"It's those red and white ones which will really mess you up. You know the ones from Alice in Wonderland. Boil them in water, drink the tea and you'll want to throw up and will be on the best out of body experience ever." said the 50 year old, clearly quite over experienced man and possibly charged up man.
This is what goes on in Coffee Bay it seems, a place when people, if they want can eat all the shrooms they wish, fill their lungs with the most potent of herbal remedies and for the less adventurous drink the bar dry without having to spend a small fortune.
Now of course, this place wasn't all about the drugs. In the middle of the Transkei (one of the most amazingly scenic places in the world it seems) its easy to think you're in the middle of nowhere, which to be fair you quite literally are. After navigating through potholes which could easily be classed and minor countries we were there, ready to sign up to the adventures on offer. First up hole in the wall.
Trekking, 10km through mud, rain, rocks, sand and s**t (cow/bull/sheep...) you'd think that trainers and board shorts wouldn't be ideal gear. Well you'd probably be right but of course that didn't deter us, onward bound to discover, well a hole in a wall.
Armed with digital cameras, camcorders, mobile phones we probably we're slightly more technologically able than Phillias Fogg et al. Snapping away at the landscape happier than a Japanese fellow in Stately Home we clambered over the terrain then BANG, camcorder overboard, edging closer to the cliff face of the biggest waterfall I have ever walked across (also the only one) when our trusty tour guide pounced on it faster than a speeding bullet. The drink I was carrying had already, ironically gone to it's watery grave. " I think your water has gone man, it's probably too dangerous to climb down to get it." And they say Africans are friendly! Already saved my camera he's wanting to risk his life for my refreshment. Unbloodybelievable.
Now after all of this I was hoping for the 'hole' to be more out a puncture out of a quite medium sized piece of land. Did we just get soaked to the bone, walking 3 hours for this...yes. Quite perplexed the 15 of us who decided to tackle the walk were beginning to think the 50 year old man might be on to something.
The hostel itself was quite a special place, nestled in the heart of the community being the only white person walking round does have a funny feel. I loved it there though, even if we had numerous teenagers trying to sell you the latest thing to grow out of the ground, jump out of the sea or ask you for money.
It may seem that this country may love it's drugs even more, just this morning whilst sitting in a taxi I was offered some cocaine, trying ever excuse for why I didn't want to buy the 'white goods' the taxi driver found this extremely funny. Getting desperate my dealer friend slashed his prices, "I'll give you a good deal, 10zar (80p in old money). Now I'm not an expert but really, how is he making any profit. Put it this way, if he were to face the Dragon's, Peter Jones would be furious.
Time to wrap this chapter up now. A week in South Africa is a long time, especially running on African time (you have to experience it to really know what waiting is!) We've partied and met a couple of teachers from Ireland who loved herbal delicacies, South Africans with the taste of bells whiskey, a Dutch trainee doctor, a handful of Americans and of course the generic German and English characters you can't get away from, all in just 6 days.
Keep tuned guys...
Tim
x
This is what goes on in Coffee Bay it seems, a place when people, if they want can eat all the shrooms they wish, fill their lungs with the most potent of herbal remedies and for the less adventurous drink the bar dry without having to spend a small fortune.
Now of course, this place wasn't all about the drugs. In the middle of the Transkei (one of the most amazingly scenic places in the world it seems) its easy to think you're in the middle of nowhere, which to be fair you quite literally are. After navigating through potholes which could easily be classed and minor countries we were there, ready to sign up to the adventures on offer. First up hole in the wall.
Trekking, 10km through mud, rain, rocks, sand and s**t (cow/bull/sheep...) you'd think that trainers and board shorts wouldn't be ideal gear. Well you'd probably be right but of course that didn't deter us, onward bound to discover, well a hole in a wall.
Armed with digital cameras, camcorders, mobile phones we probably we're slightly more technologically able than Phillias Fogg et al. Snapping away at the landscape happier than a Japanese fellow in Stately Home we clambered over the terrain then BANG, camcorder overboard, edging closer to the cliff face of the biggest waterfall I have ever walked across (also the only one) when our trusty tour guide pounced on it faster than a speeding bullet. The drink I was carrying had already, ironically gone to it's watery grave. " I think your water has gone man, it's probably too dangerous to climb down to get it." And they say Africans are friendly! Already saved my camera he's wanting to risk his life for my refreshment. Unbloodybelievable.
Now after all of this I was hoping for the 'hole' to be more out a puncture out of a quite medium sized piece of land. Did we just get soaked to the bone, walking 3 hours for this...yes. Quite perplexed the 15 of us who decided to tackle the walk were beginning to think the 50 year old man might be on to something.
The hostel itself was quite a special place, nestled in the heart of the community being the only white person walking round does have a funny feel. I loved it there though, even if we had numerous teenagers trying to sell you the latest thing to grow out of the ground, jump out of the sea or ask you for money.
It may seem that this country may love it's drugs even more, just this morning whilst sitting in a taxi I was offered some cocaine, trying ever excuse for why I didn't want to buy the 'white goods' the taxi driver found this extremely funny. Getting desperate my dealer friend slashed his prices, "I'll give you a good deal, 10zar (80p in old money). Now I'm not an expert but really, how is he making any profit. Put it this way, if he were to face the Dragon's, Peter Jones would be furious.
Time to wrap this chapter up now. A week in South Africa is a long time, especially running on African time (you have to experience it to really know what waiting is!) We've partied and met a couple of teachers from Ireland who loved herbal delicacies, South Africans with the taste of bells whiskey, a Dutch trainee doctor, a handful of Americans and of course the generic German and English characters you can't get away from, all in just 6 days.
Keep tuned guys...
Tim
x
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