south africa: jeffrey's bay

My bus from Port Elizabeth (P.E.) to Jeffrey's Bay was only a couple hours, arriving at 0800. Basically, that meant I was still really groggy. 

The bus dropped me off nowhere near where I wanted to be. Ugh. The bus dropoff was at a petrol station 3km out of town, on the main garden route highway. I really wish I'd known that ahead of time. I'm fully capable of walking that distance, even with a pack, but I was not mentally ready for it when I hopped off the bus. The weather wasn't great, starting to rain, and windy. 

This is another city with a nickname used by most people, they call it J-bay. 

I used my phone to figure out where to walk, thankfully it wasn't a complicated route. As I walked, I could feel the eyes of the people in the few cars on the road, especially when the rain fell a little harder. 

Jeffrey's Bay is most known as a surf town. The rest of the town doesn't have much happening, or much to see. I came because I was hoping to have a coffee/tea with someone I'd met in Taiwan years ago. Unfortunately that didn't work out. 

Eventually I made it to the accommodation I'd booked for the night. They let me check in early, and I got another talking to for not calling them to pick me up at the petrol station. Oh well. 

I stayed inside for a few hours, warming up, drying off, charging everything, and using wifi. I should've gone outside faster, but the weather was awful, and in the end, I don't think I missed anything. In the end, I walked out and started exploring the town by touring two supermarkets. (They were only about 100 meters apart.) I picked up snacks for the day, and tried to stay warm. 

When I checked in to the hostel I was given a town map. I used that to try to find a reserve in the middle of the town. It wasn't big, but I was hoping to walk a trail or two. 

I never found the entrance to the reserve, argh. There are houses surrounding the reserve, it's not a place you can enter just anywhere. 

On one side I thought I'd found the right place, but when I followed a somewhat visible path I ended up in an area where the path seemed to stop. The trees and bushes were really overgrown, and some of the rubbish made it seem as if people occasionally slept/lived there. I went back out quickly, as I felt a bit trapped and not terribly safe. Argh. 

I ended up walking all the way around the reserve, never finding a proper entrance. Is it because it was winter? Or did I just miss it? 

On the Main Street I walked to an area of town visited by tourists and surfers. I stopped into a surf shop, thinking I might find a bikini I liked, but that didn't happen. The staff looked at me strangely when I came in. Am I really that strange for being out in winter? 

I found a shop with postcards, and bought a few, even though I knew I wasn't going to see any of the beautiful sunsets in the photos. 

From there I walked to the beach. Jeffrey's Bay is on the coast, with plenty of beach area. Long, wide beaches. A great place to watch the waves come in, and I'm sure they are packed with surfers in better weather. 

Since the weather was awful (wind and rain picking up, I was pretty much miserable,) I had the entire beach to myself. I saw more dark clouds rolling in, and the wind was quite strong at times. The only postcard photo I did get to see were the beautiful shells all over the beach. 

I walked up the beach in the direction of my hostel. I figured it would be nicer to be miserable on a beach than on the main road of town. Eventually, I made my way back to the main road, aiming for one of the supermarkets I'd seen earlier in the day. 

Instead of a supermarket I found a fish and chips takeaway shop. Not the healthiest place to get dinner, but I didn't see any restaurants of cafes anywhere near, soooo... 

with my bag of greasy food I walked back to my hostel, arriving just before dark. I'd originally intended to sit on a balcony and listen to waves coming in, but the rain, wind, and chill made that not such an appealing plan. I ate in the kitchen instead, and didn't see another soul. Oh well. 

The next morning I had to get up really early to make the long walk back to the bus pick up point. 

I started walking before dawn, and got to see a nice sunrise. 

I'd like to see this town in all its natural glory, though there isn't much for me to actually do.