"To Getting Stuck in Coffee Bay"

Last night, Sam - the resident surf instructor from the UK - offered to toast me (it turns out he was just trying to catch me drinking with my right hand so he could call me on "buffalo," but a nice thought, nonetheless). I asked him what we were toasting to and he said, "To Coffee Bay - to getting stuck here."

Cheers to that.

Nate - my fellow American (who is from Indiana and also grew up thinking Indiana Beach was the most wonderful place in the world) - has been at Coffee Shack for almost 3 weeks now. Much like me, he only intended to stay a day or two.

I did intend to leave today. I even had my name down for the shuttle to town. But it's a hard place to leave. So I'll stay another day - but only another day. If I stay any longer I risk missing my flight out of Durban on Sunday. And now I only have one day when I get back to Durban. It's hard to believe.

So another day in Coffee Bay - coffee and time in the hammock, exploratory walks and sea life, the companionship and stories of fellow travelers.

The only way I have been able to console myself about leaving has been to promise I'll be back. Maybe I can come visit for 3 weeks every year. Or maybe I'll again find myself at a place in life where I want to spend 3 months overseas, maybe volunteering at the school here.

Walking along the rocks yesterday - watching the fish in the tidal pools and seeking shells - I was overcome with contentment at the thought of one day bringing my future kids here to explore the beach with childlike wonder, just as I have been doing.

It's a playground for imaginative wanderings and whimsical delights, Coffee Bay.