Day 9 - Mtunzini Fri 24th Dec

Took a short run through some jungle this morning - plenty green thicket, mud, vines and palms. A complete change from any terrain I've tackled yet. Was back before 0800 but was completely sopping wet with the early morning temperature and the cruel humidity.

We were on the lagoon by 0830 I'd say, having towed and launched the 4.8m RIB with twin 25HP Mercurys. She comfortably fit all 6 of us (2 Smuts folk, 2 Smuts broers, 1 masie and me) and our kit. Still had to do a bit of hide-and-seek with 2 bodies though as the nasty park ranger was about and our craft was legally considered overloaded. We took a spin around the weaving lagoon for a bit before finding a tiny spot of sand on the mangrove embankment to park our craft and our arses on. Adriaan, elder brother of my rugby chommie Christiaan got the braai going within seconds of landfall. The Black Labels didn't delay in making their inevitable and already awaited appearance.


Braaiing, boating and beering. Christmas Eve 08:30. Nice.

We'd a lovely rasher/sausage style fry up on the braai - just the job to get the day going. After some more Zamalek hydration we fashioned a tow rope behind the RIB and busied ourselves with towing one another around the shop on a bodyboard. Mighty craic.


Messing about.

After a good morning of fun on the water and in the mangroves we were safely back home by 1300 in order to escape the midday heat. While the others took a nap for themselves Christiaan and I spun to Richard's Bay (about 40km away) to have a few festive dops with old college friends and acquaintances, Theuns and Donald, and a few other unknowns. What should've been 3 Christmas Eve drinks there turned out to be some greater multiple of that, and much merriment was made. I really took to the "hubbly" as the hookah or shisha is known here. It should be pointed out to European readers that only (typically cherry or apple) flavoured tobacco is smoked during this extremely popular Uni student pastime, as opposed to the slightly more illicit tobacco variants that are sampled in and around rural Ballydehob.


The lads enjoying their Zamalek, basket of grapes, hubbly pipe and chamois cloth. Richard's Bay.

We eventually laboured back to Mtunzini after many a gruesome "college days" yarn was spun, feeling our way through the dark and heavy night with skyward brights and non-existent dims on the borrowed Nissan Livina. Still though, home safely. A quick chop braai and a few brandies and into bed by 2300. Wrecked.

No chimney here so quite excited about what Santa will squeeze inside the braai lid tonight...

Day 8 - Durban to Mtunzini (472km)

In spite of grand early morning ambitions it was around 11.30 before I shifted Mike (my willing passenger for the day) outside and into Betty. Some dawdling! Mike had just bowled and written off his own small car during the year on some high speed dirt road venture to and/or from some legendary Grahamstown party or another no doubt and was in the hunt for a new vehicle. After much sweaty spinning around dodgy Durban alleyways and lanes in one of its industrial zones we finally found a seller he had located on Gumtree the night prior. He was offering a beautiful metallic charcoaly greeny 2008 1.4L Corsa bakkie - the best looker on the market in my eyes (post 1989 in any case). She was mechanically sound - could hardly hear her breath in the underground car park - but was going at a questionably low price. It transpired that she too had been written off recently, rolling and crushing the left pillar and pushing the roof sideways across the right of the car. Somehow yer man straightened it out and beat out any dents, changed the front wing and did a lovely respray job. It was a great car at the price but I wasn't sure if any insurance companies would touch it and how it would affect resale if she made it that far. In any case Mike threw down a deposit there and then - love at first sight.


Mike, Tracey and Betty share a happy moment in Empangeni

After some difficulty in escaping Durban's pre Christmas traffic we finally made it to the N2 going North. It wasn't a very long or difficult drive to Empangani (the hometown of Mike's lovely lover Tracey) but it certainly was the sweatiest one yet. The cab hovered at a steady 35°C with both windows open and cool air on. Add to that Durban's notorious humidity and Betty Bakkie's non-porous grey pleather seats and you've got some very wet boys. Could have renamed her Betty Swollocks for the day, gan dabht!

Anyhow dropped Mikee off at his missuses in Empangeni before heading back South to Betty's (semi) ultimate destination: Mtunzini. I had only popped my honking head in the door for a few minutes at the Smuts' stronghold before I was whisked away on a delectable sunset booze cruise on the Siyaya lagoon. Absolutely stunning spot.


A murky shot of the Siyaya lagoon, Mtunzini

Black Label in hand, bats and warm dusk air through the hair, two Mercury outboards whirring in the background and a braai to look forward to back home. Who could ask for a better start to the Christmas holliers?