Upcoming Ubuntu Bridge Village Trips

[Makhosimvelo]

The Village Experience
2 – 12 July 2007

Hosted by Craig Charnock in Nqileni Village, Bulungula, Eastern Cape.


Description:
A Xhosa culture and language learning experience providing opportunities for establishing relationships and empathy with the Xhosa speaking people of South Africa, with the intent to aid the process of effective transformation by opening communication channels. Guests stay with a host family, participating in the daily household activities to their desired extent, from wood and water fetching, to cooking, cleaning or helping kids with homework and sports. Daily language lessons with Craig involve his daily visits to your homestead and revision and clarification of work he has given you the day before. The experience is otherwise meant to be enjoyable as one soaks in the atmosphere and slower pace of life of this remote, beautiful and welcoming village by the sea, enjoying the many pleasures that life in the village has to offer.

Dates:
Monday 2nd July 2007 – Thursday 12th July 2007. This means a required departure from Cape Town on Sunday 1st at the latest (see transport options below). This 10-day period is the recommended length of stay. You may apply to lengthen your stay, or shorten it by a day or two, if you have to (price may vary).

Costs:
10 nights in the village @ R300 per person per night. GROUP of 4 SPECIAL: R250 per person per night - 10 nights. South African Students: R230 pp/pn. All food, accommodation and tuition fees are included, including 2 free Learn Xhosa audio CDs (worth R250) with manual for pre-experience learning. Payable in full upfront to reserve your place. Require by email. To live in the village without Craig's daily facilitation, but having someone put you in an appropriate homestead, and check on you each day, cost is R150 per day (minimum of five days).

Extra activities and costs:
You will need to arrange your own transport from Cape Town to the Shell Ultra City in Umtata (some options below) and back again to Cape Town. The Bulungula shuttle from Umtata to the village is R60 one way. It will also return you to Umtata on your day of departure to link with your arranged transport (R60). Extra activites in the form of local run business may be organized. For example canoeing on the river (R40), horse-riding (R120), or a visit to the solar-powered mudhut restaurant. Numerous day walks may also be taken to waterfalls and forests. Guides may be organized for a small fee. There are also small spaza shops where one may buy the odd item. It may be best to budget a further R60 a day, if you wish to engage in such extramural activities, though it is recommended that you stick to your family activities as much as possible.

Transport options:
NB. Please make your travel arrangements as soon as possible, as the school holiday season is a popular time for people heading to the Eastern Cape. The Greyhound bus is probably the most convenient and simplest option.

The Greyhound Bus leaves Cape Town at 18h45 (depart Sun 1st), arriving in Umtata at 15h00 on Monday. Make sure to book the bus that stops at the Shell Ultra City, not the office. R390 one way.
Tel: 083 915 9000 or (011) 276 8500 24-hours.
Fax: (011) 276 8550. Mon - Sun: 07:00 - 19:00.
There is a very efficient booking system at www.greyhound.co.za

The Baz Bus also offers this service from Cape Town to Umtata. R460 one way, but with a compulsory overnight stop in PE. Departs morning: CT 07h30 – PE 22h00. PE 07h00 – 15h00 UMT. Please speak to me about further transport enquiries and co-ordination. Baz Bus Tel: +27 21 439 2323, Fax: +27 21 439 2343,
E-mail: info@bazbus.com. www.bazbus.com.

Return journey: All buses leave Umtata around lunch time, arriving in Cape Town the following day. The Greyhound in the morning, the Baz Bus in the evening, after its overnight stop in PE. So, Greyhound definitely better.

Or you can fly with 1time or preferably (timing-wise) SAA to East London and catch the shuttle from there to the Greyhound bus stop in East London. Then catch the Greyhound to Umtata. This requires a degree of co-ordination. Essentially you need to make sure your flight leaving CT (around 08h30) in the morning, arrives in East London in time to catch the airport shuttle (082 569 3599), which will connect you with the 11h30 Greyhound bus bound for Umtata. Stick with the bus.

Further information:
Information including a list of required items, important things to know about the experience, as well as an itinerary of activities will be issued with further correspondence. Please speak to me (Craig) if you have any special sleeping, dietary or medicinal requirements/limitations, but you will have an opportunity to write this down on the booking form. Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

General information is available on-line at www.learnxhosa.com or in this forum.
Craig Charnock may be contacted on 072 6090 666 or learnxhosa@learnxhosa.com.
Please book via email or via the booking form.

[nomnganga]

I'm impressed I must say. Very much impressed.