An Unexpected Journey...

Finally, the time has come!

It's summer vacation! - My next adventure begins.

How? - I don't know yet. My parents managed to convince me not to go on a solo road trip with a car.

The only thing I know so far about my journey is that it is supposed to lead along the East Coast.

While my travel plans slowly took shape, I spent a week in Port Elizabeth and got my diving license.

Unfortunately, the conditions in the ocean were not ideal. The water was icy cold, visibility was poor, and even the fish stopped swimming against the current. However, we did see a tiny shark and had unforgettable experiences in a different world.

Apart from the diving course, my time in PE was relaxed. I spent the days at the beach, visiting markets, or going out in the evenings.

Then everything happened very quickly. I drove back to Alexandria in the afternoon, packed my backpack, and the next morning I was already on my way to the Wild Coast.

My first stop was Chintsa. Unfortunately, it was raining continuously while I was there. After the beach ride, where everyone came back dripping and soaked, I canceled my planned surf course, which I had been too motivated about, and preferred to stay under a blanket.

Life on the Wild Coast is a bit more primitive. The towns are bustling, with many small roadside stalls selling things like clothes or food. One of them is Mthata, from where a shuttle goes to the hostel in Coffee Bay, but they forgot to pick me up. So there I was, alone at the gas station, not knowing anyone. After a few panicked calls, everything was quickly resolved and the taxi turned around to pick me up.

The road to Coffee Bay is more like a dirt road than a proper road, and cows, goats, or other animals constantly cross the road as you drive through the villages. The Xhosa people here live in self-built round huts with thatched roofs.

In Coffee Bay, I hiked to the 'Hole in the Wall'. 3 hours of hiking may not sound like much, but when the entire route consists of ups and downs, it becomes tiring. After a quick dip in the water, another girl and I returned to the hostel because we had a surf lesson later that day. We mustered up our last bit of energy and managed to catch a few waves - more or less.

The next morning, I hiked to the next accommodation in Mdumbi with Luisa, a girl from the hostel, heading in the general direction of 'somehow walking along the coast'. We couldn't rely on Google Maps for directions here.

The path led through some Xhosa villages, and the children came up to us curiously, walked with us through the village for a while, and waved goodbye. I was lucky enough to slip and fall into a few rivers while crossing them.

Later, we finally voluntary went for a swim, walked along the beach for a while, and after 4 hours of hiking, which consisted mainly of ups and downs, we finally reached our hostel.

I had never had such intense muscle soreness in my entire life as after those 2 days of hiking. The following day, I spent as little time moving as possible or getting a massage. In the evening, there was a singer performing at the hostel and we could see the Milky Way in the sky.

The next day, we continued our journey together with minibuses. Even though I had been warned many times not to get into them, the people were helpful. They dropped us off directly at the next taxi we had to transfer to and curiously asked us where we were heading. Unfortunately, our paths diverged here; Luisa continued to the Drakensberg Mountains, and I went to Port St. Johns.

Port St. Johns is a somewhat western village on the 'Wild Coast', with the hairiest beach in the world. Like almost everywhere, there are small stalls here where food is sold. At one of them, you could choose a live chicken and have it freshly grilled. In the hostel, I immediately met Gabrielle, a French girl who had arrived recently and also worked as a volunteer in a school.

The next day, we walked together with a small group and a few dogs through the forest to a waterfall, from which we jumped from 8 meters high.

The next day, we went on a little hike to a cliff, climbed down, and visited a 'blowhole' from which water is supposed to come out in fountains, although it rarely happens due to the tides. However, after hours of watching the water, we saw dolphins.

It was the first time I celebrated Christmas without my family and in the summer. To mark the occasion, Gabrielle and I sat on the dunes by the beach with a bottle of champagne and watched people celebrating a beach Christmas party, swimming, and grilling together.