Train journey aboard the Shosholoza Meyl

One thing dad and I like to do in every country we visit is ride the trains. It's fascinating seeing the inability of people in India to form a straight line in front of the doors (pushing is a totally acceptable tactic to ensure a position on the next car), or feel the smoothness of the bullet train in China as it glides through the cities. Trains are a great way to get around like a local, and, especially during long rides, see large parts of the country away from the touristy sites.

We had to get from Johannesburg to Cape Town and although there are many, many very reasonably priced flights between those two cities we opted to take the train. Specifically the Shosholoza Meyl Premiere Class train. Marketed as a tourist train and as a reasonably priced, luxury alternative to the cattle cars that are the airplanes that make up the Jo'burg to Cape Town flights. The train would be classified as a long ride, about 30 hours. Departing in the early afternoon and arriving in Cape Town early enough to pick up our rental car. 

We arrived early enough at the train station to find our compartment assignment which is posted prior to departure on the platform. We realized that we hadn't been sleeping well and memorizing the car AND berth number was beyond our mental capacity. We decided to take a picture of the piece of paper with the assigned reservation. It was then we realized we REALLY needed to get a good nights sleep.

We had our own compartment with two bunk beds which was nice and private. Very affordable food was available in the dining car (with limited choice...I'd recommend bringing some of your own snacks as eating either curry or chicken thighs for every meal was a bit repetitive).

A picture down the corridor of a train car. Rivetting.  This will increase the hit count of this blog. 

Our train compartment had windows! So much the better to see endless miles of boring scrubland!

No really, trains are fun. Better than being jammed in a flying metal tube with 400 strangers.

The many dilapidated train stations that we stopped at hint of the past beauty of South African train travel

That's uhhh... our train. And Michelle in front of our train. This blog will get better I promise! There's shark diving coming up!! Exciting!!

Nearer Cape Town the scenery markedly improved. Hundreds of wineries dotted the landscape.

The landscape was...nice. Just nice. especially the first 2/3rds of the trip where is was mostly barren land as far as the eye could see. The last few hours of the trip, as we neared CT and entered an area called The Little Karoo, we did see some pretty magnificent mountains and greener vegetation. And vineyards. Miles and miles of vineyards. 

Arriving in CT we were very happy to start our next adventure. For the first few days we would be staying with a woman we met on Couchsurfing. She met us at the train station and gave us a quick tour of the city, driving up Signal Hill to see the area lit up at night. During this short glimpse of the city I was already getting an electric feeling that this town was special. I was excited to explore it over the next few days. 

Navigating Johannesburg

After a week and a half of Safari's, off-roading, and camping in our decked out 4 by 4 truck it was time to return the vehicle and hop onto the train towards Cape Town.

As designated navigator during our trip I was feeling pretty confident, I had access to 2 different GPS's and a paper map, and had gotten versed at letting my dad know anytime he accidentally turned down a one way street the wrong way (left hand driving was still a challenge). But I don't think anyone, even lifelong Johannesburgians could say they are proficient at navigating the cities highways. There are a few key things that make driving in Johannesburg difficult.

1. Left hand driving: After a week and a half dad was still signalling his turns with his windshield wiper instead of his blinker.

2. Highways with 12 lanes of traffic exiting and entering in a maze of merge lanes: Just when you thought you were on the right road it would split down the middle and you didn't know if you were still on the same road or the exit ramp. At times it was almost comical.

3. The Exit and Road names on the GPS did not match the signs on the road. A recipe for misunderstanding and constantly hearing "recalculating". After our 5th wrong turn, I'm pretty sure SIRI called us a word that was not programmed into her system.

After taking the scenic tour of J-burg we finally made it to the train station. Our friends from the truck company were there to take our vehicle. Such wonderful guys, gave us a hug and wished us well on the next leg of of our journey. Off to Cape Town!

Dad's making that train car look good 

When it Snows in Africa - And Other Adventures in Lesotho

As Dad and I continue to travel through the Kingdom of Lesotho (wow, that does sound Lord of the Ring-like), we decide to leave the one paved road and B-line it for our Katse Dam via a semi-major road (according to the map we were given at the border). The road steadily got worse and worse. Our truck was already struggling in the dirt, forcing us to go a fraction of the speed we were averaging on the main highway. With the sun setting we decided to skip the risk of being stranded in the dark on a near in-passable road and instead turned ourselves around back to the paved highway. 

The start of the road off the main highway. It progressively went from gravel, to dirt and mud. 

About two hours behind schedule at this point, and the sun setting fast, we followed the main road north, desperately keeping our eyes peeled for a safe place to camp, or a welcome looking hostel. The camping option was quickly nixed as the temperature began to drop with the sun. The hostel option was also starting to look a bit grim. Lesotho is not big for foreign tourism, and when the local people are trying to survive as shepherds in a mountainous, freezing, treeless terrain, I don't think many people are spending money travelling within the country either. 

