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Drakensberg August 2009
On the morning of 5 August, well after first light, we set off for Hlalanathi just outside the Royal Natal National Park.
The Vehicle was packed to the hilt and Sylvia suggested I remove the back seats - but I do not like doing this. In any event the rear looked like this.
I have always wanted to meet Petri Oosthuizen and he was in Bethlehem so a few hundred kilometre detour was well worth it. We have been kept apart a few times by well meaning moderators in the Land Cruiser web site. We had lunch in Bethlehem together. Petri was a wonderful source of information as he knows the area well. One of the best tips was the AKTV establishment at Drakensville where they have lovely warm water swimming pools - both indoor and outdoor. Also there is a lovely water slide with warm water flowing down it. Visits to the warm water were the highlights of my trip.
Petri outside Nix Pub where we enjoyed a lovely lunch. We would never have found this place ourselves and it was good to find all our belongings still in the vehicle after lunch.
Zebras on the burned grass in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park.
In the distance we saw snow on the mountain tops and we guessed the weather would be cold.
However on arrival at the camp site we found that it was much warmer than we expected.
On this trip we tried out our bed rolls. The original plan was to place them on stretchers but there was just no space for stretchers. The mattresses in the bedrolls were quite comfortable and they certainly kept us warm in the tent. Other people in a caravan complained that they found it bitterly cold at night.
We were joined by two other families over the long weekend and they left on the Monday.
View from the camp site
Hiking up the Tugela Gorge
Pictures taken on our hikes. Sylvia hiked alone the last two days.
My lunch time companion at the top of the Tugela Gorge. He came and called me to say he wanted to share a sandwich.
One of the Hlalanathi local Hyraxes.
The camp site is visited by the usual bird scroungers and also the resident Hyraxes which all enter your tent the moment you leave if you leave it open.
On 8 August we met Anthony Pringle with his family. I was looking after the supplies while the others stamped off to Tiger Falls.
The view from our camp site. The only thing was you could hear the traffic from the road (not visible in the picture) on the left.
The following are snaps of the people who joined us. These were added to the report later following a complaint from my brother in law that his name did not appear in lights. Unfortunately on this trip I did not get many pictures that made me happy.
Jan, Helen, Sylvia and Calvin erecting the tent with Helen's Barbie Cruiser in the background.
Helen, Jan, Sylvia, Charlene and Brad after the hike. We do this for fun!
Jan and Helen - pose 1.
Jan and Helen - pose 2.
Sylvia, Helen and Charlene on the bridge.
Brad and Ryan - the cyclists.
Helen, Jan and Calvin at breakfast.
The Drakensberg has never been my premium choice destination as I like it where it is warmer.
The wind came up with a cold front on the afternoon of Wednesday 12 August and we first took down the extension and packed it in the vehicle. The wind then proceeded to worsen so we decided to pack up and return home. We came up via Harrismith and the traffic was light. Overall we traveled just under a thousand kilometres.