A Day at the Theatre

Greetings to everyone! Nancy and I are alive and well...still enjoying the best of a marvellous country. Even though the last post was about mountain scenery, we must share with you our experiences in the northern reaches of the Drakensberg, widely regarded as the most scenic part of the mountain range. The landscape really is quite dramatic - huge spires, buttresses, pinnacles and distorted fingers of rock rising up out of relatively flat pastures of land. The area is reminiscent of the south-western United States - very arid and with stunning rock formations everywhere that you look! Our visit began with a stop at Amphitheatre Backpackers, located in an ideal setting directly facing the Amphitheatre, a celebrated crescent of escarpment that stretches for five kilometres.
The pastures that lie at the foot of the mountains are a colourful mix of grasses and grains that help to frame the grandeur of the mountains. Here are a couple of views photographed from just in front of the hostel.

Our goal was to get to the top of the Amphitheatre - a pretty daunting task given the altitude and distance that is involved. The hostel offers day trips that drive part way up to the lower reaches. It was a beautiful day for a hiking adventure! As we wound our way through ravines, negotiated the switch backs, and clamoured up a steep gorge, we were rewarded with breath-taking views of a rock face that is famous for its tiny and isolated pinnacle known as the "Devil's Tooth".

It's difficult to convey the grandeur of the immense rock faces that we encountered along the way. When you're standing right below them they foster a feeling of awe and reverence. Those of you with excellent vision may be able to detect the tiny forms of our hiking party as they traverse the base of the cliff.

Arriving at the top of a plateau known as Beacon's Buttress, we explored the water pools that give rise to the Tugela River, said to be the second highest waterfall in the world as it tumbles its way down the mountain.

The Tugela River catchment area makes a critical contribution to South Africa's fresh water and hydroelectric resources. There are a series of three dams at the base of the mountains. Part of the water is redirected all the way to the taps in Johannesburg, and the electricity is used by homes as far away as Cape Town! The combination of water and mountains makes for some very impressive views!

Our lunch stop was in a very picturesque spot looking upon the Sentinel Rock, one of the highest peaks in the Drakensberg. On three sides there is a sheer drop to the valley far below. Some people are able to sit and eat with their feet dangling over the edge, but Nancy and I are prone to a little bit of vertigo so we declined the opportunity to test our bravery.

Part of what made the day very enjoyable was that our group size was small. In addition to the two of us there was a very friendly lady named Nicole (a river rafting guide from Arizona), Gary (a truck driver from England) and Babar (a chartered accountant from Pakistan). This was Babar's first time up a mountain and he was pretty cute..as well as scared at times.

Our guide for the trip was Garrett, a man who fits the stereotypical mould of a young South African (or Australian) male: a swash-buckling figure characterized by lots of humour, bravado, chauvinism and prone to heavy bouts of drinking!

The most interesting part of our descent of the mountain was at a cliff requiring the use of chain ladders. There are two sections (25 metres and 16 metres). There's really nothing to fear but fear itself; however, the chain was pretty shaky and there were a few spots where the chain was too close to the rock to allow a foothold so we had to leapfrog a few rungs at a time. That made the legs start to wobble!

We are now in the the province of KwaZulu-Natal. Kwa means "here", Zulu refers to the black nation that inhabits the area, and Natal, a name coined by the Portuguese when they made the first European visit to the area on Christmas Day during the fifteenth century. The Zulus, Xhosans and other tribes (generally called the Nguni) arrived in southern Africa from central Africa at about the time of Christ's birth. They were darker skinned and taller than the indigenous San (bushmen) who they quickly displaced.

Getting around is not easy for the local people. Only in a few major cities does one find any kind of public transportation. Those who can afford it travel in our-crowed communal taxis, but the majority of the black people here simply walk for miles and miles and miles each day.

Our last observation about the northern Drakensberg is that there are a lot of insects! Leaving the comfort of our room at night to go the washroom was pretty traumatic. After dark the insects take over in thick swarms - Alfred Hitchcock could have written a darn good script here! Some of insects are familiar but much larger than usual - like the family of five inch long praying mantis we had to shoo out of our room! One of the more interesting creatures was the mottled veld antlion shown below.