The traffic in Lesotho got a bit out of hand sometimes. 

 Finally, just as the sun was setting (around 5pm) we drove into Whistler and set our eyes on the ski hill. No, we weren't hallucinating, Lesotho is home to the Afriski Resort!

We got ourselves a room in the hostel, and enjoyed a delicious pizza dinner at the ski-lodge style restaurant. Packed with families, we could tell this was a popular South African destination.

In the morning we got a good look at the ski hill. It might not rival BC mountains, but not bad for Africa I'd say. 

In the morning we were off to the border to cross back into Africa. As we left I stared back, marveling at the snowy mountain. Snow in Africa, who'd of thunk?

Hitchikers

This post wont have any photos, but it was a memorable experience I wanted to pass on.

While crossing the Lesotho border I met two women about my age. They were in the Peace corp. and heading into South Africa for a short weekend reprieve. As we passed through the border we saw the girls walking along the highway. Dad and I knew that the nearest town was at least a an half hour drive away, and there weren't very many cars on the road at all. We pulled over and picked the girls up.

They were going to a town called Clarens. They had hitchhiked all morning from the south of Lesotho and were planning to thumb it into the town. It was incredibly interesting talking to the girls. One of them had been with the peace corps for three years. She described some of the hardships of her work: living alone, being stared at constantly for being the only Caucasian around, the simple food and often boredom that came with long nights and lack of entertainment. It was no surprise they needed a weekend reprieve in South Africa.

Talking with the girls, it made me realize, wow, there are some good people in the world. These women were giving up years of their life to help people in remote communities. They were so candid about their experience, the difficulties and reality of peace corps work, and I found it inspiring. I'm glad we picked up those hitchhikers, it gave us another view of Africa we would have missed otherwise.

The Mountain Kingdom Of Lesotho

I realize that the title of this post sounds like a quest in Lord of the Rings but that's what they call their country!

We left the backpackers hostel at Witsiehoek Lodge after another breakfast enjoyed in the dining room with the fantastic view. We may have pilfered the  packets of peanut butter and jams for our upcoming breakfasts but if questioned we'll deny it. If Michelle turns to a life of crime this may well have been where it all started.

We were off to our campsite at the Highmoor Nature Reserve in another area of the Drakensburg. The Drakensburg is a huge mountain range that runs roughly north-south in the centre of South Africa. It slightly defines the border of enclaved country of Lesotho and Lesotho lies within the mountains. We would camp at Highmoor and then take the infamous Sani-Pass into Lesotho. Our plan was to camp at the Katse Dam in Lesotho and then exit the country at a Northern border back into South Africa. Oh how our plans would change! Little did we know that we'd be sipping lattes in a ski lodge in Africa in a couple days. But first the Nature Reserve at Highmoor.

Now you may be wondering why we've included so few pictures of our camp setups in Africa. The main reason is that we would roll in at or near dark and get packed up in the mornings and be on the road before it really got light out. One of the things that we had to get used to is that SA lies quite near the equator (well, nearer than Canada's West Coast, that we're used to) so the days are quite short year 'round only varying about an hour or so between winter and summer. So the sun would come up about 6:30 am and set about 6:30 pm. Our evenings were quite short and with the cold nights we'd often be in our sleeping bags by 8:30 or 9:00 "strung out from the road" in the immortal words of Bob Seger.

But Highmoor was a short drive from Witsiehoek so we had several hours to set up and enjoy the sunshine. Michelle even got a workout in while Rick admired the scenery. (Rick's arguments that vacations have no room for workouts fell on Michelle's deaf ears.)

But first, We stopped at a grocery store to stock up for the next couple days.

Historically South Africa was a stop off point for ships carrying spices from the East. Lots of influences in the local food. Or not, Rick would make up stuff and tell it to Michelle. His way of getting back at her for saying she saw a rhino.

Our camp set-up at Highmoor. Pretty nifty digs eh?

Cooking over our campfire. Once we mastered South African fire we were unstoppable.

We never got tired of sunrises.

No to-go cups at SA coffee shops. You sit and enjoy it like God intended.

Sani-Pass marks the border between South Africa and Lesotho. We had to get an exit visa from South Africa at the bottom  and cross the Lesotho border up at the top. Both were just bureaucratic rubber-stamps and filled with paperwork but necessary nonetheless.

We stopped to air down the tires as the going got rougher. 

The road just kept going up and up. Many, many switchbacks and loose gravel turns. The views just wouldn't stop.

The view from the top. The pass can sometimes be closed due to snow or fog but we had excellent weather.

And at the top of the pass? A pub! I will never not be amazed by man's ingenuity to serve alcohol to each other. If we ever colonize another planet I'm sure the first thing to go up will be a bar. 

