Towards the end of The High Road 2017.
It's been strange not having wifi for two weeks. We got used to it, but were all looking forward to getting connected again on the last night of the rally when we were staying at a beachside, 5* hotel, near Durban. Some things are not meant to be. Their system was down, and had been been for several days, apparently. Black mark Fairmont Group. Therefore, it is only now, in Cape Town, where A and I are spending a couple of post-rally days, that I have reliable internet.
Lesotho was astounding and exceeded my expectations. It's magisterial beauty, remote wildness and the uber friendly Basotho people charmed us all. The driving, mostly on dirt roads was prettying challenging at times, but always great fun. We left in sadness, but were eager for the next phase of our trip.
We had a transit night, somewhere or other and all of us found returning to busy and comparatively urbanised SA a bit of a shock. It's amazing what 9 days in a wild, undeveloped country can do. We were on our way to stay at Fugitive's Drift and passed through some desperate townships where the few half decent houses were surrounded by electric fences and razor wire. It was pitiful to see how the majority were living.
Fugitive's Drift is one of the most amazing places I have ever stayed. Established by David and Nicky Rattray, on several thousand acres, complete with giraffes and zebras, it is the epitome of style and elegance in a deeply atmospheric way. David, who did so much to promote the area through his tours and lectures on the nearby sight of the Anglo/Zulu war of 1879, was brutally murdered, at the lodge, in a bungled robbery, 10 years ago. The surrounding villages in what is a very poor area of Zululand, were appalled as David had done so much to help them through education etc. We heard how the local church choir turned up every day for three weeks to give solace by singing in the garden. Nicky had to stop them from burning down the village where the robbers came from. Nicky runs the lodge to an exacting standard and has created something very special that Adrian and I already want to return to.
In the afternoon, we went to nearby Rorke's Drift and heard the story of how just 150 British soldiers, many of them sick as it was a tiny hospital, managed to repel a Zulu force of 3-4,000 Zulu warriors, in a fierce attack that lasted an afternoon and all night. 11 Victoria Crosses were awarded - the most ever given in one day - to the defenders.
As we sat, under a shady tree, in front of the small building that served as the hospital, and where now all was peaceful, the whole horror of those hours was brought to life by the terrific story telling of Alastair Lamont. Where we were looking at children walking home from school, and could hear the choir singing in the next door church, which had been a storeroom for the minuscule garrison, the most hideous fight had taken place. What astounded me was how small the actual area was where the fighting took place, in an area of vast veld. It was so moving. We could all picture the piles of dead Zulu warriors, the smell, the noise, the fear.
The battle for Rourke's Drift took place the day after the monumental battle at Isandhlwana, where a mighty force of over 20,000 Zulus had overwhelmed a poorly prepared army of 1700 British and Colonial soldiers, killing around 1300 of them. The many piles of white cairns are where there are mass graves of the British forces. They were not able to return to the battle site until 6 months later to bury th edead.
Our story teller for this battle was Doug Rattray, one of David and Nicky's sons. My, what a storyteller he turned out to be. For three hours he captivated us as we sat at the heart of the battlefield. We could see the huge black mass of those brave Zulu warriors appearing over the three and a half mile ridge with their shields and carrying both stabbing and throwing spears chanting 'Zu Zu', as they made their way the short distance to where the British soldiers were looking in horror at the sheer scale of the advancement.
Doug had many of us in tears as he described the battle, that only lasted two short hours. To be in that place, where one of the worst defeats ever of the British army had taken place, to imagine the carnage there would have been all around us and to hear a balanced account of just how brave, well disciplined and exceptionally well led by King Cetshwayo, the Zulu army were was something very special. I told Doug that it was the best history lesson I had ever had. Never before has something felt so real.
Alas, we only had one night at the lodge as we were moving on to our last couple of nights in a game reserve. We stayed at the lovely Rhino Ridge Lodge in Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park in Kwa Zulu Natal. What can I say? It was fab, obviously. Who doesn't love doing a game run, or two, or three? We saw 4 of the big five and lots of small stuff too. All great.
As it was our last full night together, it was decided that we would have a hat competition, as many of us had bought hats along the way, particularly in Lesotho where a wide variety of straw hats are worn. Readers, I have to tell you that I WON! I was wearing a fetching Zulu ladies hat. The last time I won anything it was for scone making in1970. Adrian also won the prize for 'should have been in Lord of the Rings but wasn't' in his Lesotho hat that did make him look remarkably like Gandalf. We were enchanted by an unexpected display of Zulu dancing and serenaded by a charming Appeal Court Judge who was on his first rally. You don't get nights like that every day.
The end of the adventure. It was a complete blast from start to finish. Perfectly organised by Duncan and Verity of Tour de Force UK. A great group of people and many unforgettable experiences. Adrian and I are just enjoying a few days in the Western Cape now. We leave Cape Town today for the wine area and will finish up on the coast near Hermanus. Alas, we're too early to see the whales that appear there in abundance later in the year. This trip has made me want to return to Africa again soon. Maybe to Namibia and Botswana next time. Watch this space. In the meantime, when we get home, we have three weeks before setting off to Japan for another rally. Life's good.
