The beauty that is the Wild Coast

by Zonwabele Tshayana (South Africa)

Making a local connection South Africa

I went on a work trip to Zithulele Hospital in Mqanduli, and upon finishing what we went to do, I decided to take the route that is most loved by international tourists. I had the right car for the trip, a 4X4 Toyota Double Cab bakkie, since the route is almost 75% on gravel road. I asked for directions from the locals and I set off. The road would take me via the famous Hole in The Wall, Dwesa Beach, Tenza Beach, Kei Mouth all through to Cintsa Bay. The rolling hills fused with the waves of the ocean made for a beautiful trip that I never imagined. That I was travelling alone on a Friday morning meant I had the whole day to enjoy the scenery and explore. One thing I had learnt from my late grandfather whenever we took a trip was to minimize taking pictures, but instead spend my time taking in the scenes in my mind to create lasting memories. I won't lie, it was tempting to just snap away and take pictures, but I would have missed a lot had I done that. I made sure that the only sound that was there was that of the diesel engine as I slowly made my way, stopping frequently to view some of the villages or the hills, taking in the beauty that was surrounding me. One of my stops was at the Hole in The Wall, which the local isiXhosa people call "Esikhalweni/Esikhaleni". Here all I could do was to marvel at the natural beauty and the power of nature. That the locals who grew up around this magnificent beauty didn't really appreciate it points to the fact that we seldom take note of beauty that is part of our daily lives. After spending almost an hour at the Hole in The Wall, I continued with my journey past Dwesa Beach, which is one of the well kept and natural beaches you can find. My journey was made fun by the fact that I was all alone and relied mostly on the locals for directions, and they were ever so keen to assist. It was only in the afternoon that I finally reached Kei River Mouth. I had heard how one has to cross the river using a ferry before, and I had no idea of how the ferry was. I won't lie, when I saw the ferry, I was a bit sceptical, looking at how it was, and that it is an old ferry. That I don't know how to swim and I am aquaphobic didn't help at all, but my sense of adventure wouldn't let me go. Through the fears, and the scepticism, my mind kept telling me to do it. See, my belief is simple, do it so that you have a personal story to tell. When my car was lined up to be loaded onto the ferry, I made a short prayer, that if the ferry capsizes, I should have a heart attack and die before being drowned. Loadigg was done and we set off for the other side of the river mouth. It was scary but enjoyable at the same time. At least I could boast to my friends later on that I too had taken the ferry. The thing is, though the route is easily accessible, very few people have taken it. What made me do it was the fact that there is a proposed toll road that is proposed which will pass through the same route, and I couldn't let the opportunity to be among those who used the ferry pass me by. When we landed on the other side, I was informed of a shop that sells fresh fish on the Cintsa side, and there was no way I'd go without tasting their fish. It was an adventure that I had not planned but that turned out to be one unforgettable experience. I'm planning to take my wife and sons on the trip soon before they build the toll road. We're it up to me, I'd ask the government to leave the route as is, and build their toll road a bit further than this magnificent route.