Nenga, South Africa Travel Journals & Blogs

Tramps like Us
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- Apr 11, 2022
- 🌧 20 °C
- Altitude: 3 m
- South Africa Eastern Cape King Sabata Dalindyebo Coffee Bay Nenga -31.983109, 29.14944331°58’59” S 29°8’58” E
Day 27
Day 27 - Coffee Bay / WildCoast
April 11, 2022 in South Africa ⋅ 🌧 20 °C
That is exactly how one should wake up on a Monday morning!

06:45 Coffee on the verandah overlooking our bay, and between 20 and 30 Porpoise cruising by. The usual low cloud persists and sporadic light showers. Took a 5km run this morning, all those massive Wild Coast up hills are a killer, on top turned at the 'Israel Spazza' and headed back to camp at White Clay.

Karen cooked a delicious breaky of bacon and 'eggy bread'😋

Before showering I took a quick dip in the ocean. My Challenge on this trip is to swim in the sea at every location we camp at, and we will both run at every location too! So far we are on track and hopefully achieve my and our goal!

After a shower we set off to visit Coffee Bay. As I have mentioned in previous posts, as a family we holidayed every year for 16 years at the Lagoon Hotel there. Paramount Chief Kaiser Matanzima (?) who became the first President of the National Party's Republic of the Transkei, which the entire world rejected as a independent state! These were only 'puppets' of the National Party😖

Matanzima personally took control of the Lagoon Hotel and today it lays derelict and in ruin. Sadly most windows gone the odd one still draped with sheets and/or covered over with newspaper and 1980's 'Scope' center-spreads! The entire village which now does boast a beautiful new bridge, is littered with everything possible, bar nothing. The stunning beach is completely empty (no wonder) but for many years of high spring tides, flooded Umtata River debris and pollution and shipping lane wastage, nets and buoys. Flotsam of complete trees and logs and untold volumes of plastic!

Having a beer and wine at the still intact Ocean View hotel, along comes (out of the blue) an old High School & army mate, his wife and her parents Raymond and Liz Keeny, celebrating her father's 88 birthday!More beers and then lunch ended in us arranging getting together for dinner at the Hole in the Wall Hotel this evening.

In the meantime, Karen and I have also discussed our immediate plans. By all accounts, this weather is still set for several days to come and the chances of us sitting it out here in this muddy black clay at 'White Clay', have become more and more remote, with every passing shower! We have made the call to pack up tomorrow morning and to head to Morgan Bay, where by all accounts the weather has passed, and it is time!

Early evening at 18:45 Karen and I in pouring rain and definitely in 4X4 went to join Ray, Liz and folks for dinner to celebrate 'Dad's' 88th. By hook or by crook we returned safely to 'White Clay' still in pouring rain.Read more
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Traveler Auf Reisen
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- Apr 10, 2018, 2:58pm
- ☀️ 23 °C
- Altitude: 14 m
- South Africa Eastern Cape King Sabata Dalindyebo Coffee Bay Nenga -31.9858, 29.1515231°59’9” S 29°9’5” E
Day 52
Coffee Bay
April 10, 2018 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
Tag 2: 13km, 5h, teilweise Regen. Eine Flussquerung, die Babs durchschwimmen musste und Flo gerade noch laufend geschafft hat.
Heute sind wir im Hostel in Coffee Bay geblieben. Flo war surfen, Babs hat mit einem der Hostelhunde zugeschaut.Read more
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fionaontour Meine große Reise
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- Jan 22, 2019, 12:48am
- 🌙 22 °C
- Altitude: 10 m
- South Africa Eastern Cape King Sabata Dalindyebo Coffee Bay Nenga -31.987803, 29.14710831°59’16” S 29°8’50” E
Day 20
Coffee Bay
January 22, 2019 in South Africa ⋅ 🌙 22 °C
Ich bin gestern in Coffee Bay angekommen.
Damit Laura und ich in unsere Hütte kommen, müssen wir einen Fluss überqueren.
Den Abend haben wir an der Bar ausklingen lassen.

Heute hatte ich meine Surf stunde. Eigentlich hatte ich die ganze Woche geplant, allerdings hab ich in den 2 Stunden gemerkt, dass surfen nichts für mich ist.
Wind, Salzwasser und danach Sand. Nicht mein ding!
Die größte Mühe hatte ich gegen die Wellen zu laufen und das Board im Wind zu halten ohne dass ich mit genommen werde :D
Ich bin auf dem Board gestanden, hab ein paar Wellen genommen. Reicht.
Den Rest des Tages hab ich dann noch mit neuen Bekanntschaften am Strand verbracht.
Diese kommen mal nicht aus Deutschland, nur aus der benachbarten Schweiz ;)

Nach dem Sonnenuntergang gab es noch einen Drumcircle zur Feier des Vollmondes.Read more
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True North Travels African Adventure
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- Feb 18, 2020
- 🌧 22 °C
- Altitude: 12 m
- South Africa Eastern Cape King Sabata Dalindyebo Coffee Bay Nenga -31.988807, 29.1468931°59’20” S 29°8’49” E
Day 156
Surfin Coffee Bay
February 18, 2020 in South Africa ⋅ 🌧 22 °C
A damp start to the day, as our tent has completely filled with rainwater. There's a swamp in and around our tent. No time to dry out everything though, as we've signed up for surfing lessons. They are advertised as the cheapest surfing lessons in South Africa, and at 70 Rand (3 quid), it's probably the truth.

We hit the beach with our group, and the conditions for learning look fantastic. Lots of small waves, consistently breaking across the length of the beach. We have the entire place to ourselves, perhaps helped by the fact that the storm is still raging, and we're surfing in a downpour.

That's not the only difference from our Tofo surfing lesson. This time, our instructor teaches a completely new, easier method of surfing, and we pick it up a lot easier. We still don't pick it up immediately- getting stuck in a deeper section of the tide doesn't help. The rain storm, and the rugged coastline, with huge cliffs looming over us, makes us feel like we are surfing the apocalypse. After a couple of hours catching waves, we head back to the hostel. Only problem is that the rain has caused the river separating the beach from the road to burst its banks. What was a small stream a few hours prior is now a raging torrent. It gets worse and worse, so we make the decision to cross before it engulfs the beach. In order to cross, we take it in turns to take a surfboard and cross in pairs, using the board to push against the current. We all make it safely across, with a few nervous stumbles.

After changing out of our wetsuits, we make the decision to take down the tent and move into a room, as the storm is only getting worse. It's a relief, and we're finally able to get dry.

We spend the evening drinking beers with an English couple- Luke and Tay- who are travelling the world. South Africa is their first stop and they're heading to Sri Lanka next. It's strange how it's possible to get travel envy even though we've crossed most of Africa.Read more
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Nenga

Nenga

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Day 27 - Coffee Bay / WildCoast

Coffee Bay

Coffee Bay

Surfin Coffee Bay

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