The Adventure Begins

8.15 on a chilly Saturday morning and the group begins to gather at UKZN. Luggage is unloaded from cars, from shopping trolleys, carried by an entourage of well-wishers. The bus is “lost” – somewhere in Albert Luthuli Street and none of us can remember which street was renamed after this great man! The pile of luggage, bedding and teaching aids grows and becomes a mountain, and we look at it with growing horror – how will we fit it all in?
Finally Jane drives in, leading the bus, and the mountain of luggage is stowed away by Simon, the driver. Surprisingly, it all fits in. The Umngazi group set off, followed shortly after by the Mbotyi group – after a delay while we load all Maurus’s luggage – Neil says we should call him “More-ish” because of the amount of luggage.

Just past Ixopo, Neil is stopped at a police road block and we wonder what is going on – but we press on anyway, leaving him to the cops! Fortunately, just a vehicle check and he is soon behind us again. Soon we start to see snow on the mountains, and as we approach Kokstad, the air gets colder and colder and we imagine what it must have been like earlier in the week with the snow blocking the road and closing schools. An encounter with a speeding and overloaded cabbage lorry makes us all glad to stop at Kokstad for fuel and a snack. I work out that I haven’t been to Kokstad since I was 21 – too many years ago to want to count them.

Up through Brooke’s Nek where there is still snow lying in dirty clumps on the side of the road and there are taxis and lorries to slow us down. Driving through Flagstaff is an experience – a lorry loading concrete blocks on the right hand side of the road, while the shop they come from is on the left, the inevitable furniture shops, KFC and 3 Chinese shops in a row. I think about stopping there to see if I can find a costume for our “One Night in Bangkok” dance – but if we stop, I wonder how we will ever get out again. We see a pedestrian run between the cars and be knocked down by a bakkie – luckily, the traffic has to go so slowly that he gets up, laughing, and runs off.

Just past Lusikisiki, we part ways with the bus to drop off our passengers and luggage at Mbotyi. It’s a fascinating drive through the Magwa Tea plantation and then through the Mboyti State Forest. Wonderful trees, and not too much alien invasive vegetation to be seen. The road has been washed out in places in the recent rains, but with 4x4 we manage it easily. The worst part is the last 200m before the cottage and Jane has to drive like a buccaneer to get through the mud in her 2x4 vehicle.
The “cottage” is a series of huts and rooms, which has been in Jane’s family for generations. It faces the river, and behind it, about 300m up the hill, is the beach. It was fascinating to see the cows lying on the beach, and little children playing with their wire cars on the sand. Two fisherman are waiting on the verandah with a bag of crayfish and a huge bowl of mussels for supper. We’d like to stay, but need to push on to Umngazi before dark.

It’s a longer drive to Port St John’s than I realised, and then a longer drive to the resort than expected. We get there just as it’s getting dark. It is beautifully laid out and wonderfully situated. We have a staff suite, right near the slipway – very comfortable and nice and private. The students are in the training centre and have a great work room, although they feel a bit squashed in their bedrooms. A few grumbles about the food, but everyone agrees that they will get used to it once they have had the chance to do a bit of supplementary shopping. We eat in the dining room and my diet could be in real trouble if I am not careful. We decide to start as we mean to go on – fish, salad and soup – I pass on the crayfish and pretend the puddings aren’t there. We do the same at breakfast – nothing we wouldn’t normally eat at home.

In the morning we take a drive to Port St John’s – and all 12 students come with us! We go slowly round the potholes and work out where Vukandlula school is – quite a walk from the lodge, but the last 100m is the only steep part. Tomorrow we will find Sicambeni and Cwebeni. Port St John’s is muddled, dirty and very crowded near the shops – but the river is beautiful and when we have more time, we will enjoy the beach. Pete meets a ghillie, Excellent, who offers to take him out fishing tomorrow or the next day.

Tomorrow the work starts – we’re all feeling a little nervous as we don’t know what to expect. It will be an early start for everyone – so the 6.30 breakfast won’t be a problem today. Meanwhile, we’ll enjoy the beach and have a laid back afternoon.