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Published: October 14th 2023
Me
Drakensberg Boys Choir SchoolDear All
After leaving lovely, balmy Durban, I enjoyed a wonderful day of travelling, heading inland and up into the high veld region of South Africa as the temperature dropped, particularly at night. I bade a sad farewell to my wonderful hosts Neil and his wife Gerda, and drove permanently away from the South African coast which I had been hugging all of this time. My route would take more of a mountainous, and less of a sea-breeze one, and I was looking forward to a bit of change.
My first stop was the capital of KwaZulu-Natal, and former British capital of Natal, Pietermaritzburg. I had taken more of a direct route, avoiding the need to head into Durban again and back out along the N3 motorway, thinking this would be a short cut and as recommended by my accommodation host back in Port Edward, but it was a bit of a chore to start with, with more of them darned speed bumps and potholes, as well as a four-mile diversion along some really awful bumpy dirt roads due to a bridge having been recently washed away on the main road. I didn't feel too elated to join the
The Amphitheatre
Royal Natal National Park, Drakensberg N3 again either, as there were also plenty of road works there, including a multi-way roadwork traffic light which took 20 minutes (yes 20 minutes!) to turn green! It was a bit of a relief to arrive in Pietermaritzburg to be honest, and from thereon the quality of my route was much better.
I was heading to Pietermaritzburg mainly to check out a famous location in the history of India's great leader, Mahatma Gandhi. Not many people seem to know that before Gandhi's non-violent resistance campaign in British-ruled India, he had lived for 21 years in South Africa shortly after qualifying as a lawyer in the UK in 1891. He lived in Durban for 21 years, between 1893 and 1914, where he raised his family, and first founded the seeds of his famous Satyagraha movement of civil resistance against unjust laws, influencing both Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King in later years. It all apparently began there in Pietermaritzburg, where travelling in first class by train from Johannesburg to Durban, he experienced pre-Apartheid segregation when refusing to leave first class when asked to, as South African Indians were only allowed to travel in second class. By refusing, he was
Afternoon Concert
Drakensberg Boys Choir School removed from the train there in Pietermaritzburg at night where he was forced to sleep in the train station. He was apparently so affected by this incident, that it ultimately led to his life's work and devotion to peacefully campaigning against unjust laws both there in South Africa, and subsequently later back in India. His work in South Africa led to improved rights and conditions for the Indian people of the country, and subsequently for all people in the country as his Natal Indian Congress organisation was one of the first to politically speak out against Apartheid, allying itself later with the African National Congress. When Apartheid ended in 1994, Gandhi, along with Mandela and others, were honoured throughout the country with numerous plaques and statues, such as those found here at Pietermaritzburg Station.
After parking up in a nearby leafy street, I headed to the station and visited a plaque and statue dedicated to this momentous but little-known occasion in South African, and global, history. The city also seemed like a really nice town, with tidy and orderly tree-lined streets, which were a far and welcome cry from the shabbiness of Central Durban. I didn't stay long in
Me, San Cave Rock Paintings
Royal Natal National Park, Drakensberg the city though, as my driving drove me onwards a few miles north of town to the famous Mandela Capture Site and its adjoining, brilliant museum, near the town of Howick. This place was much more modern and state-of-the-art than the Nelson Mandela Museum back in Mthatha, with no horrible bikers to trap me in either. It was also in the middle of a beautiful field surrounded by trees, and felt peaceful and calm with cooling breezes and birdsong all around. The museum was fascinating, and told Mandela's journey from resistance to statesman, leading up to the pinnacle of the place, its Walk of Freedom path lined with 27 important moments in his life, equating to his 27 years of imprisonment. The Walk itself culminated in one of the most amazing sculptures I have ever seen, apparently simply called "The Sculpture". Viewed from most angles, it was seemingly a random collection of long, upright metal poles, but when viewed together from the right angle from only one direction, actually presents a picture-perfect portrait of the man himself. It was really something else! I had a breakfast for lunch at the attached and very friendly adjoining cafe, enjoying the fresh air
Pietermaritzburg Station
Gandhi Train Incident Site up there in the foothills of the Drakensberg, looking forward to my upcoming time in these very famous mountains. Although it was quite warm in the sun, the air was notably cooler and crisper, and I had a feeling I was going to need to layer up again after subtropical Durban.
