It was hard coming home from my first vacation in South Africa. I haven’t felt this homesick in a while. For an entire week, I could walk the streets at night, eat Mexican food, wear a skirt that came above my kneecaps, nap on a couch in front of a television, grill meat on a patio and buy drinks for my friends…
It was almost like being at home.
After going back to our respective training villages for a week of Peace Corps-mandated training sessions, a group of about 12 of my fellow volunteers and I took off for the Wild Coast in South Africa—more specifically, to a place called Umzumbe. I think that’s how it’s spelled, anyway.
We rented an entire van to comfortably fit all of us for the seven hour drive. I felt bad for our driver at first; I think he was a little overwhelmed to be driving a group of loud, excited Americans, drinking beers and listening to hip-hop. But a couple of times, I noticed him smiling in the rearview mirror as he watched us singing out loud in unison to Adele. He had a gold tooth and he told us his name was Joseph. He even pulled over on the side of the road for us whenever we all needed to pee.
The most exciting part of the journey was driving through a natural park and seeing monkeys casually climbing along the guardrail. I think monkeys are to Africa what squirrels are to America. They were everywhere. Walking to the beach in the mornings, I would look up at a moving branch and see a monkey staring back at me.
Do you think the locals consider monkeys as pests, like we do with raccoons? Do you think they get into trash left outside, or do they do crazier things like you might imagine monkeys doing? Vandalizing property, jumping out and scaring you on your morning run… monkey business. I’m not sure. I never did find out.
We stayed at a great hostel in Umzumbe called Mantis & Moon. It was nestled in a thick wooded area, filled with dark palm trees and exotic birds, so it almost felt like we were staying in the middle of the rainforest. The whole place had a cool, beachy atmosphere—there was a hot tub and a pool hidden like a grotto in the middle of the property, a fire pit, grill area, and a divey-type bar. We only spent two nights at the Mantis & Moon, but I could have stayed there the entire trip and never needed to leave the hostel.
Our days in Umzumbe were spent at the beach. We bought bags of peanut butter, crackers, and fruit from a snack stand nearby and had a picnic on the beach while we watched the surfers tackle the strong waves. I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard in a long time as I did when one of my friends lost her swimming suit top after a particularly robust wave—and didn’t notice for a couple of minutes.
The best night spent at the Mantis & Moon was when a small group of us walked down to the beach one evening to see the full moon and go for a midnight dip in the ocean. We didn’t notice the sign until the next day that read “no swimming between dusk and dawn: sharks feeding”. Yikes!
The third day, we took a taxi back up north to Durban, about an hour’s drive away. Durban isn’t a beautiful city, but any city can be beautiful after living in a rural African village for six months. It must have been funny to watch us “ooh-ing” and “aah-ing” at our first glimpse of the Durban skyline as we pulled into town. I don’t think any of us have seen a building more than five stories high in a long time.
The hostel where we stayed in Durban had an entirely different feel to it. It was in the middle of a sketchy part of town, and the hostel was more like an open, lofty apartment building. None of the guests mingled like they did in Umzumbe. In Durban, we spent more time out in town at restaurants, walking the crowded beach, or sight-seeing. I finally got to eat Mexican food and drink a margarita, and I think, for a good hour or so during dinner, I was the happiest person in Africa.
Every night was spent milling around Florida Street and walking from bar to bar. We took turns buying every round of drinks, which surprisingly, didn’t get too messy. My repertoire of types of alcohol surely increased after the trip. In the course of a few days, we consumed: tequila shots, bubblegum tequila shots, several Smirnoff Ices, vodka, chocolate vodka, brandy, sherry wine, Jaegermeister and Red Bull, a shot called Liquid Cocaine, and too many beers.
Needless to say, I am starting a cleanse diet next week.
Now I’m here, back to the daily grind in Lesotho. As depressing as it may have been to come back, not all is terrible. My dog, Beans, had five puppies while I was away! They are still too small to walk, and so they are hidden underneath a piece of scrap metal behind my house. From what I can see, they are a mixture of black, brown, and yellow coloring. I’m trying really hard not to get attached to them (or Beans, for that matter), because I’ve heard too many horror stories from previous volunteers that say dogs in Lesotho die all the time. But if you know me at all, you know that my heart just melts for little baby animals. J
I also discovered a rat in my latrine. I don’t know what he wants in there, but it’s gross. I lit a mosquito repelling candle in there this evening; maybe the smell of it will drive him out?? That’s my next big project for the week to come.
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