Mdumbi - a week at the seaside

Well everyone, we've finished up another week in another location (I'm pretty sure, by the last count, I've slept in 13 different beds in 10 different cities) and it's time to chat up on the adventures. 

After our weekend of fun in J-Bay, we traveresd up the coast to a place called Mdumbi Backpackers for a mix of R&R and classes.  It was absolutely beautiful there - remote and laid-back, right on the shore of the Indian Ocean.  The place itself is really cool, not only are they trying to be low-impact and sustainable, but they also had members of the village community as shareholders in Mdumbi Backpackers itself.  Which is super cool, when you think of the poverty that exists in the country.

Rondavels on the way to Coffee Bay

We lived in little round huts with thatched roofs called Rondavels - apparently, according to tradtion, they used to build round houses because demons/devils would hid in corners and under things.  They were remarkably cool (it was super humid living right next to the ocean) but not exactly bug-proof.  Mimi and I ran across our fair share of spiders, newts and... *shudder* cockroaches.  And these were not your average, tiny, North American cockroaches.  No.  These were monstrous little buggers with WINGS!  Talk about taking something icky and making it worse!!!  Luckily it was only on the last night that I caught one crawling over my pilliows or I'm not quite sure how I would have slept all week.

The beach at Mdumbi was just lovely.  Minus the fact that it lay at the bottom of a freaking hill.  Like the cottage, only worse (steeper and with a gravel path that hurt my tender little tootsies).  But it was worth it when you got there because it was pretty much deserted (except for a herd of cattle or two).  Just this stretch of soft sand and big waves.  Perfect for running in the mornings and surfing in the afternoons.  I got out a couple times on a long board, but one afternoon I decided I just had to try a short board.  You know, the ones the experienced surfers use.  I was fairly sure it was going to end in some sort of spectacular wipeout, but I thought to myself, "Sandy, you've got the chance to try a real surfboard on the ocean in Africa, why they heck not?!".  My prediction came true with stunning accuracy.  Caught a wave like a master, moved to stand up and face-planted like a pro.  Spectacular.  After which I went right back to a long board :)

One morning we hiked over to Coffee Bay - another surfing hot spot on the coast.  It took us ~4 hours and the view was just breathtaking.  Brightly coloured Rondavels, jutting coastline, cliff jumping, caves to walk through, the sound of the surf and a pod of dolphins (you could also see them from our beach which was super cool!).  After we reached our destination, we trekked over to a pizzeria for a late lunch.  MmMmm delicious!

On our last day in Mdumbi (the Friday) we had a Guy Appreciation Day, just to let our boys know just how awesome we think they are.  The events of the day had me in stitches every now and then - taping each other to walls, sand-pictionary, taping eggs to their stomachs and then attempting to smash everyone else's egg, a superhero dress-up dinner... It was a great day.  And we got the best bodysurfing waves of the week!

our beach at Mdumbi

Another great thing about Mdumbi being so remote is the lack of light in the evening.  We got a few spectacular star-gazing nights (I really need to learn some of the constellations here) and also a few of the most incredible thunderstorms I've ever seen.  One evening we ate outside because the lightning was so amazing. It would start as sheet lightning, flickering away before transforming into a single bolt that multiplied into a 12 pronged fork as it travelled across the sky.  I've never seen ANYTHING like it. 

I think that about covers the week.  The rest of the time I spent in a hammock, reading and drinking tea.  It was fabulous :)

Lots of love,
Sandy