I should mention our route of travel. GAP has provided a new bus and a driver, and the 16 of us all travel in relative comfort and air-conditioning. My only complaint is that the bucket seats were clearly designed for someone about 80 pounds lighter than me. Although I don't claim to be the fittest I've ever been, only small-statured North American males would actually fit in those damn seats.
We started this day with a 7 hour drive to Haga Haga. Again, the road provided fantastic African countryside, complimented by mountains, bush, and very small villages with huts and tiny-but-bustling markets. I'm still trying to figure out how these women can carry 40 pound loads on their heads and it doesn't waver an inch...
The most interesting of our stops was in the town of Mthatha. This is the childhood home of Nelson Mandela, where we saw one of his current homes. Mandela, turning 90 this year, has just about everything in this town named after him. And for good reason.
I will take a moment to opine about my views on the South African culture and economy. Traveling through the interior, it is quite obvious of the discrepancy of wealth and resources. A majority of the area we've seen in S.A. is clearly populated by very poor people lacking things such as running water or electricty. A majority of the people live in what we'd call boxcars or the mushroom-shaped huts with grass roofs. At this point, there appears to be two parallel universes existing in South Africa. The cities such as Durban, Cape Town, and Johannesburg, and then everything else. It is like this in many countries I've visited, but the depths of poverty in S. Africa I think are unique in quantity. Especially for a country so rich in other ways. To remember, April 27, 1994 is "Freedom Day" in S.A., the day the constitution approving racial equality was passed with a new constitution. It is quite interesting to be in a country where freedom is such a new concept and a high majority of the population can remember the day they couldn't vote or own property.
Before I get too reflective, I'll get back to the facts at hand. We arrived at Haga Haga Beach Resort, a fine spot on the beaches of the Wild Coast. This is our 2nd time to travel with GAP, and never have we had accommodations like this. We all received 2-story beach houses to share (ours was with Mart-our guide). Two bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, kitchen, and a bedroom deck opening out with an full direct view of the Indian Ocean. The bedroom was about 20 feet from the crashing surf and rocks. The view--fantastic. You could put this beach anywhere on any island in Hawaii---it would be right at the top of the list for most beautiful beaches. You'll have to see the pictures.
Terri and I walked the beach and snapped the sunset as it retracted over the mountains to the west. Dinner was out on the patio next to the beach, enjoying a bottle of wine and stories with our entire group.
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