Sunday, August 9 – Durban

Back to civilization tonight. We’ve spent the last few days in the majestic Drakensberg Mountains. We drove southeast from Joburg all day to get there. We covered lots of terrain that didn’t look like what I thought Africa would be. There were miles and miles of farmland and sparse Zulu villages and farms. They still live in beehive mud huts with thatch roofs. We finally arrived at Camp Didima in the Drakensberg. The mountains are very rugged and beautiful. In the camp, we stayed in spacious, yet cozy cottages with real thatched roofs. It was quite cold at night, but in the 70s during the day.

The area is famous for cave paintings done by Bush people thousands of years ago. The Bush people are long gone from the area or intermingled with the local Zulu. We headed out on Friday morning for what was described as a moderate two hour hike with an archeologist/guide (and I use the term guide loosely) to see cave paintings. Hiking at 6000ft elevation is already challenging for those of us who are used to sea level and this turned out to be a very difficult day. It was very rugged terrain, not moderate, and the “guide” took several wrong turns. After climbing up and down 1500 ft three different times, we finally found the cave. Five hours later, we returned to camp. I passed up the “easy” afternoon walk which the “guide” was surprised to find required crossing a waist-deep river. I don’t think he’ll work for this group again!

Saturday was a much needed recovery day. Larry and I took a long walk in the evening into the hills with our target destination being a bridge over a stream we could see in the distance. We didn’t quite make it as it was occupied by baboons and we didn’t think we wanted to quarrel with them over it.

Today, on the way to Durban, we stopped at the world reknowned Ardmore Ceramics Studio. Nathaniel, one of our tour organizers, studied there for a year in 1997. Most of the artists he knew then, have since died of AIDS. Unfortunately, AIDS has reached epidemic levels here in Natal. At one time they feared the whole studio would be wiped out. Nathaniel said when he was here, the topic was never discussed and people just died from “unknown cause.” Now it is discussed more openly and they have created a foundation to focus on treatment and prevention. The work there is amazing. Believe me, the photos, do not do it justice. A piece recently sold at a Sotheby’s auction for over $30K. I am coming home with a very small little pitcher. All I could afford.