Postcards from South Africa

Everyone digs receiving some snail-mail or a beautiful postcard in the 'ol postbox. It rebels against the monotony of the white business bill-containing envelopes and feels less clinical than a typed e-mail. 

An African girl washes clothes in the doorway of her shack (informal settlement) in Cape Town, South Africa.
So beautifully colourful.

Since discovering these amazing postcards at Buccaneer Backpacker's giftshop (made by quivertreeimages), I've started up a little collection to send to friends and family. These are the ones that remain and are ready for stamping and sending :)

African 'tata' (old man) and 'makoti' (young, married woman) in rondavels (huts), Eastern Cape, South Africa

Living in the Eastern Cape, immersed in a community of rondavels and the amaXhosa, my faith has been restored in knowing the beauty of rural Africa still exists. These postcards capture the traditional culture of Africans; with the mud-plastered walls and dung-covered floors, as well as the emerging Afro-pop style of bright coloured clothing and recycled bold logo prints used as wallpaper for shack decor.

Interior of a shack decorated with bright pink Husky dog food tin labels in Cape Town, South Africa
and a 'gogo' (grandmother) poses inside her rondavel (hut), Eastern Cape, South Africa

If you want to check out a few more beautiful images of African landscapes, homesteads and our people, go here.

A sangoma (traditional healer), Eastern Cape, South Africa

South African Crafts: The Wallet

You will need:
1 x empty carton (1L)
1 x roll of insulation tape
Stapler
Scissors
1 x set of metal buttons (available at craft/sewing shops)

Step 1: Find a carton with an awesome, bold, colourful design. Consume. Clean. Dry. 

Step 2: Carefully take apart at the seams. Cut off bottom and top tabs.

The awesome African brand designs are awesome

Step 3: Cut away 9 cm (narrow cartons)/ 7cm (normal/squarish cartons) off the top of the three panels. The last panel will become the overlap to form the clutch/lid for the wallet.

Step 4: The 1st and 3rd panel will become the sides of the wallet (looks like an accordion). This is perfect because it's usually those panels that have the ugly nutritional info table and stuff. If your carton is narrow, make 3 folds (see image) in each panel, so that you can open the wallet wide and have more space. If it's more of a normal/squarish carton (think long-life milk size), then only make one fold (inward) in those two panels.

The template for the South African wallet

Step 5: Round the edges of the tab that will become the wallet lid flap.

Step 6: Line all the edges with insulation tape and fold over. Please pick a colour that compliments the design.

Insulation tape for the edges of the wallet

Step 7: Fold the panels to make the wallet. Join the edges of the 1st and 4th panels by adding an extra strip of insulation tape to the inside and outside of that edge.

Step 8: Fold wallet in half. Staple the two compartments together with two staples in the centre.

Easy peasy japaneasy

Step 9: Fold over top flap and hold closed. Use a pin to push through the centre of the top flap where you want the metal button to go. Make sure it penetrates the top flap and the first compartment (giving enough leeway so that the wallet will be able to close even if it's full of coins) so to serve as a guide of where to place the studs. If the flap isn't long enough to fold over the front a decent amount, cut away a bit more at the top (step 3) and re-insulate. Remove pin.

Step 10: Place the tiny bits of the metal button on the first compartment. Lightly bash them together against a hard surface so that they are fastened. Do the same for the flap.

Done! Well done!

The South African wallet. Bananas not included.

Backpacking South Africa: Buccaneers

Buccaneers Backpackers, my favourite, and arguably the best in South Africa. 
I guess what makes it outstanding is the fact that it caters for everyone. It's one of the few places I'd take my mother. They offer super-cheap spacious camping (if you want to hang out with monkeys chucking guavas at eachother), awesome dorms, double/twin safari tents, family cottages, double/twin rooms (for the same price as a dorm... schweet) and the fancy en-suite rooms. It's got the backpackers vibe but with a little town, Cintsa*, (containing traces of civilization!) just across the lagoon.
You can party it up at Bucc's bar or Barefoot Cafe (Grammar Nazi's go look at the menu... I dare you...), impress the rents at Michaela's Restaurant (no, you may not ride the cool elevator more than necessary), chill on the beach or eat pizza near the pool, buy second hand books and cheese at Tea in the Trees, or go do the Africa thing at Inkwenkwezi Game Reserve.
It's easily accessible, covers the essentials, offers such a wide range of activities and still manages to feel like you've found a well-kept secret.
The elusive directions to Buccaneers:
Driving on the N2 toward East London (from Mthatha) turn left at the Cintsa sign. There will be signs indicating that you are now on the Jikeleza route. Continue on tar road until you get to the second junction. Turn left. Follow signs to Bucanneers. Do not follow your GPS! 
P.S. The view from the breakfast room is a must-see.
*Cintsa is pronounced with a Xhosa click at the beginning (the 'c' is made by making a sucking noise with your tongue behind your front teeth). 


First, the Coast-to-Coast overview:

Coast-to-Coast review Buccaneers Backpackers

My rating:

Personal review of Buccaneers Backpackers: Part 1

Personal review of Buccaneers Backpackers: Part 2

View from The Breakfast Room at Buccaneers Backpackers.

Buccaneers Backpackers Reception

The pool deck and bar at Buccaneers Backpackers

Cintsa beach: A long stretch of beach with scarcely a soul in sight

Backpacking South Africa: Wild Lubanzi

I've been living on the Wild Coast in the Eastern Cape, South Africa for over 6 months now. I can consider myself to be a local, right? It wouldn't be an easy place to adapt to after living in South Africa's capital for 5 years, but I found I fitted in quite easily (probably because I've always been a hippie at heart). It's more rural and beautiful than I expected, and by far the most beautiful province in South Africa.

One of my happiest discoveries this year was all the backpacking accommodation. It's almost a proudly Eastern Cape thing - the Wild Coast map is speckled with them - all lined up for the main attraction: Coffee Bay. And it's exactly what you'd expect: Dreadlocked surfers, dirty hippies and travelling gypsies. Bob Marley is idolised and eco-friendly is not new. The most surprising thing however is that often you'll be the only South African there among a community of Germans. Germans love Africa man. I don't know what it is. But not only is it because it's not marketed well to South Africans, but there's also not a huge amount of information about these places online/ in print when you are interested.


The first thing you'll need to get yourself is a copy of the free 'Coast to Coast: A Definitive Guide to Backpacking Southern Africa' - available at most backpackers. It's really so handy. However, in addition I'd like to feature a rating guideline to review each place I've been. Yeah, for the cynics, to provide you with info that you might not get in print. It's mostly good though.


So first up is Wild Lubanzi Backpackers and Trail Lodge. It was the first one I stayed at and I've been back. It's one of the better ones. This is what the Coast to Coast has to say about it:

Coast to Coast reviews Wild Lubanzi Backpackers

And now for my review:

Personal review of Wild Lubanzi Backpackers: Part 1

Personal review of Wild Lubanzi  Backpackers: Part 2

 If you don't like reading:

Sunrise at Wild Lubanzi

Surfing on the secluded beach at Wild Lubanzi

Main lounge/reading area at Wild Lubanzi (with fireplace)

Free filter coffee each morning!

Local girl on beach near Wild Lubanzi. The amaXhosa use clay as sunblock