ZAHELO: Port St Johns, Coffee Bay, Morgans Bay and HOME

Port St Johns, Coffee Bay, Morgans Bay and HOME

Our 2 days at Port St John’s were spent relaxing, enjoying some quality time with my (Mia) parents and exploring the area. My dad (Bok) had spent most of his childhood holidays here and thus appointed himself tour guide. He showed us the 3 beaches (1^st, 2nd and 3rd) and all the places they had spear fished and dived for crayfish when they were boys. On the beaches we often saw herds of cattle as well as boards warning us of the possible shark threat. Second beach is known to be the world’s number one risk for shark attacks. The reason for the sharks is believed to be the slaughtering of these cattle on the beaches.

Cremorne Lodge at Port St Johns

Hennie,Mia and Ma Nina....with the shark warning at 2nd beach

Cattle on second beach at Port St Johns

The area is beautiful with lush green forests and thick grass carpets right next to the ocean, really something to see, but I could see my Dad’s disappointment in how the town itself has deteriorated. The hotel that used to be one of the main attractions is in ruins with shrubs and trees growing inside what used to be Port St John’s pride and joy. Most of the building are falling apart and have not seen any maintenance in the last 10 years. The roads are worn and town center looks like a typical African market place. There are still a few holiday resorts and B&B’s but not nearly as many as there used to be.

We were still really keen for some crayfish and were told by some of the locals that “Poenskop” was the place to go. This wild goose chase lead us to an area my Dad had not seen before, which was spectacular. The road, challenging as usual, lead us through many little rural houses, over the most beautiful green hills and streams all along the coast. The road ended at Poenskop, a pretty little grass covered hill facing the ocean. It was well worth the drive but unfortunately did not deliver any of the promised crayfish. The White Snail (My Dad’s bakkie has to have a nickname too) was so confident after the previous days achievement that he had to drive all the way to the top!!

Poenskop near Port St Johns

The" White Snail" does it again

Little Transkei Houses

I thoroughly enjoyed being a passenger for once and not a driver on this particular road. It was, like all these wild coast roads, filled with cattle, sheep, donkeys, horses, dogs and children…all free range.LOL

LOL

Back at the resort Hennie did some last maintenance on the two bikes making sure they were good to take us home, while the rest of us took a well deserved afternoon nap. Instead of crayfish we had fillet on the braai that night and one of my mom’s best “moerby” stir fries!

Last bit of maintenance

Mia and Bok post afternoon nap

Coffee with Ma Nina

After a good breakfast we said our goodbyes to my parents who were on their way home and made our way down the winding road to Coffee bay. Luckily for us the road had been tarred all the way and, despite the many potholes, wasn’t too bad. Coffee Bay is a tiny little coastal town with a river mouth, a campsite and many backpackers and B&B.
It is 8kms from the famous Hole in the Wall. The campsite has recently come under new management and is really worth checking out. It is in an indigenous forest literally on the beach. The forest is amazing with wild orchids growing in the trees and thick lush vegetation surrounding each campsite. We loved it. The only down side was the many “killer” mosquitoes. Check out www.coffeebaycamp.co.za.

The view from our tent

Coffee Bay Camp

We took one bike to view the Hole in the Wall, once again a beautifully scenic road.

The stunning walk to Hole in the wall

Hole in the wall

Back in town we had a beer at one of the backpackers. Here we experienced the vibe/atmosphere Coffee Bay is famous for. Hippies and Surfers all high on “life” chilling in Zen- like gardens. Everywhere you see signs advertising yoga classes, fire dancing and drumming. We sat next to the river mouth a little too long and got many offers to buy a little something to help get you to the same ‘high” place everyone else seemed to be on.

Coffee on Coffee Bay's beach

Up early thanks to the killer mosquitoes we left for Kei Mouth. We decided to take the tar road there as there had been a lot of rain recently which meant the coastal road would be bad and take long. I know Hennie would have preferred this route but my passion for dirt roads has taking a bit of a knock after Sani Pass.

Road to Kei Mouth Ferry

We crossed the Kei River with a ferry which was a lot of fun.

Kei Mouth River

Kei Mouth Ferry

Kei Mouth was a huge disappointment and left us with the same feeling Port St John’s and Zim had. Everything in ruins. Hennie knows the area well as they had spent many holidays here and was very shocked to see the once proud campsites and hotels broken down and run down. We decided to drive about 10km further to Morgan’s Bay where we found a stunning campsite and a standing hotel…yeah! This was to be our last night camping…..hard to believe our adventure has come to an end.

Morgan's bay Campsite

Our last night in our tent

For old time sake we were woken up at 3am by a thunderstorm. We were by now lazy campers and did not pitch the waterproof cover of our tent so we ran around in the dark trying to cover the tent and the bikes. Needles to say we were once again soaking wet by the end of it...oh well.

Very appropriately we met a very special family at the campsite. We shared our story and a few laughs with them and when we said goodbye on our last morning and they asked whether they could share a bible reading and prayer with us. It was incredibly special and the message is one that we will keep close to our hearts as we now journey to our next adventure. Thank you so much to Uncle Oliver and his family for their blessings and prayers.

Uncle Oliver & Family

Morgan's Bay

Hennie on Taruk

Beautiful

I know we both ended the last day’s travel with a warmth and gratitude in our hearts, and though we were sad that it had come to an end we were glad to be home and excited about what was to come.

We had a quick coffee with our good friend Thomas van Dyk in East London, and were met by Hennie’s parents at Nanaga about 50km from Port Elizabeth. One of the best thing about being home was to see our dog, Storm!

Hello Thomas - East London

Hennie with Ma Miriam and Pa Hennie at Nanaga

We have decided to include our first weekend home as the final chapter of our blog because it was so special. Our friends had organized to take us away on a surprise weekend. As you all know by now we are on our way to Canada where we will be for at least the next 3 years or so. This was thus a welcome back but also a Farewell party.

Hey Alicia...I'm just as happy to see you!!

Hello Toom, Thanx for everything!

We were given a chinese lantern and watched it soar

We were taken to the beautiful Sundays River near Kirkwood where we spent the weekend fishing, kayaking, swimming and catching up. Thank you to Thomas and Alicia for organizing this and to everyone else who helped and joined. It was so so special!! We just had to add some photos. And at last Hennie caught his fish…..although it’s not a Tiger the size of the Carp made up for it!...2.8kg whoopee!!