We enjoyed rib-eye steaks on the patio overlooking the pass.

Highest Pub in Africa cat! The stuff he pushes off tables falls a loooooong way.

  

After lunch at the pub we continued on our way through Lesotho. Being so mountainous there are only a couple major roads through the country. The road we were on was obviously new and in excellent shape. We suspected that there had been some foreign investment in Lesotho to improve the infrastructure. This was confirmed when we passed two diamond mines further into the country. 

Mountainous, dry and cold. Lesotho is like playing life on hard mode.

Meanwhile we passed village after village of small huts with tiny garden plots and many, many sheep and goat herders walking their flocks up and down the roads. The country is quite impoverished but everyone seemed very friendly and inviting. Lesotho was really nice and we could have spent much more time there exploring but the sun goes down quickly in the mountains and we needed to find our campsite. We turned off the paved highway onto a small dirt road in the direction of Katse Dam were we had planned to camp. (to be continued...)

Chains Ladders and Epic Views

Ugh, I just re-read my previous post. Wayyyyyy too wordy. And the pictures sucked. ( Rick and Michelle sitting in a generic Toyota dealership. Riveting!!). I'll make up for it in this post. We climbed The Amphitheatre in the Drakensburg. Danger! Excitement, Thrills! Cold wind! Michelle got a headache from the cold wind! This post has it all! Oh, and some real cool pictures too.

Our previous camp had been at the base of The Amphitheatre. We got up early to drive about 100 km around and up to the top side were we would begin our hike. Advantage of waking up early is catching really nice sunrises

Worst part about mornings? Instant coffee. Best part about mornings? Instant coffee.  

Our first real breakfast! Witsiehouk Mountain Lodge. We had decided to forgo camping for one night and we stayed here in the backpackers hostel. Breakfast included! Eggs, bacon, sausage, fresh fruit Real Coffee! 5 days on the road and eating over a campfire this was a great place to rest and catch up. Free wifi too!

Did I mention the coffee?

 After breakfast we started up the mountain. It was about a 5 km drive over a fairly steep and rough road. We had just started and had got out to take some pictures when we met a couple from Johannesburg in a two wheel drive Nissan who drive up behind us. They obviously weren't going to make it up the road in their vehicle so we offered for them to come along with us. We all drove back down to the lodge, left their vehicle in the parking lot and they piled in with us.

At the carpark at the top of the road, we paid the entry fee and started off.  The path was well marked and in good shape. They had even started laying paving stones to protect the mountain from erosion. The views were incredible.

Sometimes I think whoever created South Africa was just showing off.

There are two routes up the the top. The more interesting route includes a set of chain ladders. The ladders are about 30 feet long and take you up and over a sheer cliff face. They're only fastened at the top and they sway and swing as you climb. Most fun ever! 

A bit of a wait at the bottom while we all build up the nerve to climb the ladders. The ladder on the left is for descent.

She's having waaaaay to much fun!

Enjoying the view from the top.

Shortly after the chain ladders there is a bit more hiking and suddenly you're on top of the ridge. The plateau is massive and you walk across it to get to...well, to get to the other side.

Massive elevation gain? Check! Super sketchy chain ladders? Check! Crossing the plateau? Coming right up!

 Actually you walk across the plateau to get to Tugela Falls. The second highest waterfall in the world! Over 3000 feet tall. And we got to see it from the top. Well, we would have had there been any water in the river that eventually cascades off this mountain. But this was wintertime, the dry season. As the little bit of water in the river falls over the edge it all dissipates before it gets to the bottom. It's actually pretty cool to see.

The Amphitheater is so named as it forms a natural semi-circular bowl rising up from the surrounding  plain (or veldt)  

The view just went on forever. This was another place we just didn't want to leave. and we had it all to ourselves. Michelle's highlight of South Africa was all the animals in Kruger Park. For Rick it was this view and the hike that got us here.

We stayed at the peak as long as we could, but after a while the wind started getting to us and we, reluctantly, started our hike back down. The climb down the chain ladders was just as harrowing as on the way up. but the walk down the trails was so much nicer than the on the way up.

The only route down.

This stuff gets inspected by competent professionals, right? Right??

Away we go. 

The view at the base of the ladders.

The trail down the mountain stretched out before us. At the end of that trail somewhere is the carpark.

We were happy to get back to the car. a short trip down to the lodge and we unpacked in our room at the hostel. We sat and chatted with the other people there and when they heard that we were on our way to Cape Town we were offered places to stay all up and down the coast. South Africans can be a little stand off-ish but once they get to know you a little they are extremely friendly and generous. And everybody has a relative, or knows someone, who has emigrated to Canada from South Africa.