My final drive for the day was up to the very foot of the amazing Drakensberg Mountains, heading up the Central Drakensberg approach, probably the region's most developed area for visitors. After a bit of difficulty finding it, as my hostess was not able to send me any directions by email and I had no roaming access to the Internet anyway, and after enquiring at the nearby Dragon Peaks Mountain Resort and then driving through the wrong metalled gate, fortunately being able to drive out again not long after as a car was able to open the gate again for me, I checked into probably my most amazing accommodation on the whole of this epic adventure! Called "The Bunker", my accommodation was a cute and very cosy self-catering cottage literally built into a huge rock on a grassy slope near the small settlement of Cathkin Park. It felt
like staying in a Hobbit Hole, set in a huge expanse of a field within its own gated compound, and with awesome views towards the Monks Cowl section of these mighty mountains. I just had time to settle in, and sit outside on the grass surrounded by numerous birds and their songs, cheeky little monkeys, and even a couple of deer, watching the sun set over the nearby majestic peaks. It was special. The city of Bloemfontein, birthplace of JRR Tolkein himself, comes later in my trip, but I shall mention at this stage that I've wanted to see these mountains for a long time now, as they were apparently the inspiration for Tolkein's Mordor. Watching the sunset over these dramatic and very craggy peaks, I could clearly see this there! The spectacular mountain range is composed of near-vertical jagged peaks which almost completely surround the tiny country of Lesotho, also planned for later on this trip. The mighty rockface looked practically impenetrable, and I could quite imagine a land of orcs, lava and Sauron beyond them - I hoped that Lesotho would be a bit nicer than this, and was intrigued to find out. This was a really very
special place to begin my visit to the Drakensberg, and I chose my accommodation well - I was very very much looking forward to exploring more the next day!
My full day in the Central Drakensberg was really amazing, and I learned that the area is actually called the Champagne Valley. Through the morning mist, I first drove up to the Monk's Cowl Nature Reserve for a lovely two-mile hike to a nearby waterfall and back, having the whole place to myself before a steady stream of tourists began to arrive as I was leaving. I then aimed to drive to another nearby region called Injisuthi, but called this plan off halfway as the road was just too pot-holed and was getting worse and worse. About seven miles before my destination, I came across a huge gap running all the way across the middle of the road, which would have been highly unsuitable for my low-clearance 2WD, and attempted a three-point turn in the middle of the narrow road which turned out more to be a 13-point turn, watched over by a couple of old men sitting nearby who must have wondered what on earth I was doing. I
was glad to call it off and head back to the more developed Champagne Valley though, and enjoyed a delicious lunch at the very swish, peaceful and panoramic Monk's Cowl Country Club. I had another Bunny Chow, this time with beef rather than lamb curry, and although it was less spicy than my last one, it was still just as filling and I again only managed to eat half of it, thinking I would never need to eat again. I thought that that would do for my Bunny Chows now, finding them too filling with the stodgy bread, and the curries with too much meat and not enough sauce. Still, it was a very genteel spot to just relax in and soak up the beauty of the peaceful surrounds.
I then headed on to what was definitely the highlight of the day, and also my time in the Drakensberg - a concert at the internationally famous and world-renowned Drakensberg Boys Choir School. I was quite fortunate to attend actually, as they usually only have one concert per week on a Wednesday afternoon, and Wednesday was my only full day there in the Drakensberg. It was incredible, and I also
View
Nelson Mandela Capture Site, Howick signed up for a school tour just before. The school is actually very similar to the kind of school I work in back home, so to have a tour of the place was a real treat I thought. The concert itself was amazing! My goodness, those boys could really sing, and dance too! It was about two hours in total, split into two halves with refreshments in the interval. The first half was more classical, and was kind of what I was expecting from the Choir, with music from Mozart to Andrew Lloyd Webber. The second half was entitled "Afripop", and started and ended with amazing renditions of the Lion King's "Circle of Life", and lots of African-themed songs in between that most audience members aside from myself seemed to know, along with dancing, drumming and all sorts of instruments. Those boys could seriously perform, and they must have been exhausted at the end! I had the feeling that many of them would go on to be famous performers, actors and musicians when they were older. This Wednesday afternoon performance was apparently particularly special, as two of the boys received their official choir performance achievement - not all boys who
Me
Nelson Mandela Capture Site, Howick go to the school perform apparently, but they all aim for the achievement of being able to perform, which these two achieved this afternoon watched by their proud families in the audience.
I got to meet briefly with the school's Headmaster at the end, along with the two conductors, and also got talking to the Headmaster and Assistant Headmaster from a Christian school in Mauritius, who were visiting the Drakensberg for a Christian school's conference, as well as a number of other very friendly people. I found people throughout South Africa just so very friendly, and you can just about talk to anybody! And since I myself simply do just talk to almost anybody, I really felt in my element there! Many could tell I wasn't South African as I was in shorts and a t-shirt while everyone else was wrapped in their winter woollies. For me, it felt like summer there, but for South Africans it was cold! It reached about 20 degrees in the sun, but admittedly it was a bit chilly in the shade, and was seriously freezing at night. The night before it got down to minus six degrees, and there was frost in the
Nelson Mandela Bead Artwork
Nelson Mandela Capture Site, Howick ground in the morning! There was also just the most amazing full moon, which almost made night into day - it was really easy to see by the light of the full moon. The concert was just amazing, and I went back to my cosy Hobbit Hole accommodation on a high, feeling very blessed and thankful to be travelling in this amazing country!
