The Drakensberg and Lesotho

I met Katie and Patrick at the airport and after having some lunch we left for the Northern Drakensberg in our lovely little hire Hyundai I10 which was just the right size for three of us plus our bags. The drive took around three hours and we arrived at the Ampitheatre backpackers in the late afternoon. The views of the mountains were incredible and the backpackers was huge and full of others like us. We had dinner there and chatted about our placements as we were all feeling that we were not being put to full use at them and what could we do about it. Before the holidays I was even contemplating moving to another one after Easter, so I was relieved to hear that Katie was also feeling like I was, although she wanted to stay. The next morning we joined up with a tour from the backpackers and met the group at seven thirty in the morning! Our guide was called Sim and he drove us in the mini bus to Sentinel Peak which is part of the 'Ampitheatre' a flat part of the mountains. The drive took a few hours but we drove into the Eastern Cape to get there and it was beautiful with the pink flower 'cosmos' and the colourful rondavels decorating the hill sides. The Peak was a large rock at the top of the mountain and the first part was fairly steep with a few rock faces to climb across but nothing too challenging. When we got to the place that would take us up the rock it involved about half an hour or more of climbing up huge boulders. I loved it because we really had to think about where we could put our feet and be careful of the tiny loose rocks and bits of earth that made it slippery. When we finally got to the top the view was so impressive and we were facing a sharp pointy rock in between two large mountains which I though was called Devils toe but is actually either devils hand or tooth! We stopped there for lunch and the extreme quietness hit me. After taking lots of pictures and peering over the edges and scaring ourselves we walked to the top of Tuluga Falls- the highest falls which is measured in five drops. It was basically just lots of pools on the top of the mountain which was not very exciting but then we met these three shepards with their dogs. They were dressed in blankets and hats and apart from that just their underwear! They were very happy to let us have our pictures with us and stayed with us the whole time before we moved on to get back down the mountain. This involved climbing down two very long and wobbly ladders. It's something I would have never done before but being here has made me want to try things and I had no other way down so I did it! On the second one I was very nervous so Sim put a harness on me which made me feel a lot safer but I'm glad I did it! The walk back down seemed to take forever and by that point we were all feeling tired. It was a fantastic day though and I got some great photo's.

On the Wednesday we were up early again to go on another tour...this time to Lesotho! This is the small country in the middle of South Africa and I never expected to visit there so i'm really glad we got the opportunity. Again, it took a few hours to get there and the number of people in the group was so big that we went with the new receptionist, Rowanda, who we had chatted to the night before in a 4x4 following the mini bus in front. So many potholes! It was a steep climb to the Lesotho border and when we got out it was freezing! We got our passports stamped and then drove into the beautiful countryside. The best thing about Lesotho that it appears to be almost untouched by western culture which is something that is somewhat ruining the traditional South African culture. The Basotho people still dress traditionally wearing wellies and blankets, apparently something the British gave them when they were fleeing from King Shaka and had to stay at the top of the mountains. The backpackers gives some of the money that we paid for the tour to one of the schools there so we visited the three building school, one of which had been paid for by them. Our guide, Zeccy, gave us a talk on the school and a bit about the country and their principal gave us a thank you speech for coming to visit. We then did some walking through the hills and stopped for lunch whilst Zeccy explained to us why Lesotho had been separated from South Africa. The British helped the Basotho people in one of the Zulu wars and after trying to let them become the responsibility of the cape people, which they strongly refused, they let them become a separate country. (or something like that!) We then walked down into a village after seeing some very faint rock art that had been mostly eroded away. A white flag outside of a rondavel signalled that there would be some traditional beer for us to try...which we did and it was horrible! It was thick and lumpy and so acidic! At least I tried it! We explored a bit more of Lesotho, trying a traditional meal of pumpkin leaves and pap (maize meal) which I had had before here which reminded me of what an advantage I have had over those other travellers to be living in a culture for a longer amount of time that simply peering into it for a few weeks. Lastly, we met a Sangomer which is a traditonal healer. He was very quiet and could only speak in Sotho, so our guide translated for us. He was wearing traditional clothing with objects around his neck such as sharks teeth which he had acquired when he was training. To become a Sangomer, you have to possess a 'gift' that is passed down to you through your ancestors. This gift is recognised by their family at any age and then they have no choice but to go for training. Sick people will come to them but will not say what is wrong. The sangomer will then talk to their ancestors and find out what it is then will use herbs and traditional medicines to help that person for a fee. It was interesting to hear but also quite hard to believe this new cultural belief about talking to ancestors- not just for Sangomers' but for lots of the tribal people in South Africa it is a way of life. They believe that they must honour their ancestors by talking to them and sacrificing gifts or they will not be rewarded. After a long day, we only just made it out of the country by four, which is when the border gate closes! Overall, our time at the backpackers was worthwhile and we would definitely go back there.

The next few days were unplanned and therefore we didn't actually do much except drive! We were heading from the northern Drakensberg down to the central Drakensberg to a place called Sani Pass. First we visited Giant Castle, an area that contains a mountain that looks like it has a giant lying on top of it. Unfortunately, it was more of somewhere to stop for lunch and we did not have time to hike up there. I was struggling that day with missing home and feeling very confused about my placement and it all got a bit too much so I had a long chat with my Mum and begged her to come out here for a week! It was really bothering me because I didn't want to run away from somewhere I liked being, but I was desperate to know if maybe there was somewhere else I could go and maybe do something else and be of more use. In the end, we walked up to the top of a hill and sat watching a family of baboons...something I love about south africa is coming across the wildlife in unexpected places! Unlike the ones in cape Town, these were passive towards us and the little baby ones skipped about on the rocks looking very sweet. We made our way to our backpackers and ended up getting ridiculously lost for hours on a very long dirt road through the mountains. It got dark and we couldn't see anything for miles which was quite scary! It was the first time I have felt really scared in this country when there was probably nothing to worry about as there really was no one around as everyone avoids that road! We managed to find our way out and pretty much just went to sleep once we got to the Sani Lodge. Not the best day!

In the morning we tried to find somewhere to horse ride but instead stopped at a quaint little tea rooms on the side of the road before going into Underberg which had shops! We decided to drive up the Sani Pass, a road up to the Lesotho border. I was not actually sure what the place was but this is what google says.. “Once, the Sani Pass was a rough mule trail descending the Eastern Highlands of old Basutoland into Natal. Tough drovers brought wool and mohair down the Pass on donkeys and mules to be exchanged for blankets … clothing … maize meal … the essentials for life in a remote, impoverished country.” For us it was pushing our small hire car to its limits up a steep dirt road to get to a point where we could go no further without a 4x4. Saw some nice little waterfalls though! That evening we had planned to stay with another volunteer, Johnny, who is working at an outdoor education centre in the area. The weather turned quite cold and rainy but we were met by all the people he works and lives with who were mostly there for short periods of time as interns in between studying. We compared placements with Johnny who has not had much time off to see the country and has to work very long days but is also enjoying it. We felt like we were at the extreme opposite: lucky enough to have had weekends off to explore the top part of this country, plus school holidays but also with too much free time in the week so we get bored! We braaid (so fed up of them now!), toasted marshmallows and slept in their living room by an open fire- so nice!

Overall, the Drakensberg was a great place to visit- beautiful and impressive scenery, some great hikes, learning more about the African culture and getting very very lost! I think I enjoyed the hike up Sentinel Peak the most as it was an adventure and the view at the top was overwhelming.