Plettenberg Bay

Last Sunday we took a look at the weather forecast and saw it was going to be raining and/or cold in both Cape Town and here in Marina de Gama for several days so we decided to head to Plettenberg Bay to stay at the condo there (the Pengellys have two homes and we have access to both!). Plettenberg Bay is close to the start of the Garden Route and is really more of a summer destination as it is on the ocean.

It is a beautiful drive there (most of the drives in this part of South Africa are beautiful, after all we are on the cape!) but long, we left at 9:30 and stopped for gas twice, and lunch and a short walk through the botanical gardens in George, and we didn't get to our destination until 6:16 pm. It was a wonderfully warm day and we enjoyed our evening on the balcony overlooking the ocean, that was after we had a really good pizza at Cornuti's Pizza, just across the road.

The next day was overcast so we decided to go on a township tour instead of a game reserve drive. We booked it that morning and drove the very short distance to Ocean Blue where we met our young guide, Hazel. She got in our car and we drove to the outskirts of town to the Qolweni Township. A little bit about Ocean Blue adventures:. 

"Ocean Blue Adventures, a marine-based operator that offers whale and dolphin encounters as well as other sea-based activities, is passionate about the local township, Qolweni, from where it sources most of its staff. Together with the Qolweni Development Trust, they organise intimate and respectful tours of the township with young locals as guides. All proceeds go towards teacher salaries and maintenance at the local crèche, Siakula Preschool. Having a functioning crèche means that women can leave their children during the day, knowing that they are well looked after and fed, to seek employment. Unemployment in Qolweni is close to 80%… Siakula also creates employment, and currently 7 teachers and 1 principal look after close to 250 children."

Qolweni Township, along with two other townships, were formed in the 1960's when blacks were forced from their homes in the middle of town and moved to the outskirts. It is estimated that there are about 60,000 people in Qolweni. Hazel told us that there are 7 points of water in the township. Think about that, 60,000 people, almost all of them without running water or flush toilets, and there are 7 places to get water. The schools, however, do have flush toilets. 

 Our first up close view of the township and where we left our car.

 Her friend stepped out of the way but this woman didn't mind having her picture taken. You always ask them first if you can take their picture.

 The pre-school, or "creche".

 The kids kept crowding Don to get their picture taken and then asking to see it on the camera screen. Other than that they were very well behaved.

 Me with the cook in the school kitchen. It's not much bigger than what you see here.

 Elementary school.

 Everyone has electricity even if they don't have running water.

 This woman was doing her laundry at one of the water points.

 Hazel and where she lives. These are supposed to be temporary "shacks" (Hazel's word for them) built by the government for people until they can get into a permanent brick home. When the government tears down a shack (for whatever reason) that a person has built for themselves they get one of these to replace it. They don't have running water or flush toilets and Hazel preferred her own home that she had before the government tore it down, she said it was bigger.

The sleeping area with a fridge on the left and the blue tub is for bathing.

 The kitchen area. That is a two-burner electic stove on the right.

The whole thing is about the size of a bedroom.

I asked Hazel how long she thought she would be living in this place and she said, "I think I will be living here forever." The government hasn't been building the brick houses very quickly and some years don't build any new ones at all.

That's all for now.