It’s been a long time since I have posted anything on my blog but as my mind went back to the days of one of my most memorable trip in Joburg’ – I remembered I had this one to post.
My travelogue of my trip to Drakensburg.
On the 3rd Oct – Friday – we left to Underberg, Drakensburg, Sani Pass and Lesotho …. 2873 mtrs above sea level. Fresh beautiful air, mountains, jungle, streams flowing, cows grazing, mist falling, beautiful sunrise and sunset, valleys……. Hello…what else can one ask for. There was Heaven!
On Thursday- the ladies (4 of us – Geetha, Geetha, Shikha and I) met to put the menu for the trip. I made 15 methi rotis and seasoning for the curd rice. We left on Friday by 3pm. Three Nissan X-trails and one ford fiesta started together. The Nissan X trail had the sunroof…….. and I was happy !…… we reached the main road and got stuck in a heavy traffic jam that took us one hour to just get out of Joburg. Once out of Joburg – I couldn’t resist the temptation. The sunset was amazing and travelling at 110kmph was too much. The sun roof opened – I stood up to feel the wind blast my face. Remembered Jackie chan in the movie where the wind blows on his face. I called Geetha to feel the view and saw Ravi doing the same in the other Nissan. He sat back decently and I continued to feel the wind - the universe. One could hear the wind but within 5 minutes one also heard the siren of the police car. One sign by his finger and we were asked to stop our car in the side. A small oh – oh…..and Karthik and Govind stepped out to meet these guys. They reminded me of Laurel and Hardy...one fat and short and the other thin and tall. They spoke, looked at geetha and me and spoke again. A nod of head in disapproval, grim faces and some glances at us again. So we had screwed it up big time – or so it was. By this time the other three cars arrives and all of them parked one behind the other – not too close but not to far also.
The four bachelors – the first to arrive on the scene joined K and G. Geetha and I could make out a series of sorries going round…till Laurel let out a half smile. Relief. Grim faces dispersed and K and G came back in the car. None of us spoke – not until the police car went ahead of us. Then a small smile and the sigh of relief gave way to the happenings. Standing and sticking your neck out of a moving vehicle is an offence in SA. (Then why do u keep such cars. Where is the sense of adventure???)… Kids especially are NOT allowed to stand. (He called me a kid for which apparently Karthik took great offence and clarified that I was his wife and not a kid). Pay up 2000rands or Geetha and I had to got to the police station and spend the weekend counting the bars…(I wonder what would have been going on his mind then. 2000 rands – you must be joking- take my wife;) )……..
Anyway- the series of sorries was for that. Everyone realised that wife and money – both were hard to get. So we were left with a warning and we started our journey again.
The first stop at a gas station. We were to reach Harrismith – our first stop over for the night by 8pm – but reached mid way only by 9pm. Stopped at an Engen gas station and ate there. We had some packed food which we gobbled down. The slight drizzle and chillness in the air said a lot. But we dint quite interpret it all. We knew that there was rain and it was night driving. What we dint know was that we were climbing altitude and were surrounded by valleys, mountains and heavy fog. Within 5 minutes of being back in the road – all that we could see was one feet of road ahead. Nothing else. There was rain, fog and trucks on the road. Karthik was on the wheel and the other cars had Vivek, basava and Dinesh. Geetha had to lie down because of a bad stomach. We were driving at 20kmph at times. No place to stop when you are on the highway. But the excellent road signs made it possible to be on road. We then let a mini truck overtake us and followed him in his taillight. The constant lighting was spectacular. Spread across the sky – they came and went in quick succession.
We reached Harrimith, thanks to the GPS in our car, and the small and homely Oak cottage by 12 midnight .Geetha and I shared a room. Basava, Shikha and Dinesh’s family had a room each and the bachelors and Govind and Karthik shared two rooms.
Up by 4 next morning, we hit the road by 5:30am to reach Underburg. This was another beautiful country side. The morning mist, chirping of the birds and the dawn was breathtaking. How much can one take in at one stretch? That morning reminded me of the Chandigarh- Delhi morning drive.. Sipping some hot masala chai in a road-side dabba was all that was needed..