My final day in the Drakensberg was just as amazing as the other two, and I felt that this was my second favourite place in South Africa after the Cape region. In the morning, I left my lovely Hobbit Hole and drove first to the Northern Drakensberg region, centred around the stunning and very famous Amphitheatre rock formation. This was a bit like Cape Town's Table Mountain, but much much higher and loftier. It was really a beautiful place, and I based myself in the region at the Royal Natal National Park. From there, I hired a local guide to take me on a short hike to see some nearby San cave rock paintings, which you could only reach with a local guide. I must admit I was a bit disappointed as the little figures of
Forgiveness Quote
Nelson Mandela Capture Site, Howick stick-men and animals were really "only" 800 years old, compared with some of the other paintings in the region dating back up to 5000 years ago! I was happy to be able to practise some of the Zulu that I had learned and prepared for this trip with my guide, Sizwe - yay! I could manage basic greetings, and also my DuoLingo app taught me how to say things like "she buys rice on a Tuesday", or "the elephant is eating grass over there", which actually didn't prove too useful, but certainly bridged the culture gap with a number of people I met in this part of my journey.
After the hike, I then drove a couple of miles further towards the vertically-rising mountains to see the Amphitheatre structure closer up, picking up two hikers along the way. One of them was another Headteacher at a school in Sussex back in the UK, making him my third Headteacher I'd met in just two days! I always have respect for these people, with the amount of responsibility and position that they have. I must admit that I've never aspired to such a position myself, as I'm perfectly happy to simply
Walk of Freedom Path
Nelson Mandela Capture Site, Howick teach, but I do like meeting with them though, so this was another great encounter. The Amphitheatre was even more beautiful close-up, and I could see how it got its name with it being a semi-circular flat-topped mountain structure rising up near-vertically from the plains below - it was huge and imposing, and really quite breathtaking to admire.
I then began the journey to my next destination for my accommodation for the night, the lovely little town of Clarens, along quite possibly the most beautiful stretch of my whole South African roadtrip. After passing an unusual sign saying "Cannibals" upon leaving the Royal Natal National Park which left me rather perplexed, and later getting stuck behind a herd of cows on the road for a while, the drive seriously improved. I first began by driving up and over a nearby resort called Little Switzerland, which itself describes how beautiful the land was around there, and then along a spectacular body of water called the Sterkfontein Dam as I crossed the border from KwaZulu-Natal into Free State. Finally I headed through the gorgeous Golden Gates National Park, surrounded by stunning mountain shapes and formations, all lit up with the golden
A Random Collection of Metal Poles
Nelson Mandela Capture Site, Howick hue of the setting afternoon sun. I thought at the time that this must be what driving through Monument Valley in America must be like! Added bonuses were that the long, straight roads were quiet and empty, and (mostly) free of pot-holes and unexpected speed bumps, as well as people, cows, sheep, goats, chickens and whatever else decides to walk along roads in this country. As with many other times during my Road Trip, it felt a shame to be speeding my way through everything, but due to the need to arrive in places before sundown, I didn't have much time to stop off and explore many places along the way. It was definitely my favourite drive in South Africa!
After my amazing drive, I finally arrived in lovely Clarens, nicknamed "The Jewel of the Free State", and highly recommended by my Lonely Planet for its off-the-beaten track, artsy, quirky nature. It is apparently an artist's hotspot, and I could immediately sense its charm upon arrival with its beautiful tree-lined streets and inviting central square lined with cafes, bars and boutiques. It was definitely the most relaxed place I'd been to on this journey, and felt very safe, with
A Random Collection of Metal Poles
Nelson Mandela Capture Site, Howick lots of friendly local people all saying hello. It was the kind of town where everyone seems to know everyone, where people of all backgrounds had time to stop and chat to each other, and on my hour's stroll through town before the sun set, bumped first into my very friendly accommodation hosts, who I'd met earlier when checking in, having a beer and burger at a local eatery, and then another friendly South African guy I'd got talking to back in the Royal Natal National Park. It turned out that this chap does the marketing for Airlink, the airline company that I was flying to both Lesotho and Swaziland with, and he really assured me that it is a trusted company, even more so apparently than South African Airways which has its fair share of dodginess and corruption apparently, so that was all good to hear! I returned to my accommodation just as the sun set, chortling to myself at the speed bumps along the roads there - although I was staying only a few blocks away from Clarens' main thoroughfare, the roads off it were very rough dirt tracks, yet despite this they even had speed bumps and
The Sculpture
Nelson Mandela Capture Site, Howick speed bump signs - as if anyone was going to be able to speed along such bumpy, gravelly roads!
I also noted, travelling from the state of KwaZulu-Natal to that of the Free State, that Afrikaans and Afrikaaners dominate there. Street signs are mostly in Afrikaans, with not even a translation into English! I felt happy that this would give me a bit of a chance now to practise my Afrikaans, which I had also learned a bit of as well as Zulu before heading here, and also get to know this most intriguing and illusory of people and culture.
The next day I was heading deeper into Afrikaans country, setting off for nearby Bloemfontein - but of course, more on that in my next one! The Drakensberg Mountains of South Africa had just been amazing, and I had an awesome time there!
Thanks for reading, and all the best for now 😊
Alex
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John Miranda
John & Miranda
Drakensberg
Glad you got to the Railway Station in Pietermaritzburg ..... the Comrades Marathon made it impossible for us. The Mandela Capture Museum .... interesting. Of course, it hadn't in 2006 when we were on our travels.