Bulungula - African Village on the Wild Coast

Last weekend, ten of us made the long drive to the remote village of Bulungula, the last 40 km of which were over a very rough dirt road lined with people walking long distances and children running toward the vehicle laughing and excitedly waving their arms. Every twist and turn hailed a new scene of people going about their daily activities, lush hills and valleys, multi-coloured thatched huts and random livestock roaming at will ... and endless photo opportunities.

Our destination was a lodge comprised of a number of sleeping huts identical to those we had passed and which are in common use ... we slept five to a hut on simple beds adorned with nothing but a single solar-powered light. We cleaned up in "rocket showers" ... you stuff toilet paper into a pipe, douse it in paraffin and light it for seven or eight minutes of hot water. Food was served at a cafe/bar and was typically African ... samp (white maize) and beans for lunch, curried chicken and rice, Xhosa bread etc. - all delicious. Many Castle milk stout in litre-bottles or alcoholic cider were consumed by the campfire on a hill over-looking the beach at the junction of the Indian Ocean and the Bulungula River. At night, there were others from all over the world around the campfire and as we conversed we all joined in beating an African drum with a steady rhythm, sometimes sitting on chairs made of whale backbones.

After an early morning rocket shower on Saturday morning I noticed a colourful procession of villagers headed to the beach carrying a drum ... it turned out to be a spectacular baptism ceremony at, for them, an unusual venue because a regional chief was in the area that day. The people were exuberant, making music and dancing in an incredible setting as dawn broke over the ocean.  

Later that morning we went fishing out in the tidal channels using soft-shell mussels as bait. Big fish are often caught there but we were unsuccessful so our consolation prize was buying several large, live crayfish for 15 Rand ($2.50) each from a fisherman we met on the shore and having them for lunch.

That afternoon we went for a guided tour of the local village, starting at the hut of the healer who is reputed to be able to cure anything but HIV, TB and asthma using traditional herbs and medicines mostly gathered from nearby forests. Hanging at the top of the wall in the healer's hut (as well as in homes of those who believe) are cattle bones symbolic of the link established between a person who has died and their children. As we continued to the local shop we learned such things as wives are not free ... the man must pay at least 10 cows (cost under $1,000) to the women's parents ... sometimes as many as 12 cows. The shop offered only a few very basic staples so we continued on to the "pub".

Pass the pail

As you enter the "pub" they explain that married men sit on benches on one side and married women sit on mats on the other side while singles are free to move about. The beer is made from corn using packets of powder costing $1.25 that are big enough for a barrel that is brewed one day and drunk the next. It costs $2.50 for a 5-litre pail that is passed around from person to person. It tastes awful and most of us could not wait to get back to the good stuff back at the lodge. But first we had to explain to general shock and disbelief, as chickens wandered in and out of the pub, that in our countries no cows change hands when a couple marries.

The essence of this place can not truly be captured with a camera - the mood, the sounds, the smells are all part of it - but the vibrant colours and many contours are amazing. The people here lead very simple lives and would be considered impoverished but they seem genuinely happy. Bulungula is tranquil and inspiring ... you want to stay for a long time, oblivious to the daily trials and tribulations back home.