to Lusikisiki and then onto see the Magwa Falls, which were probably not worth the trip, but the Magwa Tee Estate was beautiful. 1,800 hectares of Black Tee in full production, quite an eye opener, employing 1,500 Mapondo's.

Lots of Love, Peace & Light.
M&K
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