Visiting the Bergs

On our last night in Ithala a large spider sat beside Mary's bed. The girls debated how to kill it. I insisted that it be left in peace. The following day we visited a chemist to pick up lozengers for Eimear's throat. The pharmacist immediately asked Mary when she had been bitten by a spider. Seemingly, the spot on her fae was a gift from incey-wincey. 'Not to worry', she was told, 'the egg will hatch quickly'. Since then I have been enjoying excellent sleep in the kennel.

On Wednesday we arrived in the Drakensbergs. I drove like a maniac to get us from Ithala in time for a concert by the Drakensberg Boys' Choir. They had been highly recommended to us by another traveller. They did not disappoint. The concert comprised two parts. The first half was a mix of pieces by the great composers interspersed with some classical adaptations of pop songs. The second half was all traditional African songs. I have never been so moved by a performance. It provided great hope for the possibilities of the rainbow nation.

Apart from the boys' choir, the Drakensbergs are famous for two reasons. Most visitors come to walk in the stunning mountains. Others are drawn to the area by the history. In among the peaks are battlefields from the Anglo-Boer Wars. Not 100km from our accommodation was the place where Winston Churchill was captured and also the bloody fields of Spion Kop. My intuition told me the girls probably wouldn't want to spend much time visiting these. I will return another time.

Instead, we hiked. Two days of walking in the Ds was relatively painless for me; the girls had a wonderful time. The second of our ambles was in the direction of Tugela Falls - the second highest waterfall in the world. This created some excitement for me. A waterfall of that height must be spectacular. Except that it wasn't. Our walk ended with a partial view of two sections. Very underwhelming. I think only continuous falls should be allowed to count in the record books. Time to start a petition.

Much more exciting was a set of canopy zip wires running threougth a nearby section of forest. Eimear and I both spent a morning swinging high above the trees. My antics hanging upside down gained me the name 'infeme' from the locals - meaning baboon.

Tonight we have scheduled one more game drive. We discoverd that there is a lodge nearby containing lots of cats. We are trying to arrange for Eimear to see a lion during her visit. This will be the last chance.

Tomorrow we have a long drive to Lesotho. Plenty of time to listen to our Dberg choir cds.