Nothing like good coffee
Text and pictures: Dale Morris. Article from the December 2012 issue of Country Life Magazine.
Dale Morris spills the beans on Coffee Bay, a vibrant paradise on the Eastern Cape coast
“You’re going where?” shrieked my friend as we sat enjoying a beer in Port Elizabeth. “Transkei,” I calmly replied. “Coffee Bay. Lovely place. Great surf, nice people, cheap lobsters. What more could you ask for?”
“A Taser” he said, honest to God looking shocked. “You’ll be mugged … or worse.” And this coming from a Joburger who lives in the crime capital of the world. While we finished our beer he tried to talk me out of the trip but I wasn’t buying into his paranoia. I have been to Coffee Bay before, many times in fact, and, in my humble opinion, it’s one of the most interesting, lively and friendly places in the country. The cut-price crustaceans are just the icing on the cake (but take your ruler).
“And the roads in the Transkei are terrible,” he implored, to which I replied, “Well, that just keeps out the riff-raff now, doesn’t it?” And besides, the road to Coffee Bay is tarred. In my opinion the others are also pretty good (especially when compared to those in the Congo). You want to explore the Transkei beyond Coffee Bay? Bring a 4×4, a donkey or a tank.
Coffee Bay is special. It’s vibrant and colourful thanks to a strong Xhosa tradition, and a visit to the area provides countless opportunities to get to know more about the Xhosa tribe. Thatched, dayglo-painted rondavels look like squat pepper pots on the hillsides and the villages brim with life.
By day the coastal scenery is a smorgasbord of looming cliffs and rolling pastures, sapphire sea and surfing dolphins, and if you’re a fisherman (which I am not), I am told the fishing is pretty damn good too. At night, drums beat, waves lap and undersized lobsters sleep fitfully and pray to the great God of Regulations.
And then there are cows everywhere (including the one I saw in a hotel lobby). In fact the beaches are so clean and inviting that even the local bovines like to hang out there and make like they’re on holiday.Trust me, there is nothing as surreal as a beach full of cows sunbathing, paddling in the shallows, and catching the odd surf.
Okay maybe they don’t do the surfing, but Dave Malherbe, famous Coffee Bay resident (who is not a cow) and an ex world surfing champ, does. Although largely retired from professional competition, he still knows how to ride like a pro and, if you want to learn how, he or his wife, Belinda, sometimes give lessons from their hip and happening Coffee Shack backpackers hostel.
“That friend of yours, the one who said don’t go. Has he ever been here?” asked Dave while we sat in his bar listening to a Xhosa drumming band go nuts outside. “No,” I replied.”Figures,” said Dave.”It sucks when people have preconceived ideas about a place. “Traditionally attired Xhosa ladies (with pretty white dots painted on their faces) chorused in time to thrumming rhythms, accompanied by claps and hoots from the assembled Germans, English, Dutch, Americans, Canadians, Kiwis, Swiss Indian, Korean, Brazilian, Japanese and Scottish visitors.
The Coffee Shack philosophy is one of unity and respect. The communal hang-out areas, the cultural tours into the nearby Xhosa villages and the late night parties in the bar are all about equality, openness and accepting differing cultures. “Take representatives from our diverse South African cultures – Xhosa, Anglo, Zulu, Afrikaans and Indian,” said Belinda, “and mix them with Buddhists from China, atheists from Germany, ski instructors from Switzerland and IT experts from London, and you get the typical crowd here in the Coffee Shack”
Sure it looks and feels a bit like the rose-tinted South Africa we so often see portrayed in commercials – black and white dudes and chicks hanging out together and smiling and forgetting that this country still has racial divides. But the area attracts tourists from across the world who come to experience what it is to be Xhosa in the Xhosa homeland, where it’s not all about poverty and misery and struggles but about celebrating life and culture.”I haven’t felt a place with a vibe like this before,” said Gary, from George in the Western Cape. “Well, at least not here in South Africa.”
Dave explained the success of the Coffee Shack. “It’s 30% owned by the local Tshezi people, our staff is mostly local and we support the economy by hiring local tour guides and buying local produce,” David and Belinda also helped to establish a non-profit organisation called Sustainable Coffee Bay that focuses on community issues such as orphanages, children play areas, schooling, scholarship funds, and food shortages. “Our vision is of a near future when we all have sufficient learning opportunities to take control of our own destinies,” said Dave.
After a game of pool with the staff I headed to the beach with a crowd of visitors to get some surfing lessons from Dave. It took a few hours of tumbling and salt water gargling, but in the end I got to stand up, albeit for a rather thrilling three seconds.
The Shack also organises all manner of expeditions every day and I did as many as I could fit in – guided coastal and cultural hikes, trips to the local sangoma (I needed a mother-in-law curse lifted), we jumped off cliffs into the sea, and visited pools where the ghosts of ancient ancestors sleep beneath the murky water I also played beach volleyball with some cows. There are also splendid walks on the rolling hills, and there is the Hole in the Wall, a striking near-shore islet with, as its name suggests, a hole through the middle of it.
At the Shack, drums were played every night, many tequilas were downed, I learned to click my tongue like the Xhosa, and I kayaked with the local dolphin gangs. And enjoyed legal lobsters at backpacker prices, as was everything else. “The Shack is a great place to meet people you wouldn’t normally meet,” Gary said five days later; just before he headed back home. “Helps broaden the mind I think.” No doubt he’ll be back.
On my last night in Coffee Bay, I sat around a fire with Dave and Belinda and 30 internationals, 25 Xhosa ladies (the local choir) and a complement of village drummers. Our faces painted with the white Xhosa spots, we all cheered madly as the Springboks thrashed England, on the Big Screen.”There are going to be headaches tomorrow,” said Dave.
And there were. With a thrumming brain, I packed up my bakkie (with two new, locally made drums, and an icebox of legal lobsters) and sadly bade farewell to the backpackers and the beach cows in this idyllic place.
But, like Gary, I’ll be back. Only next time, I’ll be dragging along my sceptical friend. Taser included if he feels the need. Can’t think why.
Where to stay and play in Coffee Bay
The Coffee Shack is a backpackers lodge and has a young person’s party vibe. This is great if you are a young person who likes to party but if you happen to be a grumpy old soul maybe the place won’t be your cup of tea.
The Coffee Shack can organise all manner of day trips, ranging from one on one surf tuition, cultural trips into the surrounding Xhosa villages, drum workshops, abseiling and guided hikes to the Hole in the Wall.
You don’t have to be a guest at the Shack to participate.
Bomvu Backpackers Real party animals might want to consider a visit for New Year’s Eve. The Coffee Shack and the nearby Bomvu backpackers like to put on something special. Keep an ear to the ground for the Bomvu Cultural Music Festival, a two-day live music event due to take place on 13 and 14 July 2013. Bomvu backpackers also has budget accommodation and can arrange horseback trails and cultural excursions as well as yoga. 047 575 2073, website, email.
Those who prefer a little more sedate and perhaps ‘traditional’ comfort might want to consider the Ocean View Hotel. As its name suggests, it has ocean views (in some of the rooms at least).
047 575 2005, 071 896 8977, website, email.
Nearby attractions include Hluleka Nature Reserve, Silaka Nature Reserve and Cwebe Nature Reserve. For more information.
More info on the town of Coffee Bay | More info on the town of Wild Coast |
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