The drive from Lesotho to Harrismith was lovely, as we watched the mountains disappear and the plains appear. On the way, we stopped for lunch in a little town called Clarens, and holy crap, was it a culture shock. The town was full of white skin, high end shops, art galleries and independently owned eateries. I'm not denying the fact that I enjoyed a delicious beer and smoked sausage lunch at the local German restaurant, but it was definitely very strange coming from a place that has so little and being thrown into a place that clearly has so much. After leaving Clarens, we made our way through magnificent Golden Gate Park, one of South Africa's most incredible national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. This park was incredible, and fortunately was the route we took to most of our destinations during our stay in Harrismith. Throughout our travels in the park, we not only saw the most amazing night sky complete with a stunning harvest moon, but also a collection of African animals including zebra, kudu, baboons, eland, warthog, meerkat, wildebeest, secretary birds and many types of bok.
Our lodging in Harrismith was situated smackdab in the middle of what could be considered a truck stop or rest area. It was an interesting area, with our small, Mountain View Inn hotel nestled in a plaza full of random restaurants, shops and gas stations, most of which closed before 5:00 pm. Needless to say, it wasn't the most exciting place we stayed, but fortunately our packed schedule balanced out the lack of excitement in our lodging. We spent two days exploring two ancient sacred sites a few hours from Harrismith. These beautiful sites are home to pilgrims who have been chosen by their deity to make the journey to the site and remain there until they have fulfilled their religious duties. Furthermore, people travel to these sites for various other reasons, such as spiritual cleansing, to be cured of an ailment, to be blessed with a child, etc. Visiting these sites was extremely voyeuristic and at times uncomfortable, but we were welcomed by the shamans, medicine men and healers we met and were even invited to take place in a ritual in which we made sacrifices of spices, alcohol and bread, sang, danced and read passages from religious texts. It was a surreal experience that left me with many questions and uneasy feelings.
While in Harrismith, we visited two very different schools. The first, Harriston Private School, was small, very expensive, diverse, beautiful and full of brilliant students and teachers. The second, Tshibollo Secondary School, was a township school (think Soweto), very poor, free to township students, not diverse (it was all black), run down and overcrowded (approximately 60 students per class). It was interesting (and emotionally draining) to see such stark differences between the two schools that are so close geographically, yet worlds apart financially and academically.
After six days in Harrismith, we traveled to Kimberley for a two day visit to the capital of the Northern Cape and the city that was once recognized as the throne of wealth of South Africa. In 1866, the first of Kimberley's diamonds was found and it didn't take long for a diamond rush to occur. In 1888, Cecil Rhodes founded the DeBeers Diamond Company (ever heard of DeBeers Jewelers??), and so began the diamond monopoly. Our first day in Kimberley included a visit to The Big Hole, which is the site of the largest DeBeers diamond mine, which has been closed down and is now a diamond museum and historical location. The hole itself is stunning, with cliffs diving into a bright green mineral lake. We spent the day here gawking at the beautiful hole, exploring the underground mine shafts, buying jewels for significant others and enjoying adult beverages and snacks in the sun.
Our second day in Kimberley was very busy, yet very rewarding. The morning and early afternoon was spent exploring various sites of ancient rock engravings and rock paintings. We were led by two wonderful guides who were very knowledgeable in geography, history and culture and were therefore able to teach us much about these topics. The afternoon was spent touring the Kimberley Art Museum with yet another wonderful and brilliant guide. It was a beautiful day full of beautiful art.
Next up, Bloemfontein, where we stayed at a game lodge that was home to giraffe, llama, alligator and many, many springbok. Our time in Bloemfontein was quite long and again quite busy, with visits to the Oliewenhuis Art Musuem and the Eunice Girls School, a walking tour of Bloemfontein led by an incredibly energetic (some might even say insane) historical architecture scholar, a night out in the 2nd Street District, a visit to a local animal refuge where we interacted with cheetahs, leopards, lions, wolves and servals and got to pet lion cubs and caracals, a trip to the movie theater to see the film, The Bang Bang Club, a visit to the National Museum and the University of the Free State, a visit to a children's art center and quite a few lectures on politics, apartheid, etc. As I said, a very busy and very long schedule.
My trip is coming to an end....but the best has been saved for last, as I'm now on my way to one of the most incredible cities in the world, CAPE TOWN!
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Location:Random cities, South Africa
1 comment:
I love absolutely everything about this.
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