Jeffreys Bay

So here we are, day 2 of the Garden route tour. We all slept well despite the early start this morning which was meet at 7am for breakfast. Breakfast was a mixture of continental and, if you wanted anything hot, then it was cooked for you on the spot, so I had a bit of fruit and yoghurt along with some fried eggs on toast which was a delicious start to the day.

The weather this morning was overcast so rather than going to the beach first thing. we decided to go and do the horse riding along the beach first when we arrived at Jeffreys Bay. I was so excited to be back on a horse again and even more so to be going along the beach. What I never realised though was how beautiful the beach would be although I will describe that more when I get there. The bus ride was only an hour and we had DJ Annie in the front playing some really good and varied music, turns out her taste is very similar to mine; bit of country with some old bangers thrown in. What did throw me a bit is for a while I zoned out and due to the overcast weather along with driving on the left, as we were driving past green fields with cattle or horses it made me forget that I was in South Africa for a few moments, it was only when I reached the stables did I remember I was abroad. Due to not having my proper riding gear and not wanting the saddle to pinch I wrapped bandages around my calves to help protect them. Thankfully, the stables provided hats although it was not a necessity to wear them which I found rather barbaric that they would let people go out without them especially being such a high-risk sport. After we signed in, we were paired up with our horse according to our experience, surprisingly I was considered to be advanced, so I was placed on a beautiful old girl called Agafe who was 26 years old and a thoroughbred/warmblood cross. Despite her age, she still had a lot of fire in her soul and enjoyed being at the front of the herd leading the way. What I found strange was how I did not know my way at all, so I just controlled the speed whilst Agafe controlled the route which I just found to be so odd as in a sense I did not feel in control. We rode along the trail and into the dunes for around 40 minutes at just a steady walk till we reached the sand. I was leading all this way until Jeff, our driver who also turns out to be an experienced horse rider, trotted ahead of me. He told me "come" so I did, next thing I know we are racing through the dunes faster than I have ever gone before. We were riding in an Australian saddle but with English stirrups; the Australian saddle is a very comfy seat but down the side of the saddle where the flap on an English saddle is, there is nothing just the stirrup and girth so there was no knee grip which I never realised how much I used back home especially when standing up. So when we started galloping through the dunes and I tried to stand up and grip to maintain my leg position, it all just fell to pieces and my heel came up and foot slipped through the stirrup so now I have a lovely bump just at the bottom of my shin where I kept catching it, although by the end of the ride I felt my posture had improved a

lot; clearly I need to do some posture work back at home still though. Jeff and me eventually came to a halt at what I thought was a dead end but apparently not, we were going to go up the steep hill next to us, and when I say steep, I am talking around 70-75 degrees steep. I would never have thought this would have been possible on foot let alone horseback but here we were about to gallop up the hill before walking the final few steps to the top. I leaned as far as I could forward yet still, I did not feel far enough, my stomach was touching the front of the saddle, my face touching her mane, my hands up by her ears and yet she strode up there against the deep sand as if it was easy. When we reached the top, me and Jeff dismounted as we waited for the others and enjoyed the view towards the sea over the pure white sand in front of us that we would soon be riding over as well as to allow our horses to rest. The rest of the group who were either beginners or novices caught up with us after around 15 minutes, I was surprised

at how well they all managed to get up the hill as it was no easy task. Once they all reached us, a few of the girths needed adjusting as well as a few of the saddles needed shifting forwards so all of us managed to enjoy the view for a bit longer until we were all ready. Once all the adjustments had been made, we set off down the other side which thankfully was less steep and just admired the beauty of the beach, truthfully it was like something you only expect to see in the movies. We started off just walking at first but soon we found ourselves all trotting over the sand dunes heading ever closer to the sea. Once we had made it over the final dune and reached the beach, the horses all pricked their ears and headed over towards the water. We went close enough to the sea that the waves just lapped at their hooves as they cantered through the water. Before I even had time to take in all the views. Jeff came galloping up beside me and challenged me to a race, so obviously I had to oblige. I squeezed Agafe on and she absolutely flew, although admittedly Jeff still won as his horse was not only bigger but also younger, but I didn’t care as I had forgot what it felt like to feel the wind in your hair in that way, just pure magic. As we rode through the water, my feet and legs got drenched and when Jeff overtook me, my face also ended up covered in sand, but nothing could have ruined this moment for me. After a bit, we brought the horses back to a walk to allow the others to catch up as well as our valiant steeds to catch their breath again before the next burst of energy came. When the others caught up, we charged off again; by this point I had adjusted my position to the saddle and it was so smooth, comfy and magical. Agafe knew what she was doing and just galloped along the beach, ears pricked and the feeling that overcame me was extraordinary, so I dropped the reins, spread my arms wide and flew along the beach, my lungs unable to take in all the oxygen that I was breathing in. I started crying with happiness as I flew along the sand, just taking in everything with all my senses; the feel of the wind against me, the feel of the horse beneath me, the sounds of her hooves hitting the sand and the water, the smell of the clean air, the taste of the salt from the sea as it splashed me in the face and finally, the sight of the pristine beach and dunes which were so stunning. It was hard to believe it could be real; quite simply living in the moment that had been presented to me. We must have been on the beach for around 10km before we slowed and turned right, back over some dunes and back towards the stables up a hill. Everyone, even the beginners loved the experience of being free with the power of this magnificent creature beneath you next to the power of the sea. We arrived back at the stables feeling sweaty, exhilarated but most of all free.

