Monday, March 9th, 2009
We arrive at Injisuthi Camp after being on the road most of the day. The time has passed quickly because everything I see is new and captivating. Rural areas showcase green pastures, small homes, livestock and children of all ages who are dressed in blue and white school uniforms. The children are walking along both sides of the main road and look as if they have just gotten out of school. They hold out their hands and scream for money as we drive by. This is disturbing because some of the kids are very young and many of them do not hesitate to approach our moving vehicle.
At one point, a group of older children form a line across the path of our oncoming vehicle and place a broken, glass bottle in the middle of the road. Obviously, they really want us to stop! Mendy, our fearless driver, keeps driving forward and the children scatter at the last minute as she dodges the bottle.
Women also are walking along the side of the road. With less enthusiasm, they hold out their hands and ask for money too. I am intrigued by the African women who balance items on top of their heads as they walk along this road. I am in awe of their keen ability to do this. (We had the opportunity to ask a young African woman why men do not carry items on top of their heads. She laughed and said that men have no sense of balance.) I hope this ability is something that the African women take pride in. I think it is a very remarkable skill and I envy their great posture!
As we move away from the rural towns, we enter the Drakensberg Mountains area. After reaching our destination, we check into our cabin, sit on the front porch and hope that the afternoon rain will stop so we can go hiking. Eventually, the rain tapers off and we start walking on a path that will lead us to Bushman paintings. That's when I see a baboon! I wonder if I should be afraid. Mendy tells us that he won't approach us so we stop and watch him for awhile. Next, we see other adult baboons with their babies. I am thrilled to see these animals in their natural habitat! Next, we come upon some eland, the world's largest antelope.
As we continue our hike, we hear thunder rumbling in the background and clouds are moving in. I am feeling unsettled about this. The path we are walking on is steep and fresh rainwater will make it very slippery. Lightning begins to strike and as it gets closer, we play it safe and turn around. It is disappointing to fall short of our goal, yet I marvel at the perfect timing of our decision. Just as we get back to our cabin, the rain begins to fall and continues for most of the night.
We eat our pasta dinner that Mendy prepares for us and afterwards pull out a deck of cards and play Hearts until the electricity shuts off at 10:00 p.m. We attempt to keep playing by wearing headlamps but it's still too dark to see. We call it a night and hope for better weather tomorrow as we plan to hit a new trail at 7:00 a.m.
As I snuggle into my bed, I can't help but reflect on how protected I felt that day. We turned around at exactly the right time during our hike. In my opinion, that was NOT a coincidence!
To be continued...
WOW, i wasn't ready for it to end...can't wait till tomorrow...the pictures are awesome...i loved the bubbling steam...i am carried away by each one...i will never go to Africa, but, now i will feel like i have been there...Thank you...mom
Posted by: Barbara | March 26, 2009 at 06:17 PM
You have such beautiful pictures, I agree that the one of the stream is amazing!
I hope you enjoy all your travels around South Africa, I try to go somewhere new at least once a month, this land is truly amazing.
Posted by: car hire south africa | April 08, 2009 at 03:07 PM