bulungula

Bulungula: up close

Bulungula: from afar

bulungula, normally the stomping ground of the southern hospitals, zitulele and madwaleni, the canzibe peeps descended on it in a deluge of chillaxing over the weekend. it is rather an interesting backpackers. you start off by arriving at the top of a 3km stretch of "track" which is only navigable by 4x4. there is a vehicle which will pick you up from certain designated parking areas but being adventurous we decided to take it on in Rob's 4x2 bakkie. totally worth it. once you arrive the first thing that strikes you is the lack of cars; the next is the length of the 'let me show you around' speech. there is no externally supplied electricity as well as a limited supply of water and the backpackers makes you acutely aware of this. they have rocket showers, compost toilets, a bicycle driven blender, and candles everywhere. take a torch. the rocket showers are quite exciting, as long as you use one of the side ones, dont use the middle one, it just stays cold. there is something very novel about having a shower while a small inferno blazes not too far from your feet. the compost toilets are perhaps less exciting, especially if you are male, however some muttering was heard from the fairer sex with regards to aiming... mysterious

the food is brilliant and i highly recommend it, the only draw back being that the thrifty traveller bringing his or her own food will find limited self catering facilities. the emphasis is to buy local. you keep track of your purchases with a complex system of honesty tabs, there is one for the kitchen and one for the bar, so if you are looking for a backpackers with a bar but without a drunk bartender then this is the place. i am assured that there are many exciting activities to do at bulungula but being my normal, boring self i read some books, played some crazy simple canadian card games and went for a walk along the beach where i bitched constantly about how crap the surf was. reports of drunkenness on friday night may or may not be based in fact. on a separate note, what happened to my gin?