We all got back on the bus and began our journey to our hostel where we would be spending the night, it was right in the heart of Jeffreys Bay and called Island Vibes. When we got there a man called Moses gave us a tour round, he showed us the unisex bathrooms which also doubled up as a corridor which I found a bit strange, the way down to the beach, the relaxation area which had a couple of hammocks as well as sunbeds, then finally the bar. The whole hostel had such a nice feel about it and felt inviting. There were quite a few people already here although they all looked like such

stereotypical surfing people with dreadlocks, tan, beards and just really hippie looking. We decided here would be a good place to have lunch, so I ordered myself calamari wrap with some fries and vodka with lemonade, it tasted incredible, so full of flavour and I cannot fault the service either. Once we were all done, we were able to check into our rooms which were all bunk beds with a little shelf and safe situated behind your head; the room felt light and airy although incredibly hot due to the heating which was on for some bizarre reason. We were sharing the room with 8 other people I think although we didn’t really cross paths, so we never spoke to them, but I think from hearing them when they said hello, they were from Germany. We quickly unpacked what we could before heading into town to have a browse in the shops as a few of them were outlet stores so all of us love a good bargain. I bought myself a t-shirt that had the shape of Africa on it in an olive colour for £10 and then an off the shoulder flowery top which was only £15. I did see so many other amazing bits including a mug with an elephant head as the handle, but I just wouldn’t have been able to pack them and get them home, which is just so gutting, I guess this is the downside to back packing for a long time. By the time we finished our little shopping spree we all felt so tired so we decided it would be time to go back for an afternoon nap or, in my case, an afternoon sleep as we were all feeling so groggy. I must have slept for

around 2 hours but once I woke up, I felt so much better and could now actually take it all in properly. After the others had their naps, they went off for a walk along the beach. We all got ready and met at 19.00 for dinner which was going to be a local place called 'Awethu', it was situated in a township which in short, is the poorer part of the town but also more authentic. I did not recognise a single thing on the menu which made it difficult to choose but equally this is what experiencing the culture is all about, in the end I went for a wrapped bobotie which was minced beef, with potato, some kind of bean and raisin wrapped in a pancake served with some pumpkin and corn on the side. Jeff joined us as it was his recommendation, so he also helped us by explaining what things were. It had a slight kick to it but tasted incredible and was surprisingly more filling than what it looked. We all then decided to treat ourselves to some dessert, so I opted for something called a milk tart which to me looked like melted ice-cream of sorts in a pancake then sprinkled with cinnamon; it was very light and tasty even though it was not quite in the presentation that I expected. The two courses plus a glass of red wine, bottle of water and tip only cost me £8! I was so shocked at how cheap it was especially as it was so tasty and filling.
The drive back to the hostel took less than 10 minutes so we decided to all go sit in the bar and have a drink as well as see what was going on. I went up to the bar to get my drink and the

bartender asked me where I was from so, I told him England then he said let me guess, is it Essex and I was shocked how he had got that from the small amount of conversation we had had especially as I never thought I had a strong Essex accent but clearly, even in South Africa, the Essex people are famous. In the bar, there was a game of beer pong going on, so we sat near that and just watched the others playing as we didn’t really want to drink that much today knowing we were getting up early tomorrow to head off to our next stop. Some of the people playing though, their aim was impeccable as every throw they got straight in the cup, which I could never do.

So that brings me to now, around 23.00 sitting in bed typing this trying to block out the noise from the bar so that I can settle and hopefully fall asleep, fingers crossed my earplugs should help.

Next stop, Tsitsikamma!