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.
The 
The lodge provides a series of very cozy cabins in what is known as the "Champagne Valley". It is said that when one of the early climbers was en route to one of the tallest peaks, one of his servants dropped and ruin a bottle of champagne.
We approached the mountains through 
Although quite dry at the top, most of the ravines between the rocky slopes are carpeted in a rich green colour that makes one think of Ireland.
The peaks are often shrouded in cloud. Unfortunately, Nancy had a sick tummy (likely too much 
I made the decision to hike as far as I felt safe - the first part of the hike up a grassy ridge seemed tame enough. Progressing bit-by-bit I got pretty close to the peak -high enough to get some great views. Since the top of the mountain was cloaked in vapour I stopped short of the top by about 50 metres. In truth, I got a little spooked when the clouds seemed to be moving lower but made it down the mountain without any real problem.
The mountains provided lots of exercise and we were able to enjoy a pretty wide variety of flora and fauna.
The countryside is composed of rolling hills, deep lush valleys and a series of waterways. The Xhosan homes (called rondavels) are sprinkled across the landscape in clusters of family dwelllings and animal enclosures which are collectively called a kraal. 
The Xhosan women are traditionally clothed in colourful garb which includes a head wrap. The scarf is also an indication of marital status. Many Xhosans, particularly the women, paint their face with red or white clay. This serves as a form of decoration as well as protection from the sun. Sometimes it contains an ointment for skin conditions such as acne. 
As well as providing a place of employment for the locals, Bulungula Lodge serves as a community "hang out" where the Xhosans intergrate fully with the guests. This includes children as well as adults. One of the most hectic areas tends to be this outdoor game board which is similar to billiards. There are a series of red and yellow discs that have to be sunk into corner pockets by two blue discs. The final step is to use one blue disc to sink the remaining one.
Our stay at the lodge enabled us to experience a genuine rural African setting and its people. Smoking is a popular pastime for both men and women. The women traditionally smoke from a long pipe that prevents ashes from falling on their infant children. 
The project has been running for a few years now but is still a novelty for many of the local people, especially for young children. They certainly have the idea that striking a creative pose for the camera is an important part of the process of photography. Many of the Xhosan families have six to ten children. This is clearly an element of their enduring cycle of poverty. Most of the fathers in the community are away working in the mines. Many of the children attend a school in the area, but not alwyas very regularly. Sexual abuse of children by their teachers is a big issue in South Africa that is mentioned fairly regularly in the newspapers. Many black south Africans have been told to believe that raping a young virgin is a cure for AIDS. Shocking, but not that surprisingly when you consider that South Africa's Minister of Health told an international AIDS conference in Toronto last year that beet root is a cure for AIDS. The deputy prime minister is on record as saying that a cold shower is a sure remedy. 
There are many activities available at the lodge to help build "the second economy", a term used to describe small scale community-based enterprise. During our stay, we met a wonderful man named Gary, an economics professor at Cornell University, who was combining a vacation with research into such self-help programs. One of the activities that we participated in was a visit to the community naturalist. Below is a photo of his "lab" where he stores his collection of bark, leaves, roots, bones and powders, most of which he has gathered from the forest nearby. His "clients" are required to blow into one of the small, hollowed-out gourds hanging from the wall in order to be diagnosed. Sometimes people come to him with very specific requests for love potions, fertility drugs, good luck charms, . . . Note the frothy mixture which is brewing on the floor. It required the naturalist's stirring attention while we were there but no one in our group requested a sip. 
Another entrepreneurial project is a small "restaurant" that caters to tourists who are brought in by the lodge. There wasn't much on the menu (just a variety of pancakes) but the food was amazingly good considering the limited ingredients available locally and the fact that the food is cooked on a wood-fueled can. Since almost everyone in the community walks about barefooted we were perplexed to notice that most of the small nearby stores sell shoe polish. We eventually learned that this is used for crafts. The large metallic object hanging on the wall is like a large steamer basket. On a hot day it is set up outside and used as a sort of convection oven to bake loaves of bread using the sun's rays. These are sold to the lodge and to members of the community. 
Nancy participated in an activity called "women power" where she spent an entire day as a Xhosan woman. A highlight for her was learning how to carry heavy loads on her head. This photo shows her with the day's supply of firewood gathered from the forest, atop her head. She will never forget as she walked over the rolling hills dotted with rondavels, the women who would emerge whistling and shouting, telling them how beautiful they were! Children, cattle, goats, chickens, . . .moved off the path, seeming to sense that they were "women on a mission"! 
The windy, dusty roadways serve not only as a means of travelling from point A to B but also as a place to gather. On the final day of the month, pensioners over 60, disabled persons and mothers with children under 14 years of age assemble to receive support money from the government.
What a wonderful opportunity for gathering together to socialize and advertise your wares! 
Domestic animals such as donkeys, chickens, geese, sheep, cattle, goats, and a few horses roam freely about the lodge and throughout the community. The cattle and sheep are a status symbol and a component of the dowry paid to the family of a woman who is about to be married. The cattle and sheep are just used for food on special occasions and only then if one of the family members is "visited" during their sleep by a family member who gives permission for the animal to be slaughtered. 
One never has to look too hard to see something that reminds us of the good as well as the suffering that are a part of the reality of South Africa.
