A couple weeks ago, everyone parted ways again and went on our second round of weekend excursions. While some went to the Drakensburg Mountains range and others to Hogsback, a group of us decided to go to Jeffrey’s Bay, one of the five most famous surfing destinations in the world.
Our group was made up of people from three different flats in Langerry – Taylor, Joey, Chris & Kevin from Flat 14, Anne, Carolyn & Emily from Flat 11, and me and Christine from Flat 8. Taylor drove our Nissan Primastar, a huge vehicle that fit all nine of us, which we nicknamed Richard. Jeffrey’s Bay, also known as J-Bay, is just 45 minutes away from Port Elizabeth, so it was a short drive.
Our goal for the weekend was to chill - no schedule, no rushing, just pure relaxation. The backpacker we chose to stay at did just the trick. Island Vibe was the name of the place, home to mostly all surfers and hippies, so the ambiance was very laid back. It was also situated on top of a hill that overlooked the beach – what a beautiful view it was.
After getting settled in Friday afternoon, we decided to go shopping in the town. Since J-Bay is indeed the surfing capital of South Africa, mostly all of the shops were marketed towards surfers. Brands like Billabong, Quicksilver and more dominated the streets of J-Bay. I especially enjoyed the Billabong factory shop, where everything was at a discounted price.
That night we had dinner at the Island Vibe and hung out at their bar, the Pirate Bar. We met a whole range of people. The bar tender, Eddie was originally from Texas, we met Jack from Maine, also Ben, Clemmy and Josie from England. We have noticed a trend that many Europeans travel around the world for a year or so after high school before they go to university. I think that’s a really neat thing to do in life, I wish it was more common in the United States to do that. After being on this trip for about two months now, I have come to understand the importance of traveling abroad, experiencing a new world and learning a different culture. It has been so eye-opening and I’ve grown as a person.
Saturday was going to be a great day – the weather was absolutely perfect. Not too hot, but enough to get some color, and just the right amount of wind. Most of the group rented wet suits and surfboards and tried surfing. Since Becka and salt water and waves don’t mix so well together, I decided to stay on the beach – a day of reading, relaxing and tanning. The group did okay at surfing, only a couple people got up but it was still fun to watch them try. After a long week of classes and homework, a nice relaxing beach day was just what I needed to rejuvenate myself.
That night we went out for a nice dinner at The Greek. I had a pineapple and pepper pizza, which was delicious. We all had a glass of wine and toasted to good times in J-Bay and great times in South Africa. Just like Island Vibe’s slogan said, we really were ‘living the dream.’
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