A (Very) Brief Account of the Wild Coast

I'm just a bit too lazy to write a long, detailed narrative of our holiday on the Transkei Wild Coast (especially two months after the fact). So, I'm just going to post a slightly modified version of something I emailed to a friend in January. For those that don't already know, the vacation included a five day hike along the coast from Port St. Johns to Coffee Bay (over Christmas), followed by five days of relaxing in Coffee Bay (over New Years).

Ironically, the following highly condensed, slightly mysterious, somewhat suggestive but ultimately vague version of our Christmas and New Year's holiday is also, somehow, the most authentic version. If you don't understand everything, than I've described it perfectly. Read slowly. Here goes:

I never dreamed I'd celebrate a Christmas that included an exhausted wife, traveling alone in a deeply rural region of South Africa, carrying two heavy bags, sharing her seat with live poultry and a retired gold miner. Plus: one dead body, face-down on a flawless beach, the motionless remains of revenge; the most beautiful coastline time ever made; ubuntu; a bottle and knife fight in torrential rain; skinny Cape Town hippies and their skeptical Russian friend, silenced by a toasted marshmallow; the ambivalent blessings of bare feet; giardia; a broken cell phone; two broken cameras; three strong people at the absolute limit; fresh fish; stiletto heals on the beach; Xhosa bread; children dancing; detailed discussion of Pondo circumcision; swimming across the Indian Ocean mouth of a major river at high tide to retrieve the rowboat on the other bank; the timely interruption of an attempted rape; Power Puff Girls from Sweden; light green tidal snails; a dark green tidal swamp under a blanket of black crabs with flame-red claws; a blue skinned, steroid abusing Dutchman who can't stop dancing; the reason why first is not as brave as second; a small boy with a severely abscessed tooth; friends from New Hampshire; simple moments of genuine peace; blisters and surfing. But not necessarily in that order.

(Some photos courtesy of Darcy Stillman, who's camera lasted until day four of our five day hike. Our camera met it's salt-water fate on day one. Sadly, Kim had to catch a ride to the end of our hike shortly thereafter, thanks to new-shoe-blisters, a too-heavy bag and allergies.)

(Below, from left to right: Albert - our guide, Darcy - our friend, Marlee - Albert's German girlfriend, and Kim; crossing one of many large rivers)

(Above, Peace Corps friends, from left to right: E, Me, Kim, Darcy, Jade, Milenka)

...and then we went home. January was long and mostly unmemorable.