Lost in the Mountains of Drakensberg

If dramatic landscapes and mountain hikes are your thing, then Drakensberg is for you. Just a few hours out of Joburg and next to Lesotho, get ready for stunning mountain ranges, vibrant green valleys and epic travel options for adventure junkies. 
This however is not so much a story about endless views and gorgeous countryside. This is about making the most of a travel experience that isn’t quite like the guide book looked. 

The first thing my hiking guide told me was ‘there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing’. After my much anticipated Amphitheatre hike, I can now verify that both are in fact very real. Call it bad timing, poor planning or unlucky- I went for my hike on the very first rain of the season. And boy did it rain. I am forever grateful to my housemate who threw me her rain jacket just as I was leaving. If I hadn’t have had that, this would have been a different story all together- probably involving a 20 year old girl getting hypothermia on top of a mountain in the middle of Africa. 

 

The rain and the cold made the hike considerably more difficult. You can imagine my disappointment to walk all the way to the highest peak over 3000m above sea level only to see a ‘view’ of thick clouds covering everything more than a metre ahead. 

I’m a photographer at heart. I’d love to show off the amazing lush green landscape photos I was hoping to get, but the most I saw was a 20-second break in the clouds when I snapped one photo while descending down a slippery 25metre ladder in pelting hail.

Apparently there was an amazing waterfall rushing down the peak of the mountain. Couldn’t verify that though. I definitely could hear it. Does that count? 

The brief view over the edge of a rock face

 

While I missed out on the sites, there was something so mystical about walking into the unknown of the eerie clouds. The challenging weather made the day that little more adventurous and so much of an achievement at the end. There’s nothing better than that warm feeling you get after a hot shower and dry clothes following a long cold day.

I would definitely recommend the walk itself. Achievable for beginners but not to be sneered at by more experienced hikers. The rock faces and steep inclines are a rock-climbers playground.

Even though I’m sure it doesn’t sound like it, the Drakensberg region is facing a long-term drought. I guess this means the relentless rain was actually a good thing. You could see the countryside struggling. The pictures of lush green mountains I had previously seen were replaced with a dry rusty yellow nearly everywhere I looked. The water supply in the dam was only holding 15% of its total capacity and the ‘river’ at my lodge was almost completely dry. The landscape was still undeniably beautiful, but you can just imagine the frustration for the local farmers and the tourism industry.

A once flowing river lies barren

The accommodation at Drakensberg was one of my favourite places I’ve stayed. A gorgeous homely lodge with everything I needed from walking trails, a bar, pool and spa and even a quiet study area conveniently set up for my 3000 word over-due law essay. I spent a lot of time exploring the huge property. I’d head off to the paddocks and hills in the distance accompanied by my new favourite travel companions- two playful local dogs. A rural landscape is one of the environments I feel most comfortable behind my camera lens. So while I can’t show off glamourous green views from the top of the Amphitheatre peak, here’s a few of my favourite snaps from the lodge.

Travel is all about timing. Had I gone a few days earlier you’d probably be reading about one of the best views in South Africa. 

That’s half the adventure. 

I’ll take this as a reminder to always expect the unexpected and never to base my expectations on exactly what I see online and in guidebooks. There are never any guarantees. Also, it’s probably not a bad idea to try and check the weather forecast before a big outdoor trip. 

Despite the poor timing, I was still overwhelmed with the areas of Drakensberg that I saw : homely towns sprawled through the valleys, fresh country air and a gorgeous rusty terrain.

It’s no wonder I submitted my assignment late.

I went to Northern Drakensberg in October, travelling solo with the BazBus. I stayed at, and booked my hike, with Amphitheatre Lodge.

This is my third post during my 5-month stay in Southern Africa. I have also written about power outages and a weekend in Lesotho.

Follow me as I try to convince you to pack your bags and get on a plane to Africa, before I make my way to South East Asia (for a third time) in 2016.

When I'm not writing, photographing, exploring and studying overseas, I keep myself busy posting about Melbourne life @ ditchedinmelbourne 

In the Dark: Load Shedding, Power and Water Outages in South Africa

I'll be the first to admit that we first-world folk are a little spoilt. It's so easy to underestimate how much we rely on water, power and internet. 

I'd always considered myself a pretty low maintenence type of person in Australia. As it turns out, I cope very poorly when I’m left without basic utilities- even for a few hours. 
There's the obvious things, like being in the dark and only using bottled water. Then after a while I forget and try to cook something on a stove that won't turn on. When my laptop and phone die I don't know how to get up and go to class on time. 
And all of a sudden I can’t shake the craving for toast. 

Let me introduce you to load shedding : this is where the supply of electricity is not always enough to meet the demand. When it becomes too much, it’s see ya later power, hello candles and take-away food. 
Welcome to Johannesburg. 
For me it’s the uncertainty that can be frustrating. There’s a website that tells you when to expect load shedding, but it’s rarely even a little bit accurate. All of a sudden you’re cooking dinner or studying for a test and things stop working. And soon this could be the reality of water as well due to population growth, depleting natural resources and a lack of infrastructure.

For all my complaining, load shedding has actually been extraordinarily low for the most part of my trip. Power, internet and water still randomly go out far more often than they would in Aus. However this post is largely inspired from two water outages and a five-day power failure on campus. 

Candles in wine bottles always make good decoration in power outages

Both water outages have been because of some kind of fault. We don’t really know why, and we definitely don’t know when it will be back. The first time water was gone for a few days. After one day you’re starting to smell, you’re thirsty as hell- and don’t even get me started on the state of the toilets. And guess what happens when all your pans, bowls and plates get dirty? 
Eat from a cup? Take-away pizza anyone? 

I think the electricity outage was the worst. Firstly, let me be clear that I’m incredibly happy living in South Africa and I adore so much about this country. However, after five straight days without power, I had reached my first-world limits. 

I firmly like to think all the hype about Johannesburg’s high crime rate is way overstated and it’s perfectly safe to live here. In saying that, we did lose power after some major part of the system (don’t ask me to get technical) was stolen one night. That caused an initial outage. Then campus power also failed. And when electricians tried to fix it there was an explosion and two were severely burnt. Oh and then the back-up generators overpowered and stopped working. It was just one thing after another really. 
On the plus side, most uni classes were cancelled and assignments extended. I also used it as an excuse to do my first video news assessment (see me play journo below).

I almost laughed when some students in my class personally apologised on behalf of South Africa for having power problems. They seemed embarrassed, like they wanted to disprove all the overstated African stereotypes, or I was some kind of precious first-world princess stuck in the slums. And don’t get me wrong here, it was frustrating as all hell. My coping abilities were truly tested (and I’m not too sure I passed the test) but it honestly doesn’t make me think any less of this dynamic country. It’s just something to adapt to.

Back home you completely forget how much you rely on utilities and how fantastic it is that we have maintained systems in place. Even though it sucks sometimes, when the lights go out it brings some kind of unity. Everyone heads to the lounge room, pulls out the candles and for a few hours we can slow down and forget the crazy routines of our lives.

This of course wears off after a few hours when you start to feel hungry or would like a warm shower, but I’ve definitely learnt to be more grateful for everything I have. A feeling that, in my opinion, is completely neglected back in the comforts of my home in Australia.

There's something so much nicer about candle light than regular lighting

This is my second post during my 5-month stay in Southern Africa. Read my first post on the beautiful country Lesotho here.  
Follow me as I try to convince you to pack your bags and get on a plane to Africa, before I make my way to South East Asia (for a third time) in 2016.

When I'm not writting, photographing, exploring and studying overseas, I keep myself busy posting about Melbourne life @ ditchedinmelbourne