As well as visiting projects, we've spent lots of time here in the Drakensberg area hiking in glorious scenery. Above are towering weird-shaped peaks rising to 3400 metres, and below are steep valleys, canyons, caves and rolling hills. Everything but the sheerest cliffs has a lush green coating, so different than all the landscapes we've seen since leaving Capetown. We loved the stark beauty of the desert and the sparse grasslands and forests, but it's refreshing to be surrounded by green, and easier to imagine the land supporting the population.
Driving up to the start of hikes was an adventure in itself, with the usual throngs of people on the road lower down, and narrow, winding hair-raising overhangs up high. The roads to the big resorts are often paved, but others are really rough, and we sometimes miss our rough and ready 4WD truck. The ruts got so deep on the way to Sentinel Peak that we abandoned our little Toyota and huffed and puffed the last very steep 5 km just to get to the supposed start of the hike!
Here are some pics of this incredibly beautiful area. As usual I can't control the order or label them, but they're from the Sentinel Peak, Cathedral Peak, the Chessmen, and Cathkin areas. By the way, we've been staying in great places: the weekend house of Veda Carver's brother near Winterton, and a sweet deal last night at the luxurious Cathedral Peak Hotel thanks to an introduction to the Sotho manager Chris, pictured in the 'Zulus' blog, from Monika of Philakahle. Feeling that we've been very fortunate once again! Tonight is our last in Africa, and tomorrow we'll visit Soweto with a friend before the 12 hour overnighter to Amsterdam.
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