Lazarow World-Hike-About

A selection of pictures in video format of South Africa, Autumn 2014. The video follows after the three photographs set out below. Kenmo Lake, Himeville, one early morning of pleasure. Canyon between MacGregor and Greyton. The Cango Caves outside Oudtshoorn. Autumn in the Western Cape and Kwa-Zulu Natal. For a full screen (suggested), click on the icon at the bottom, [ ] far right of the You Tube screen. 

A 'Cavewoman' sits in her home watching the flowing and falling water at Troutbek. These caves are all over the region and used extensively by campers. Dawn at Witsieshoek, a room with a view. Kenmo Lake in the early morning with mist: A privilege to witness. The Dragon Mountains or Drakensberg in Afrikaans, UKhahlamba in Zulu or finally, Maloti Mountains in Lesotho, continue to stun, impress and tire us. If we weren’t so weary, we could easily offer more impressive adjectives. Some might consider we have lost objectivity; some may in fact, be correct. However, we would remind those ‘some’ that we were born and raised in a different province and thus could be considered neutral. Most of the prominent hills in Johannesburg are or were 'mine-dumps'. Cathkin Peak (2nd from left) and Monks Cowl in the early morning, a favorite which we viewed from at least four different positions, many miles apart, during the trip. No doubt this has left a lasting i...

Jenni rests at the top of the Tugela Falls as the second highest waterfall in the world drips over. The peak of Mont-aux-Sources sits at 10,768 feet above sea level. A genuinely happy girl after a wonderful triumph, particularly, the inner struggle when facing the chain ladders. Peering over the edge of Tugela Falls but clouds blocking visuals, distorting the views. See note to right to equalize the size of photos. It turned out to be the final outing of Hike-about 17, also, the only repeat hike of this trip. We (bumped) three or four hikes to insert this one. When we climbed it some 15 months ago, we knew we’d be back. It is a glorious hike; it is stunning. We would willingly make a double trans-Atlantic flight for the experience. There are two massive waterfalls at the top, Eland and the Tugela and more exciting aspects, too. The latter waterfall is the second highest in the world at 3,110 feet according to Wikipedia—there is a strong opinion that Tugela is ...

The target, Sani Pass, at top right. If you're going to be drinking, then you may as well start at the top. He doesn't look too impressed. It's a helluva long way to hike for a coke and a 'whine'. We have mentioned a few times that the Drakensberg/Maloti Mountains form a natural boundary between South Africa and Lesotho, formerly Basutoland. The only way to cross into either state through KWA-Zulu Natal by road, is over Sani Pass, one of the highest in Africa. The pub, which is the destination of many tourists making the trip from South Africa, gets its name from its position at the top of the pass. The high point of 9,400 feet above sea level is just over 3,000 feet in elevation gain from the South African Border Control Office and five miles distant. Sani Pass is also known as the ‘Roof of Africa’. It sounded enticing to walk out of South Africa, climb a mountain track and arrive in another country. We couldn’t wait to try the adventure. Ed...

We did say this blog is without words. It's almost accurate but for the introduction to set the scene and captions in assisting with photograph interpretation or at least, location. We hope you enjoy these; we certainly were thrilled to see the scenes first-hand. We set the alarm clock for 5:30am in order to beat the sun to a lake. Sometimes we don't recognize ourselves as our lifestyle dictates that we align ourselves differently from our earlier years. A lake we passed on the way to Kenmo, the mist thick before daybreak, while the sun reddens the mountain tops. 'Eagle has landed...oops, actually, Egyptian Geese arrive after a very long journey. Soon after dawn, complete silence before the birds began to chirp and chat. A lesson learned from the birds was to watch and listen to them embrace the morning with excitement and we suppose, joy. The sun hits the right spot deep into autumn with mist beginning to lift. A view of the destination, o...