2/24 thru 2/25

Drove through some more the majestic Drakensburg Mountains to the "Wild Coast" to the small town of Port St. John on the Indian Ocean. Giant cliffs come down to the ocean and there is always a sea breeze here. We found a restaurant in our Lonely Planet book called "Wooden Spoon.", but when we got there it appeared to be in some one's house. A hippie-dippie family was on the porch and a "naked" baby was running around. We decided not to eat there. We had read this place is a haven for hippies and it seemed to be true. A local man recommended the N.E.W.S. cafe and we enjoyed a cheese toastie with chips and a local cake dessert-sort of a passion fruit cheesecake-all for only R98 or $11. We drove on to East London, also on the Indian Ocean and a large town. Glad we had aircon in our little car as we needed it in this area. We passed through Nelson Mandella's childhood hometown near East London. As we travel, as mentioned before, people are walking alongside the road, balancing baskets on their heads, going to market, sitting alongside the road and generally out and about. Most towns have a Saturday market day, just as Beulaville did 70 years ago. But, something unusual is that all the grocery stores close by 5:30 or 6: p.m. everyday and even earlier on Sunday, as do the malls, even in the big cities. They don't seem to know anything about shopping in the evening. While driving we have to navigate around people, goats, cows, bicycle riders, chickens, sheep and other obstacles. And, we drive about 65 miles per hour, the average speed limit on two lane roads. However, there is usually a decent shoulder on the road and others get over so you can pass, making a two lane road a three lane road! Some of the small huts that people live in out in the country are painted different colors, like Carolina blue or pink, which makes for a colorful landscape dotting the mountains and valleys. The colors indicate their tribe. We stayed at the Devereux Lodge in East London, R560. Tried to find a local dance we read about, but could not find it. We went to St. Georges Presbyterian Church in East London on Sunday. They sang "Bringing in the Sheaths," which Doug had not heard in 50 years. It was a mixed congregation, with a Black minister, mostly lower middle class folks attending the service. Had lunch at a restaurant in the local Spar supermarket on the beach. We ended up there as there was a outdoor market next door.

Drove down the Sunshine Coast, toward Port Elizabeth. In the middle of nowhere, we stopped and had home-made meat pies for lunch-beef curry and bean and spinach and feta cheese. Meat pies were traditionally baked for workers to take to lunch and originated with the British coalminers-they are similar to our potpies, with less gravy and more meat. Two pies, coffee and dessert cost $7. We stayed at the Bay Hotel in Port Elizabeth (recommended by Lonely Planet) for $55 with full English breakfast-a good value. Most places we stay include a full breakfast in the price. We had dinner in Port Elizabeth at a fantastic restaurant called Blue Water Cafe for $35. Enjoyed chicken and shrimp curry, french fried Camembert shrimp and fresh baked mushrooms with spinach and mozzarella cheese. They prepare mushrooms in numerous ways-fried, baked, sauteed. We bought a magazine/book called "Eat Out" in a Johannesburg bookstore called CNA (like Barnes & Noble in the US) and it had so many good recommendations for restaurants all over South Africa. This restaurant was in that book as well as our Lonely Planet book. Without these two sources, we would not have found as many nice places to sleep and eat.