Coffee Bay under the stars...

Okay, I'm just playing a little with a fun filter to see what would Coffee Bay look like if it was covered in stars... Pretty hey?

I sometimes think of Coffee Bay, this Paradise Lost, this little rural traditional Xhosa place that has the Western world crashing into it with giant yellow noisy machines wiping out everything in it's path to build a highway straight through it. Backpackers, tourists from all over the world visiting every day, as neglected people struggle to make a living from sunrise to sunset, as a place somehow similar to Bethlehem, where perhaps a baby could be born someday unsuspected, Messiah, born on the floor of a humble mud hut - stars bright in the sky, to grow up in simple surroundings, with the sole purpose of saving the world from darkness.  That's just my imagination running wild.

050505, The fall and rise of the Umtata river bridge

Last week Sunday:

These pics were taken last week Sunday, a week after the flood destroyed part of the bridge.  It is said that the water flooded 3m over the bridge and the debris was still there to prove it.

Here is the bridge from the side that got disconnected to the road

People had to pay R5 for the privilege to use this ladder so that they could get up or down from the bridge to reach the other side.

The debris that got stuck on the bridge

From a distance you can see the debris and on the left where the bridge collapsed

This week Sunday:

This was today, the bridge has been fixed in a week! 

Now we can get to Umdumbi again yay!!

250413, Mama Gloria 's hut

Mama Gloria and her grandchildren in front of the fallen hut

Well, I certainly didn't come off the worst in the flood.  There were many people whose houses collapsed and my good friend, Mama Gloria was one of them.  I didn't know until this morning when I saw two of her friends and asked them where she was.  Her hut collapsed Sunday afternoon during the heavy rain fall and she had to go and dig out and rescue what clothes and other belongings she could find.  Thankfully she was not inside at the time and there is another hut next door where she can stay.

She seemed in good spirits today when I visited but complained of body and head aches.  She probably has the flu and must be exhausted. I really hope she can get herself some rest...

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory which shall be revealed in us."  Romans 8:18

Tea with mama Gloria

The kids in and out

Another neighbor coming to call

110911, Sunday

 Some girls on their way to church

 At a local church...

A crazy horse chasing sheep... funny little thing I saw today...

090611, Tuesday

My boys didn't pitch up for their class this afternoon, I suspect the ocean might have tempted them away... So I took advantage of the moment, and got one of the ladies to take me into one of the villages in search for a mama who knows how to sow and make skirts.  My idea is that she makes one for me and if it comes out nice, I can perhaps order more from her and we can sell them to the tourists.  Anyway, we never found the mama, but left the material and an example skirt for her to find.  I was happy to bump into some beautiful people from the village though, and of course became a bit happy snappy...