Eyes Wide Open: December 14

The morning began with the stress of our friend losing her bank card. We searched every nook and cranny of the backpackers before finally having to leave to catch our bus. Although upset, we assured our friend that she could cancel her card over the phone and that we would all chip in to make sure she had enough money for the trip. Although our bus was late, we were in high spirits as we were on vacation and had the entire day to reach our destination. The hours flew by as our faces were plastered to the windows trying to absorb as much as we could; we were finally seeing the country! We arrived in Harrismith with a few hours to kill before the backpackers’ shuttle was due to pick us up. Taking advantage of the last town we would see for awhile, we stocked up on food, ate some pizza, chatted with some locals, played cards and finally found a cheap pair of sunglasses for Joe. It was also at this point that our friend received a call from the backpackers informing her that they had found her bank card and would hold onto it until our return. Relief!

At 5:30 pm we crammed ourselves into the backpackers’ shuttle and were on our way. Once again, we found ourselves drooling at the spectacular views: large dammed rivers, rolling hills leading up to towering flat-topped mountains and shades of green we forgot existed. We dipped into a valley and found ourselves at one of the most spectacular locations for a backpackers we could imagine; a 360 degree post card perfect view. Even the rudeness and condescending attitude of the staff could not diminish our excitement. (They were disappointed that we insisted on being cheap and independent, failing to take them up on any of their high-priced guided trips, meals or shuttles.). We enjoyed touring the facilities and quickly found a place to pitch our tents, in full view of the amphitheatre (a famous natural amphitheater made of large rock structures jutting from the surrounding rolling hills). The rest of the evening was spent taking a quick dip in the chilly pool (we had to out of principal), cooking dinner, enjoying yet another shower, and gazing at the amazing array of stars.

It wasn’t long after we snuggled into our sleeping bags that we were treated to the most amazing thunderstorm that we have ever experienced. The lightening and thunder turned our tent into a techno night club complete with strobe lights and eardrum bursting bass. We watched the thick bolts of lightening crack the sky, touching down on the nearby mountains, and the thunder made our hearts skip a beat more than once as it shook the ground below our tent. As the wind howled, we were very pleased and impressed with the resilience of our new tent (REI of course) and the awesome power of Mother Nature.

pictures: the amphitheatre; our new home