Drakensberg Mountains, South Africa, and Lesotho

SA PHOTOS: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.631898768078.2076914.43700183&type=1&l=60598e8ab0 LESOTHO PHOTOS: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.634929938588.2077432.43700183&type=1&l=a1049f44df After two months in South Africa, I am very sad to leave! I can't believe the time has gone so fast- I have grown quite fond of this country, and the time has passed FAR too quickly! After I left Durban, I finally said goodbye to the beach and headed into the mountains, which many of you know is my preference, anyway, and I certainly was not disappointed. My first stop was the Drakensberg Mountains. The backpackers was an absolute paradise with a huge property (converted farm, so you sleep in silos) with absolutely stunning views of the amphitheatre (the surrounding mountains look like an amphitheatre) and endless corn fields! There was loads of hiking to do, so the first day I met a bunch of South Africans who were there for their long weekend for the public holidays, and I tagged along with them to go hike Tugela Falls the next morning. The falls are the second highest in the world, however, due to the lack of rain in the dry winter season, the waterfall was little more than a trickle! The hike to the top though was fantastic, complete with having to climb up and down two sets of chain ladders about 20 meters high over a cliff to get on top of the mesa. The top though was stunning with grasslands all next to the river leading to the falls, and I was absolutely green with envy when I realized that you could camp up there and there we were, tentless :(. After a testing our nerves a bit too close for comfort next to the cliffs, we had a quick snooze in the sun before heading back down before sunset. It happened that this was my birthday (was sung to on the top of the mountain!), and I could not have asked for a more perfect day with more delightful people- what a blast! The next day I thought I would check out a new country, and took a tour over to Lesotho, about a two hour drive with a thorough "African massage" the whole way (the nice way of saying absolutely atrocious dirt roads that pitch you all over the car!). Our first stop was at the school in the village of Mafika-Lisiu, but unfortunately it was a public holiday, so no school! We had a proper lesson though in the little desks about the history of Lesotho, which was very interesting. I learned that it is the 3rd poorest country (next to Somalia and Ethiopia), and because of this they rarely use cash, but rather trade most things (at least in the villages), and also that due to poor heathcare, the HIV rate is an outrageous 45%. Our guide explained to us before we set out hiking that when the children yell "[the name for white people, I can't remember what it is]", that while some consider it a negative term, but is not meant that way. In fact, the name literally means "people of the water" because they first saw white people arrive by boat and did not know there was land elsewhere, and therefore thought they were from the sea. We carried on though and hiked to the caves with the old paintings from the bushpeople (600-800 years old) then looked for white or yellow flags above the houses to indicate that they have with maize beer or pineapple beer, respectively. Because people can't afford to buy most things, when a family has a surplus of something that will go bad before they can eat it, they put a flag above their house to indicate to the village to come eat or drink, (a red flag indicates meat, which is very rare, and a green flag indicates vegetables). Luckily we found a white flag and headed down for a maize beer, which we drank warm from a bucket ... it was not, err, the best tasting beer I've ever had, but the Basotho people seemed to enjoy it just fine! Our last two stops were to a traditional healer in the village (Mokoma), and to a local home to try some Lesotho food (much better than the beer), before having to get back to the South African border by 5 pm. What a great day experiencing a very unique culture! I had a couple more days of playing in the mountains (and attempting to run at altitude through the cornfields- ha!) before catching a ride up to Johannesburg/Pretoria to meet up with a couple guys I had met on the Wild Coast in Chintsa. After a quick welcome drink, we concocted the highly flawed and poorly planned mission of heading up to the dam to go camping, and after a series of mishaps, ended up stumbling upon a backpackers in the middle of nowhere that happened to overlook a game reserve- excellent! We braaied (barbaqued) while watching the impala and wildebeast come drink at the watering hole just on the other side of the fence, and it was so much better than we could have ever expected! It was great to spend a couple days with those guys, and then it was back to Jo'burg to meet up with one of the guys from the Drakensbergs before departing for Nambia in the morning... South Africa will certainly be missed, but I am excited to check out a new country!