We ended our day watching England paste South Africa in World Cup Rugby prequalifier on the big-screen TV in the Lodge with about 20 other people. Many of whom we had met during our hike that day. The next day we would have a short drive to another campsite but for tonight we enjoyed the luxury of real beds.

The sunset out of or bedroom window at the hostel.

Vehicle Breakdowns and good fortune

We left Kruger Park on what was going to be our longest daily drive of the trip. We were off to Royal Natal Park which borders up against the country of Lesotho 750 km west of where we were in Kruger National Park. 750 km, not impossible considering the excellent roads in South Africa, but we didn't want to be driving after dark so we knew we'd have to get going and try to avoid any delays. No problem whatsoever. We pulled out of Kruger Park and headed through the  rather depressed area of Mahushu and Swalala. We were making good time. Then the truck coughed.  

Heh heh. Just a hiccup. Shift into a lower gear and keep going. I was driving and Michelle chatted on obliviously. We drove through a long stretch of concrete block shanties, I rolled through a lot of intersections, hesitant to stop as there was absolutely no place to get the truck looked at if we couldn't get going again. The truck was accelerating slowly and it was apparent that something was amiss. Going up a long hill as we pulled out of Jerusalem (totally didn't make up that name) the truck entered "limp mode" and wouldn't go over 20 km/h. It was a long slow drive up and around the hill with nowhere to safely pull over. We made it to the top of the hill then largely coasted into a parking lot of a mini mall where we could have a look at what was going on. We shut the truck off not knowing if it would turn on again and had a look under the hood  Everything was clean and looked okay. We held our breath as we started the truck up and everything appeared to be normal. We took a few laps around the parking lot before venturing back onto the highway and everything seemed fine. Until we got to our first hill. Again into limp mode. We scanned the GPS looking for a safe spot to stop. We found the police station in the town of White River and stopped in their parking lot expecting it to be safe. A quick call to the rental company and he consulted with his mechanic. Their feeling was, if it reset itself once it would  probably do so again and we should just continue on. We headed out again and everything seemed okay. We went about 20 km, and pulling up a hill out of the town of Nelspruit the car coughed again. I knew we wouldn't be able to go any further. We did a u-turn in an intersection and headed back into Nelspruit where we found a Toyota dealership (our truck was a Toyota Hilux).

Imperial Toyota of Nelspruit. Quite possibly the best service at a dealership I have ever received. We met Coenie the Service Advisor, who listened to our problem and understood immediately that we were in a time crunch. He booked the car in for service and we met the shop foreman Vikkus. Although the shop was busy with vehicles, Vikkus and Coenie squeezed us in and did what they could to get us on the road as quickly as possible. Our good fortune at having the truck breakdown WHERE it did and WHEN it did was unbelievable. We had spent the previous three days roaming Kruger Park and were off to spend the next week driving through some very remote back areas of South Africa. Including climbing through the hilly mountainous Kingdom of Lesotho. Had we broke down anywhere else or at any other time we would have been seriously in a difficult position. As it was Vikkus had us patched up and on the road again with a new diesel fuel filter and a Mass Air Sensor within two hours. We couldn't have received better or more friendly service. Coenie and Vikkus have our heartfelt thanks for getting us on the road so quickly.

Waiting for our truck to get fixed at the Toyota dealership in Nelspruit. Smiles to the contrary, we really wanted to get out of there!! But they had a cappuccino bar!! 

On to Royal Natal!

We made it to the campground at Royal Natal, picking our way through the darkness to our campsite. We hadn't stopped much during our long drive, so the plan was to light a fire and have something to eat. Our campsite was in the Drakensburg Mountains and it was already cold. We really needed that fire. Now, I have to say something about South African firewood. It doesn't burn. Well, it kind of burns but it needs a real hot fire to get it to burn. So how do you start a fire with this stuff? In the last few days whenever I started a fire I did what I always do, chop up little bits of kindling in progressively larger sizes, light a fire with the smallest bits and keep adding larger pieces until you can get a nice flame. In South Africa it doesn't work that way! We had built fires every night with only limited success. All around us people were enjoying their fires using the exact same wood as us.  We couldn't get this darn wood to light!  We blew on little embers until we were red in the face. Nothing. Then I noticed something. Everybody else lit their fire with firestarter and walked away from it. The guy at the rental place, while he was showing us the vehicle had made a real point of showing us the firestarter and making a big deal of how much there was. I had scoffed at the time thinking, what kind of  noob fire guy needs firestarter!? Kindling! Kindling is the answer to starting a fire. Not in South Africa it isn't. At our Royal Natal campsite I put in the firestarter and piled chunks of wood on it. A quick light with the matches and I left it alone. In no time we had a roaring fire. Lesson learned, listen to locals when being offered advice.  

It was cold in the mountains. We literally went to bed wearing all our clothes (including toques!) shivering as we fell asleep.