The Transkei

The Transkei is an area of South Africa's Eastern Cape. It is the home to the Xhosa people, Nelson Mandela, and a lot of happy cows, goats, and sheep. In fact. They simply roam where they want to. If you need milk go pull on an udder! Sometimes they actually sparay paint an initial on an animal...quite a sight.
When Ileft Morgan bay, Chris said that Africa is just on the other side of the Kei River down the road. Boy was he right. I took a ferry boat across with my faithful Nissan, and on the other side of the river was nothing but bumpy dirt roads and dark slender people all smiling as I passed. The children all smile and even sometimes run up to the car. I have picked up a number of hitchikers, as that is common in these parts. I picked up one young girl, Sipokazi, whom was on her way back from school to her aunt's house in a village some 15 miles away. She was so so wonderful and full of promise. She spoke very good English, which is rare for any Xhosa woman, as many children just give up on going to school because their family needs them to bring in income. She dreamed of going to London one day, and I replied "Great! You can do anything that you want to do!" I still believe this. I also said that you might find life in the breathtakingly beautiful Transkei is not as bad as one might think!
Later on in the drive, I picked up a Xhosa woman who spoke no English. I speak no Xhosa, but could muster a few words!!! She was just rambling on in Xhosa (with all those neat click sounds!) and I just somehow shook my head and understood ehat she was saying. I offered her some peanuts that I had in the front seat. When Ipoured tehm from the bag to her hand, she simply, poured them into her pocket...saving them for her children I assume.
I stayed in a little village (though there really is no such thing here as the homes are all spread about) called Umdumbi, as recommended by Chris in Morgan Bay. There was a beautiful little backpackers compound there and so i pitched my tent. I was able to trade my carpentary skills for a few nights of lodging and a meal. I built a driftwood railing for a Palapa in the center of the camp. The camp was really neat as they had a building for local children that functioned as an education center, small cabins for rent, a dining hall, and other buildings. All perched on the ledge over the Indian Ocean. My camera was full of memory, so the shots from this area of the country were all done on film...to be perused later. I worked on the palapa with a Spanish man, Pedro who was also traveling South Africa, so it wa snice to speak Spanish in the middle of the Transkei! The other man, was a local man named Moses. He looked a lot like Lee Scratch Perry, and seemed to have an extraordinary sense of awareness. If I needed the screwdriver, he seemed to be handing it to me before I even asked. When the drill threw a wood splinter in my eye. He said in his Xhosa dialect "Can I see your eye?" Then he came really close like he was going to kiss me with his wooly beard (one of the first African men I have seen witha beard). then he blew in my eyeball. I could see better than I ever have. Moses was a wood carver, and he spent any free moment down on the beach walking until he found a piece of wood that he saw "something alive inside of it" as he says. then. He would then just pull out his pockey knife and start to remove scetions until it apperaed...a dolphin, a bird, a face, a elephant...you name it. Absolutely marvelous to see this soft spoken man just retreat to carving with any lull of time. I gacve him a ride home at the end of the day...as it normally is a 2 hour walk. He was so grateful. I walked with him into his traditional circular Xhosa home, and looked at some of his work....no electricty or running water of course, so the candle in the room sent an incredible light over just asn altar type table, and very large bed. The homes are remarkably well built, and last for many years...
Yesterday I started to head out of the Transkei, after not spending nearly enough time there. I drove through the most chaotic city I have ever been in called "Umtata". The trafiic lights do not work, and you drive between hordes of people, cows, and crazy buses. I had to smoke cigarettes just to stay sane! But I am en route up to Johansburg, where the lovely and beautiful Marianne Romeo will be joining me in the little Nissan. She is bringing my nice video cametra, and we have been in touch with Gary Strieker, former CNN producer, whom now produces "Assignment Earth" covering environmental stories/news from around the globe...a much more worthy cause then the shoot em' up journalism we are used to. I'll keep you posted on that later.