PE to PMB

So Port Elizabeth to Pietermaritzburg...

Met up with my brother Steven in JBay and again in PE. He hosted the most amazing braai for us and 13 of his mates, putting our aussie gas bbq skills to shame. He did get his Afrikaans friends to actually cook the meat though!

We drove north deep into the Free State - Afrikaner land and the middle of nowhere. We got as far as Hobhouse just west of the Lesotho border. We stumbled upon a local Afrikaner farm / nature reserve and asked to pitch our tent for the night as we had seen no accommodation for the last 100km. The local Afrikaners were drinking Castle beer and we had a taste of the local hospitality when the manager kindly declined our request and instead offered us the vacant 5 bed thatched chalet for 60 rand a night (about AUD$9).

We had a brilliant time drinking lots of beer with the locals and they reminisced about the last time some 'backpackers' dropped by 2 years ago when two kiwi guys found this place! We were convinced to stay a second night by the promise of the best 4WD safari in Africa in the owners UNIMOG (Google it if you want to see what it looks like). Its a big truck with massive ground clearance and apparently is used as ambulances in Lesotho. So we agreed, understanding that this was likely to be the most scary 4WD excursion of our trip, we were not disappointed. We started as any good Afrikaner game drive would in the bar with some beers. Then we got several chilly bins and loaded them up to the brim with more beer and ice. Then we mounted the truck up a ladder and opened the first beer while the legend owner Boet (a very Afrikaner name we're told!) proceeded to light his pipe and shift into the first of eight gears!

We saw a few animals but it was more about the beer drinking (including the local policeman) and Boet's driving up and down the most ridiculous steep rocky outcrops. We stopped at the second bar, the bush bar up the top of the hill to celebrate our survival at sunset. Boet had a safe with a few good bottles of whiskey stored up there for special occasions!

So after that 2 day delay we eventually made it to the Drakensburg and have been hiking for 5 days. All have been day hikes due to the afternoon and all night rain that falls with fresh regularity. Our second day we made it up to the top of the Amphitheatre from the Sentinel car park via the ladders to see the second highest waterfall in the world, Tugela falls. The next day was a misty one and we hiked along the base of Tugela falls to where the river was running high. Then we went to Cathedral Peak and spent 2 days hiking up paths that seemed to disappear at will. All good rogaining practice especially given the 1:50 000 maps. We realise now how lucky we are to have good maps in Australia / NZ / UK. Major paths could disappear into grassland only to reappear 100m up hill across a creek and minor paths often had Class 1/2 scrambling over exposure. To add to the mix, paths on the maps are not shown contouring on the correct side of certain peaks! Stunning scenery though, we had enough glimpses through the cloud to imagine what its like on a clear winter's day.

Today we managed a quick rendevous with the Wood clan, Sheila, Alex, Richard, Douglas and Gillian on their way to Cathedral Peak to do a 3 day hike. And this afternoon I have traipsed Alex around old Pietermaritzburg haunts (Amms lived here for about 5 years all up as a kid).

Next we head to Coffee Bay at the wild coast for 2 days rest before Xmas celebrations.