Surf What's Up

Our next stop was the infamous little surf town called Jeffery’s Bay. Since we got such an early start first thing was first: breakfast. Second: wetsuit Third: place to stay. Jason and I agreed that a wetsuit was probably a good investment if he was going to be surfing in cooler water for the next week or so (and then again in Australia); but we couldn’t afford a whole super fancy suit on our budget, so he would have to settle for a long-sleeved halfie. We searched for an hour or so going in and out of surf outlets and shops looking for the perfect suit that would suit. Afterward we drove around the town looking for the perfect place to stay. The main part of Jeffery’s Bay reminds me alot of our little Pacific Beach beachtown at home. Unique in its own way, has its own pace, shops and bars lining the streets, only Jeffery’s Bay would have one main thing that you can’t find anywhere else… the best right break surfing in the world. I could probably explain to ou in person very why it’s the best, but here on my lap it gets quite difficult and the description would probably be lost in translation. I have been learning a lot from Jason about surfing, breaks, wind, etc., so that when we are looking for good surf I can contribute and maybe get back in the water myself, or at least stop asking “why?” every time he says waves are bad. Ok, right on the beach in front of one of the main breaks, we found ourselves the perfect spot; a self-catering room with a gorgeous view, hardwood floors, high ceiling, and lots of airy light. It would the most we have paid for a room since landing in South Africa (about $125 a night) and it would be here that we would call home for the next four days and three nights. It was called African Perfection and we thought so too. Since we had so much room and so much time here, we unpacked our stuff so we weren’t living out of bags. Now that Jason had a board and suit it was time to hit the water. While Jason surfed I was mostly hanging out taking pictures with my feet in the water listening to my iPod. There were more people in the water than on the beach and so I just hung out, soaking up sun and watched people surf. It was actually pretty fun and relaxing. Watching people surfing really good waves really well, surprisingly, was something I could do for hours. It was a lot of fun too when I would get good shots of Jason surfing or people I thought were Jason. When Jason wasn’t surfing (but rather waiting in the line up) I could be found collecting shells from the tide pools. I know I shouldn’t be collecting more since I already have way more than I can take home, but it was so fun, I felt like a little kid exploring, jumping from pool to pool, collecting rocks and shells and a bunch of neat stuff. Besides, we were at a different beach in South Africa and I had to collect shells from this beach for my collection to be right. Right? For the next three days that is mostly what we did. We explored the town, went for jogs, and spent some time relaxing, something we hadn’t been able to do for a few months now.
We realized being in Jeffery’s Bay meant that we were getting much much closer to Cape Town, where our South African journey came to an end. After we leave Jeffery’s Bay we spend one night in Mossel Bay, one night in Stellenbosch, then Cape Town, and there it ends, about 400km from here.
The last night we spent at the bar waiting to watch Barcelona play Manchester United for the Champions final. We had been following the Champion’s Tournament while in Europe, watched the semi-finals in Nürnberg and now where South Africa for the finals. One by one people trickled in to the bar for the same reason. I still wasn’t used to the sun setting so early (about 5:30) so when we got to the bar I thought it was 7 or 8, not six and the game didn’t start until 8:45. By the time the game started I was already so tired, we decided to head back to our place and watch the game from bed. Well, Jason watched it and kept me posted while I slept.
The next morning we packed up our things and headed out. Today we are on our way to Mossel Bay where Jason will probably have his last surf. As we move west the water is getting much colder and the days are starting to feel much more like winter.


Days Traveled: 51
Distance Traveled: 32,288km
Hoping: Charlie hasn’t forgetten us