Lesotho was astounding and exceeded my expectations. It's magisterial beauty, remote wildness and the uber friendly Basotho people charmed us all. The driving, mostly on dirt roads was prettying challenging at times, but always great fun. We left in sadness, but were eager for the next phase of our trip.
We had a transit night, somewhere or other and all of us found returning to busy and comparatively urbanised SA a bit of a shock. It's amazing what 9 days in a wild, undeveloped country can do. We were on our way to stay at Fugitive's Drift and passed through some desperate townships where the few half decent houses were surrounded by electric fences and razor wire. It was pitiful to see how the majority were living.
Fugitive's Drift is one of the most amazing places I have ever stayed. Established by David and Nicky Rattray, on several thousand acres, complete with giraffes and zebras, it is the epitome of style and elegance in a deeply atmospheric way. David, who did so much to promote the area through his tours and lectures on the nearby sight of the Anglo/Zulu war of 1879, was brutally murdered, at the lodge, in a bungled robbery, 10 years ago. The surrounding villages in what is a very poor area of Zululand, were appalled as David had done so much to help them through education etc. We heard how the local church choir turned up every day for three weeks to give solace by singing in the garden. Nicky had to stop them from burning down the village where the robbers came from. Nicky runs the lodge to an exacting standard and has created something very special that Adrian and I already want to return to.
In the afternoon, we went to nearby Rorke's Drift and heard the story of how just 150 British soldiers, many of them sick as it was a tiny hospital, managed to repel a Zulu force of 3-4,000 Zulu warriors, in a fierce attack that lasted an afternoon and all night. 11 Victoria Crosses were awarded - the most ever given in one day - to the defenders.
As we sat, under a shady tree, in front of the small building that served as the hospital, and where now all was peaceful, the whole horror of those hours was brought to life by the terrific story telling of Alastair Lamont. Where we were looking at children walking home from school, and could hear the choir singing in the next door church, which had been a storeroom for the minuscule garrison, the most hideous fight had taken place. What astounded me was how small the actual area was where the fighting took place, in an area of vast veld. It was so moving. We could all picture the piles of dead Zulu warriors, the smell, the noise, the fear.
The battle for Rourke's Drift took place the day after the monumental battle at Isandhlwana, where a mighty force of over 20,000 Zulus had overwhelmed a poorly prepared army of 1700 British and Colonial soldiers, killing around 1300 of them. The many piles of white cairns are where there are mass graves of the British forces. They were not able to return to the battle site until 6 months later to bury th edead.
Our story teller for this battle was Doug Rattray, one of David and Nicky's sons. My, what a storyteller he turned out to be. For three hours he captivated us as we sat at the heart of the battlefield. We could see the huge black mass of those brave Zulu warriors appearing over the three and a half mile ridge with their shields and carrying both stabbing and throwing spears chanting 'Zu Zu', as they made their way the short distance to where the British soldiers were looking in horror at the sheer scale of the advancement.
Doug had many of us in tears as he described the battle, that only lasted two short hours. To be in that place, where one of the worst defeats ever of the British army had taken place, to imagine the carnage there would have been all around us and to hear a balanced account of just how brave, well disciplined and exceptionally well led by King Cetshwayo, the Zulu army were was something very special. I told Doug that it was the best history lesson I had ever had. Never before has something felt so real.
Alas, we only had one night at the lodge as we were moving on to our last couple of nights in a game reserve. We stayed at the lovely Rhino Ridge Lodge in Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park in Kwa Zulu Natal. What can I say? It was fab, obviously. Who doesn't love doing a game run, or two, or three? We saw 4 of the big five and lots of small stuff too. All great.
As it was our last full night together, it was decided that we would have a hat competition, as many of us had bought hats along the way, particularly in Lesotho where a wide variety of straw hats are worn. Readers, I have to tell you that I WON! I was wearing a fetching Zulu ladies hat. The last time I won anything it was for scone making in1970. Adrian also won the prize for 'should have been in Lord of the Rings but wasn't' in his Lesotho hat that did make him look remarkably like Gandalf. We were enchanted by an unexpected display of Zulu dancing and serenaded by a charming Appeal Court Judge who was on his first rally. You don't get nights like that every day.
The end of the adventure. It was a complete blast from start to finish. Perfectly organised by Duncan and Verity of Tour de Force UK. A great group of people and many unforgettable experiences. Adrian and I are just enjoying a few days in the Western Cape now. We leave Cape Town today for the wine area and will finish up on the coast near Hermanus. Alas, we're too early to see the whales that appear there in abundance later in the year. This trip has made me want to return to Africa again soon. Maybe to Namibia and Botswana next time. Watch this space. In the meantime, when we get home, we have three weeks before setting off to Japan for another rally. Life's good.
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