Weekend in the Drakensberg Mountains!

Last weekend, we took a trip up to the Drakensburg mountains! It took Shaun, our driver, five hours to get to our destination, the last hour on a VERY bumpy dirt road. We even had to stop for a minute to let a cow move to the side of the road before we could continue on our way. On the drive, I noticed TONS of roaming animals, including cows, donkeys, chickens, goats, and sheep, one singular school, the abundance of trees and tall grass, and how far apart each house was from each other. It was beautiful.

Our destination was a lodging site called Mnweni. It was colorful and quaint. About an hour after we arrived, we went on our first hike! Our 4km hike to see an ancient carving turned out to be more like 7km but who’s counting? (me). I was in awe by how open everything was. I had been to the mid-west, and the mountains before, but I had never experienced something so untouched and free.

The next morning, we were all awoken to the sound of roosters calling. After breakfast, we hiked about 7km to a village on top of the mountains to spend a night with a Zulu family to learn more about how they live. The eight of us shared one room which had three beds, a mini couch, a table, and MANY MANY THICK blankets. Everyone was practically jumping at the opportunity to sleep on the floor, table, or chairs for some reason. Shortly after we unpacked, we were invited to have lunch!

We all sat around a hut, and then a woman came to pass around a warm bucket of water and a towel for us to all wash our hands in. Lunch consisted of something similar to refried beans, something similar to baked beans with tomatoes, chicken, and half of a potato. Tea was passed around after lunch. Delicious!

After lunch, the group decided to explore the mountains a little more. I stayed behind and tried to bond with the kids. Anna, our site coordinator fell asleep in the grass. While the group was away, two boys from Pretoria, another region or South Africa, came to the village we were staying at. They had come back from a hike with Caiphus, the owner of the house, and were going to spend the night too, except they wanted to tent outside in the FREEZING cold even though they were offered a room to sleep in.

It got dark around 5:30 pm, and Caiphus made a fire inside of a hut where we all crowded for warmth. Dinner was served shortly after. It consisted of butternut squash, beans and tomatoes, pap, and chicken. Yummy! After dinner was finished, we all sat in the hut sharing our stories and getting to know each other. The two boys from Pretoria were 18, best buddies, and came down to “have a little get away” from exams, which took place the week before they came, and would restart the following Monday. Keep in mind these exams determine where students go to college. #Just18YearOldThings

Caiphus was the gracious owner of the house we were staying in. He told us about how he met his wife one day while she was walking back from school. How he still owes his father-in-law five cows because he could only pay six cows up front. How he tried to move on to another girl after his now-wife denied him the first time around but had to come back and try again but his “heart hurt for her”. He also shared his Zulu tradition of passing down the land. The oldest boy of the family is held responsible for staying on the mountain and taking care of the house and animals. Even though Caiphus has a sister in Johannesburg, the most populated city in South Africa, he is very satisfied with his rural life because he loves the mountains and the beauty it has to offer. Often he sees people who are upset about their situation on the mountains because of the scarcity of opportunities, but he tries to convince them the advantages of living there and sometimes they come around. I found it beautiful that Caiphus found wealth and richness in a place that would be considered impoverished by many.

Once we stepped out of the hut, it was pitch black but the sky was lit up with stars. There wasn’t a square centimeter that didn’t have a star in it. The sky was so clear that we could actually see part of the milky way! Naturally, everyone grabbed a blanket or two from our room and laid out in the freezing cold to watch the stars. As a group, we saw over 20 shooting stars. Don’t worry, we were all sound asleep by 8.

By 6am, all of us laid awake in our beds assuming that everyone else was asleep. As soon as Anna whispered “sunset?” to someone else, all of us popped up ready to go out, clothes and shoes already on. We walked a little higher up the mountain to get a better view of the sunrise and man was it worth it!

We walked back and had breakfast at Caiphus’s house, said goodbye, and walked 7km back to our base. A few short hours later, we went on yet another hike to see a small body of water. Though I couldn’t jump over all the rocks to the final destination because of my camera, I did get a glimpse of Owen jumping straight into a body of freezing water. He is now sick. On the way back, I passed by many baby goats which all looked impeccably soft. Sadly, they ran too fast away from me before I could caress them, but I did get a feel, and indeed, they were soft.

For dinner, the cooks made beans, rice, and STOVE BREAD. Let me tell y’all, this bread was heavenly. It was so versatile. I ate it with melted cheese. Others ate it with honey and butter. And some ate it with peanut butter. Scrumptious!

We played Cards Against Humanity as we fell into a food coma before we nodded off to sleep.