Wild Coast (and Durban), South Africa

LINK TO PHOTOS: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.630589866128.2076716.43700183&type=1&l=9bcd5642b1 I can't believe it's time for another update already-- time is going way too fast! Since I left the elephants, I have been heading up northeast along the coast, hopping from tiny town to tiny town (if they can be called that), trying to keep ahead of the chilly weather change and moving towards increasingly warmer waters of the Indian Ocean. So far this has been pretty successful, with the days nearly always perfect and sunny, warm enough to swim at the beach, but cool enough so that hiking is still enjoyable but the nightly fires are well appreciated! When I left Plettenberg Bay I headed up for a quick stop in Port Elizabeth. Two nights and a full day there was enough to spend some time on the beach and explore the little city, as there's not a whole lot to see. They were preparing for the Ironman coming to town a few days later, so the music was pumping at the beach and the energy was electrifying with the athletes warming up all over the place! I so wish I could have stayed to watch it, but I settled for running just a smigin of the marathon route along the boardwalk. I met up with a friend of a friend there who took me up to Richmond Hill, a great little section of town that I would not have seen otherwise! Next stop was Chintsa, and I left my heart there! Meaning to stay only one night, it ended up being five due to a remarkable place and even better people! The backpackers was absolutely in the middle of nowhere, set up like a camp (picture the movie Dirty Dancing) on the bottom of a mountain, each dorm/room/tent in its own structure, all of which afforded breathtaking views of the ocean and the mouth of the Chintsa River. Every day there were free activities (kayaking on the river, beach volleyball and bocci ball, poolside games, theme parties, etc.), and plenty of free wine! It was the most amazing setting, and between the river, ocean, pool/pool bar, and huge camping ground, it would be an ideal festival spot! We had an incredible group there and all of us got stuck much longer than we had planned because we couldn't leave. We had a horseride on the beach, and after a cancelled game drive, managed to get some complimentary time playing with the cheetahs, and of course the bonfires. All good things must come to an end, though, so reluctantly we parted ways, and I headed up to the highly recommended Coffee Bay. On this drive is when I started to appreciate the name "Wild Coast", so called for the dramatic landscape, raging waves, wind, and general unpredictabily and "wildness" of everything. It is an extremely rural area, and even on the main highways we had to stop many times to wait for a stubborn cow, herd of sheep, or pack of pigs (or donkeys, goats, children, etc) to clear the road, and on the back roads swerving potholes is more of a science than an art! The ride was great fun though (if you like a good butt massage) and well worth it, as Coffee Bay will charm you from the start- the backpackers was again on the mouth of a river (this time the Mbombu) feeding into the ocean, but you had to forge it (up to waist deep in high tide) to get to the mud hut rooms ... doing this in the cold and dark at high-tide, though, is somewhat less charming! The village is one highly deteriorated dirt road in town with the backpackers, a drum shop, small cafe, and shop that carries only non-perishables, but it definitely makes you appreciate "Africa Time". We spent the days at the beach mostly, but had a good 12k hike through the fields and cliffs and scatted huts to the aptly named "hole in the wall" (a hole in the big rock island that resembles a wall, just off shore that the waves come crashing through), finishing up with a swim (the water warmer than the air, eek!), and toasted sandwiches over a fire on the beach before heading home. Perhaps one of the most fun things, though, was going for a run around the time that school let out, and all the kids running with me and showing me some new ... mm, creative (read: arduous!) routes. They were absolutely running circles around me, yet held out that I would be better at soccer than I am running ... joke was on them though when I was the most awkward, clumsy person you can imagine, not at all aided by their deflated ball and sloped pitch! I had to say goodbye to the Wild Coast though and headed up North to the South Coast (I presumed named so because it's just South of Durban) and had a couple quiet days in Warner Beach running errands, doing laundry, and generally collecting myself. It was a beautiful backpacker's with two rock pools, so I enjoyed the beach in my preferred method of listening to it while I sit comfortably away from the sand next to the pool! A couple more days in Durban were lively and a bit of a whirlwind, as it was a long weekend, so everyone was out to celebrate! Durban was a nice little city, but I have to admit I wasn't terribly taken with it. Just a good city beach and fun nightlife (and I got to try some Bunny Chow-- hollowed out bread filled with curry ... Durban has the largest Indian population outside of India). I did have my first mini-bus experience though which I'm happy and sad to report was fairly uneventful ... it's too easy when there is no language barrier! Alas, it is time to leave the beach though and head into the mountains!!