Diggin' the township vibes...

Driving to eKasie Backpackers in Khayelitsha was a challenge.  Thankfully they had signs up saying “eKasie” otherwise I would probably still be driving around the township now.  How one is supposed to look for non-existent road names or “the fourth road to the left” whilst dodging potholes, tooting taxis, dogs and soccer playing kids?  I have heard of multi-tasking but that was just pushing it.

Arriving safely at the backpackers I was pleasantly surprised.  More than pleasantly, the place was like a hotel!  Ethnically decorated rooms with names like Soweto and Kwa Mushu awaited, complete with posh linen, hot water bottles and even little soaps! Better than some of the bed-bug infested backpackers I have stayed in overseas.. suitably impressed. Even more impressive than the en-suite bathrooms was the pool table … and bar...

Lunch smelt damn fine and was relieved to find that it actually wasn’t goat.  Rather vetkoek and mince which was gone in a flash.  Turns out my team mates have a better appetite than me.  Which is always comforting. Then it was time for a walking tour of the hood.  On this tour I learnt the following:

1. Sections are ones with houses.  Eg. B Section, E Section etc. Sites are shacks.  So if you meet someone who says they will take you home to Site C, you going to a shack.  Rather go for someone who lives in a Section.
   
   
2. Those colourful little spaza shops on corners generally belong to Somalians.  Somalians sell their goods much cheaper than other shops and often allow credit. Which is why they are often victims of xenophobia. Local businessmen don’t like to be outdone.
   
   
3. There are licenced shebeens and unlicenced ones. The unlicenced ones are generally found in garages of peoples houses.  All shebeens, licenced or unlicenced are to be treated with caution on a Saturday afternoon.  White women + cameras = tourist bait.
   
   
4. It is generally only women who go to church.  Men would rather go to a shebeen. I am siding with the men on this one.
   
   
5. Funerals are now bigger business than weddings.  People judge each other on the type of funeral they hold for deceased relatives.  Keeping up the Jones’ in the funeral department often involves getting into debt.  Which explains all those funeral insurance ads on daytime telly.
   
   
6. The wooden walkway on Lookout Hill is under attack.  You can no longer walk around it due to the walkway being dismantled for use on houses.  Noticeably they take the ones from the top, not the bottom, thus allowing tourists to get to the top before realizing they cannot go round the other side.
   
   
7. Roadside braai-ing is big business in the townships.  And highly organised too. They even have signs telling you where to queue.  Best chicken I have tasted for a long time. And not a single sighting of Smiley’s and Walkie Talkie Chicken.  I did ask, but apparently we weren’t going to be exposed to that due to the vegetarian in our midst.  I made a note to be nice to the vegetarian (this was after laughing at her getting mauled outside a shebeen). 

After the township excursion it was back to eKasie for the cooking lesson.  I started out enthusiastically, but soon realized there were too many cooks in the kitchen. So opted to grab a Black Label from the bar and watch the rugby instead.  Watching the rugby in Khayelitsha and Springboks actually win a game was a first …


Supper was wolfed down in a flash and then it was off on a shebeen crawl.  Which turned into a visit to Sollies, a local nightclub in Section 20 which was all abuzz with DJs from Metro FM.  The queues were crazy and everyone was all dressed up for the occasion.  If I had’ve known I would have at least packed masacara.  And our boerie rolls pale in comparison to the full scale braai’s lining the street. We can learn something here…

Earlier the rest of the crew, who all had hangovers, weren’t entirely sure how long they would last.  Seemingly a couple of glasses of wine and copius amounts of chicken and Chakalala sorted them all out and they relished making new friends and learning “to dance with their bums” (their words, not mine) to the popular Kwaito tunes.  Whilst they shook their bums and gave out phone numbers and Facebook addresses  I went to the bar to buy cigarettes and another beer.  The barman took the box of cigarettes and opened them to give me one.  Cost of cigarettes – R25.  The look on the barman’s face when I said I wanted the whole box – priceless.

Clubs and shebeens all have to close at midnight in the townships so we got home at a reasonable hour (by my standards) and after a nice cup of tea (just like home), a good night’s sleep was had.

The next morning we awoke to the sound of a lonesome vuvuzela heralding the start of another day in Khayelitsha.  The clouds had cleared and women were putting out the washing.  Ladies were off to church, men awaited the opening of the shebeens and children played soccer whilst dogs scrounged scraps from the braai areas.  As I drove home through the leafy avenues of the southern suburbs I felt as though I had been a part of something quite unique.  A glimpse into a life I had known nothing about.  Lighting one of my cigarettes from the box from Sollies I decided I should organise a weekend at eKasie with my friends.  Let them in on a well-kept secret … townships can be a whole lot of fun..

Does this look like a backpackers to you?

eKasie Backpackers - the brightest building in the street

Fresh fruit and veg on your way home

Lookout Hill - you can only look out so far

Shebeens - always have innovative advertising

We have a lot to learn about neighbourly braai's