Trip report: Southern Africa
OK, so I've had my takeaway and a bottle of Belgian beer. The cats have stopped attention-seeking and the house is quiet because Sally is 20 miles away with an IV antibiotic drip in her arm failing to...
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Day 3: Monday - Drakensberg
Today we took the dirt road route to our next campground at the Drakensberg. Note that apart from the first night in the lodge and the final 2 nights in a hotel, we took a chance with all the other accommodation. We got lucky, but some of that was probably because this was the alleged rainy season.
OK, I say dirt road route, but actually the majority of the route was on sealed road. It just felt like dirt road most of the way (pot holes didn't help). These maps are from Google Earth and I have colour-coded the routes:
Blue = sealed road
Green = dirt road / offroad
Red = walking
However, I am getting ahead of myself. Sally was tired in the morning so I suggested a small walk from the campground. The previous evening I had seen people walking back in their swimming gear, so we headed out to see where they had gone.
On the way we found an old shopping list:
I think it translates as "2 small deer, don't forget extra fire wood, come straight home - no mucking around with your friends in the river"
Looks like a reasonable place to live (at least at this time of year when it is 30c - maybe not in winter when it is under snow):
Driving away from the campground showed the full majesty of the amphitheatre:
Typical little shops dot the roads. These are smart ones, many are just tin shacks:
The 'rainy season' might mean a risk of a soaking, but was worth it not just for the empty campgrounds, but the beautiful green foliage. This is probably not how most people imagine Africa:
Today we headed for the campground below Cathedral Peak. I wanted to drive up Mike's Pass, but the guard at the entrance said it had been closed since last year. We drove up the valley and found a turn off for some fashionable individual lodges with thatched roofs. In the middle was the lodge reception and here we paid for our camping in advance. There was also a small shop where we could buy bread, milk, charcoal for the 'braai' (South African BBQ) and fire lighters (plus Sally found some souvenirs despite my attempts to distract her).
It was midday so too early (and hot) to go to the campground. Opposite the campground entrance we spotted some trouble-makers. The lady at the shop had described them as "very naughty" in her gently and rolling African accent. We made a mental note not to leave anything out that night which little hands could play with:
To pass the afternoon we drove as far as we could along the valley. A second guard controlled the entrance to the luxury hotel taking up that end directly below Cathedral Peak. Behind the guard was a car park and trail head. So we decided to do a short walk up the river (but not climbing too much). Maybe this is where Sally got bitten by some bug:
We found a spot where you could reach the stream and cool down:
During the trip we saw quite a lot of Widow birds. I had never seen these before, as they struggled to fly with their long tails dangling behind them:
We returned to find the campground. A guard was stationed at its entrance 24x7. I don't know if there was any risk of theft, or whether the bigger problem was the baboons. There was one other couple camping - they had gone out with their car but left their trailer-tent and bikes. We chose a site in the middle of the campground not wanting to crowd around the others.
I checked the fluids on the vehicle. Look, a big space where you could fit a turbocharger:
It was a noisy night with the creatures partying again. There was the occasional baboon sound. Sleep wasn't helped by the habit of listening out for the possible sound of baboons climbing around the vehicle - none did, but we still awoke tired.
Stay tuned for southern Drakensberg...
Today we took the dirt road route to our next campground at the Drakensberg. Note that apart from the first night in the lodge and the final 2 nights in a hotel, we took a chance with all the other accommodation. We got lucky, but some of that was probably because this was the alleged rainy season.
OK, I say dirt road route, but actually the majority of the route was on sealed road. It just felt like dirt road most of the way (pot holes didn't help). These maps are from Google Earth and I have colour-coded the routes:
Blue = sealed road
Green = dirt road / offroad
Red = walking
However, I am getting ahead of myself. Sally was tired in the morning so I suggested a small walk from the campground. The previous evening I had seen people walking back in their swimming gear, so we headed out to see where they had gone.
On the way we found an old shopping list:
I think it translates as "2 small deer, don't forget extra fire wood, come straight home - no mucking around with your friends in the river"
Looks like a reasonable place to live (at least at this time of year when it is 30c - maybe not in winter when it is under snow):
Driving away from the campground showed the full majesty of the amphitheatre:
Typical little shops dot the roads. These are smart ones, many are just tin shacks:
The 'rainy season' might mean a risk of a soaking, but was worth it not just for the empty campgrounds, but the beautiful green foliage. This is probably not how most people imagine Africa:
Today we headed for the campground below Cathedral Peak. I wanted to drive up Mike's Pass, but the guard at the entrance said it had been closed since last year. We drove up the valley and found a turn off for some fashionable individual lodges with thatched roofs. In the middle was the lodge reception and here we paid for our camping in advance. There was also a small shop where we could buy bread, milk, charcoal for the 'braai' (South African BBQ) and fire lighters (plus Sally found some souvenirs despite my attempts to distract her).
It was midday so too early (and hot) to go to the campground. Opposite the campground entrance we spotted some trouble-makers. The lady at the shop had described them as "very naughty" in her gently and rolling African accent. We made a mental note not to leave anything out that night which little hands could play with:
To pass the afternoon we drove as far as we could along the valley. A second guard controlled the entrance to the luxury hotel taking up that end directly below Cathedral Peak. Behind the guard was a car park and trail head. So we decided to do a short walk up the river (but not climbing too much). Maybe this is where Sally got bitten by some bug:
We found a spot where you could reach the stream and cool down:
During the trip we saw quite a lot of Widow birds. I had never seen these before, as they struggled to fly with their long tails dangling behind them:
We returned to find the campground. A guard was stationed at its entrance 24x7. I don't know if there was any risk of theft, or whether the bigger problem was the baboons. There was one other couple camping - they had gone out with their car but left their trailer-tent and bikes. We chose a site in the middle of the campground not wanting to crowd around the others.
I checked the fluids on the vehicle. Look, a big space where you could fit a turbocharger:
It was a noisy night with the creatures partying again. There was the occasional baboon sound. Sleep wasn't helped by the habit of listening out for the possible sound of baboons climbing around the vehicle - none did, but we still awoke tired.
Stay tuned for southern Drakensberg...