After filling gas – we drove straight to Underburg from where we were to take a bus to Sani Pass and Lesotho – the highest pub in Africa . You drive up the mountain to reach 2873 mtrs above sea level and have beer. (Well, we just dint have beer)… Actually, chai and pav would have been better than beer. We had to get our passports stamped at both Sani pass and Lesotho . Two stamps. We decided that if any one of us did not get a stamping to go back – we would set up a tea stall there. Fortunately for Africa- we all got our passports stamped back.
Lesotho – the highest peak in Africa was as expected - Awesome. Standing in between the clouds – you wonder that if life was so beautiful then why do people stress and ruin their lives in the busy hassle of the city. The crowd, the sweat, the lack of one inch of space and anything close to fresh air – Is this life??? Can’t life and your purpose in this world be justified by living on a mountain top and tending your own garden and teaching kids in your own small school?
One felt like filling up bottles with oxygen. As Karthik said – that was pollution for us. It felt like there is so much of fresh air and it is all going waste. We could spend only an hour up there which was a pity - but it was beautiful. Sitting there and looking at the mountains and the clouds passing by, enclosing you – nice. One could easily spend one full day just sitting there and watching nature in its nature.
The driver called us back to the bus and we reluctantly followed. I mean what was his hurry. After all our VISA stamp said we could be there for 14 days and he was not even ready to let us stay there for two hours. So we came back to the bus and started our journey back down. Journey back down was filled with prayers that we don’t reach straight up. Like totally up. It was a steep down, with the tyres just unsettling a few pebbles on the edge of the path.
We reached back to the base of the mountain and drove back to our cottage for the night – Umzimkulu River Lodge. Wow……. Was the word. Wooden floors. A big chess table with pieces as big as my palm, every single edition of the National Geographic, a nice kitchen with all the cutlery, nice beds, a big snugly couch, TV, music system, a nice balcony – that place was rich and had all the class and comfort. You should go there with family – it was like if Taj had a separate ‘cultural’ cottage – it would be like this. We did not realize it but the morning awakened us to one spectacular sight. One was gently awakened by the chirping of the birds, the soft mooing of the cow faraway and the gentle lapping of the stream. Despite being able to sleep only by 2 – I was awake by 6. The mist was settling down and the Shepard had let his herd to graze. The cows were grazing slowly and coming towards the stream from the other side of a small hill in front of our cottage.
A quick description of the place – There were six to seven small green hills joining hands and forming a circle. Our cottage was on one hill and we had this stream a few meters down. The stream itself was around 24 meters in width and had a small hill on its other side. So while we were on this side of the stream – the cows were coming down the hill to the stream from the other side. Once they finished grazing they went back.
Karthik was in his room with the guys so I slowly tiptoed out and went straight to the stream – camera in hand. Balancing over a few smooth stones –I sat on one listening to all that nature had to tell. The song was pleasant and the tune was peaceful. Dinesh’s daughter had joined me and we sat there till it started drizzling. Back to cottage to get the jacket on – I saw Karthik was awake and so we went for one nice morning walk by the stream and the mountain and the green grass that surrounded us. If I was an actor – there would have been a song – maybe “ Suhana Safar aur yeh mausam haseen, humme dar hai hum kho na jaaye kahin’….but god saved the cows and drakensburg.
After one walk - Karthik joined the guys for some cricket and freesbie , while I tried my hand at the swing and walked up another hill. The other families were awake and each family took its own route – posing here and there – capturing everything that one could see through the naked eye and the camera. For now and for eternity.
It was 11 am by now and it was time to leave. Renu, Siri, Ravi , Vivek, Karthik and I just managed to cross the stream and walk up half way to the hill on the other side when we got a call that it was time to go. We gave ourselves five minutes and sprinted up till we could – bare foot and sprinted down again, crossed the stream and ran back to the cottage. A quick shower, a quicker breakfast and we set out to return back to the city – to Johannesburg . It was Sunday afternoon. Photos were clicked in all poses imaginable and unimaginable.
Drive back home was quite. There were small whispers among families that we ought to come back to this cottage again and just spend the weekend here. Quietly we drove back to end our trip safely. We reached home by 10:00pm – tired physically but fresh mentally and spiritually..
How will I describe the trip – Well, I got to be in what I would call – Mother nature’s lap - hearing to her sweet lullaby and smelling her fresh breath, feeling her cool and gentle touch.
