I hitchhiked in South Africa in the early 1990s following the election of Nelson Mandela. It was a time of wonder and excitement in the country and everyone I met were eager to share their joy with me. I fell in love with South Africa back then.
One of the places that captivated me the most was the Drakensburg range of mountains that extend along the border between Kwa-Zulu Natal and Lesotho. At the time I visited, I did not have the means (on foot and hitchhiking) to really get into the mountains the way I wanted to. This time we rented an old manor house on an estate in the Monk's Cowl section of the mountains.
We explored the peaks and visited our first ancient San rock art (which we continued to study later in Lesotho). When I was there in 1994, it was during the winter and everything was dry and dramatic in deep shades of brown. This time, it was summer and alive in vivid greens. We hope to return in the future for a longer backpacking trip.
