Chilling out

28/07/10

The flu took forever to shift and was the replaced by a stomach bug. Along with a few other minor frustrations and it's enough to make me have the odd occasion when I just wish I was back at home. Being sick for a while, living in a tent, moving all the time, and having to deal with the immense frustration of having to locate items of clothes in a rucksack (anything you need is always at the bottom), is all starting to wear a little thin.

From Warner Beach we drove to Umtentweni, just north of Port Shepstone. We stayed at The Spot Backpackers, a place with a great location right on the beach, but sheltered and warm. It's owned by a cool surfing guy. You can just grab a board and go have a try. I got as far as sticking my feet in, but it's about 20 degrees, so there's no temptation for swimming. Apart from a shortage of comfy places to lounge (you appreciate these things when you don't have a bed to sit on), The Spot was really nice. We were going to spend two nights there but it was the weekend and the place got invaded by two South African families and their five kids. They took over the whole place. Kids shouting and running around, and oblivious parents having high decibel conversations across a table until late. The fathers were up playing pool and table tennis at 7.00 am. We apologized to the understanding owner, packed up and left a day early.

In Leisure Bay we stayed at a fantastic place called Ku-Boboyi Lodge. Still not worked out how to pronounce the name and daren't ask the owner who's French and managed to make the name 'Eric' sound unrecognizable the first time I asked. He has turned his home into a spectacular guesthouse, perched high on a hill overlooking the ocean, it's a beautiful place with great African decor and vibe. You can sit on the veranda or in the pool and watch whales and dolphins go by. Eric is a chef by profession and for under £10 he'll cook you a 'surprise' meal that is 4 courses of fine dining. He is a real character and our stay there was amazing. As well as three dogs, he has a tame chicken. It lives in the house, follows you around, lays eggs in random places, and sits perched on a chair at the head of the table during dinner. It was standing in the corridor staring at me when I came out of the shower, a surprisingly unnerving experience.
Sadly I don't really have any pictures from this part of the trip.