Our at Coffee shack backpackers they set up a weekly dinner; for those interested, in the local Xhosa (pronounced with a click) village. Luckily we didn’t miss this opportunity, it was quite amazing.

We joined some of the friends that we have met from the South Africa Ticket-to-Ride group and headed out of our backpackers with the guide. We hiked almost a mile through the rolling hills. The villages here are very expansive and each family has quite a bit of property to which a few small dwellings are placed. We arrived on site with the Xhosa families and a bunch of sweet local kids. The setting was extremely rural, but quite peaceful. We were greeted by the Xhosa woman and our guide/translator helped us all communicate and ask questions. The greeting included a ceremonial drinking of Umqombothi. They first poured some on the ground to honor their ancestors, then the head woman took a drink and passed it to me. We all took a drink and it was followed by some really cool song and dance before dinner.

Dinner was a meal prepared in a traditional potjie and given to all us. It isn’t typical for them to eat meat, since most of the food grown in the area is corn & maize. We had samp beans and a meiliepap with a curry sauce. The food was great, so so filling, and quite the carb load. Good thing there was more dancing and singing after dinner. We all got to join in with the Xhosa women and do some dancing and drinking more of the ceremonial beer Umqombothi. It really didn’t taste all that great, but when in the village do as the villagers do.