Blogs from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, Africa - page 13

Whenever I start to write one of these entries I always want to start, “wow what a day” so today after three years of blogging I am going to. Wow what a day, today has been; a day on the move as we are now in Zululand, and no nobody has come up with any Michael Kane quotes even among the UK guests, well until now “you’re only s’posed to blow the bloody doors off” I know it’s the wrong movie but I’ll save the correct quote until tomorrow after we have visited Rorke’s Drift. We left Hartford House this morning after forcing down another large breakfast and decided to battle with the maps again to try to find Spion Kop, where one of the crucial battles to relieve the siege of Ladysmith during the Boar ... read more

Most of today was taken up with a battlefields tour. Although we didn’t cover much ground – much of the time was spent sitting down listening to our guide Paul – an amazing amount was learnt. Paul was careful to dispel the myths surrounding the famous battles of Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift, particularly those perpetuated by Hollywood in the films Zulu and Zulu Dawn. The real stories are in fact far more compelling and based around individuals and how their actions cause wholesale changes in the battles, some for the good; some for the bad. But these are the moments that change history. There was a sharp contrast between the sheer stupidity and arrogance shown by those in charge at Isandlwana and the bravery and selflessness shown by the few at Rorke’s Drift and the characters ... read more

After arriving late last we had time to grab a quick shower to wash away the dust then we were treated to sumptuous five course meal at the award winning restaurant here, with wine selected for each course. After so much time spent on the road it was a fantastic way to finish off the day. This morning after a posh breakfast we went on a tour of the stud. To explain, Hartford House hotel shares its site with Summerhill stud farm, with a grand tradition of producing racing thoroughbreds. No doubt those in the know would recognise some of the names of the horses that we were introduced to, i.e. paraded in front of us. Mick Goss who owns the place has met the Queen and is quite eloquent when talking about being a self-made ... read more

From St. Lucia it was a short 2 hr drive to get to Ballito. “Monkey Bay Backpackers” was a place I was recommended by some people and that’s to where I set the GPS. It was a good choice. There were hardly any people staying there and both the owner Michael and the Zulu guy that worked with him (Lucky) were great hosts; very chilled and friendly. I was going to stay initially just 2 nights and ended up staying 3. The day I arrived there I drove around the town to get my bearings and get familiar with my surroundings. Ballito started out as a small holiday town, but it has grown considerably during the last years. It’s still a very popular holiday destination and there's a pro-surf competition held annually (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballito). In the evening ... read more

Having left Hole in the Wall around 11am we headed for Maclear via Mthatha, and without any hassles along the way (despite concern on the airwaves due to increased traffic and people in the area due to Mandela’s precarious health condition), we were at Tsitsa Falls backpackers by late afternoon. We arrived to find an old, kind-of-out-of-the-way, farmhouse on a hillside with no-one there apart from a guy saying he was the manager. There were no other guests and the owners (and regular managers) were away on holiday for the week. All good, but it felt a bit spooky as it looked a bit run-down and rustic, there was no electricity and they had pet caracals and mix-bag of dogs who’d had a fresh litter of puppies (the previous night). Needless to say we made a ... read more