Lazarow World-Hike-About

Colors, contours and contrasts bowled us over; fortunately, no injuries. Initial destination is below Tom Thumb, a 10,000 feet giant. Note how clear the sky is at this stage. Clouds, always attractive, entered the scene quietly before turning a little hostile. (See note to the right for options in viewing photo's) Our second foray into this area was spectacular but towards the latter stages, the muscles and feet began to tire and hurt respectively. A distance of thirteen miles, 2,600 feet elevation gain, on rough paths and in high grass at times, will cause the feeling. We began in crisp, clear weather, heading towards Tom Thumb, a peak of ten thousand feet or so. The hike ascends the escarpment but not the actual peaks. Sometime in the future, soon we hope, we would like to return for an overnight hike in this park in order to reach at least, one of the peaks that dominate the region. A favorite—the scene seems to have everything including symmetry, color,...

May not be the 60's, but it's real flower power. We were stunned by many scenes such as this. We tried to catch a troop of baboons unaware of our presence. "I do believe I've put on a pound or two," she seemed to be thinking. Perhaps some liposuction...? We arrived in Kamberg, found the ranch at which we had reserved accommodation, parked the car and went in search of reception. There was not a soul about but for some cows and horses. In the distance, we saw blesbokke (antelope) grazing. The property has a large house which accommodates up to sixteen people and nearby, a cottage. We remembered that we were promised the manager’s cottage so we decided to off-load our possessions there instead of the ‘intimate’ house. We walked in to hear music playing, some of our favorites, too. The atmosphere was delightful. Had the editor not held us back, we might have made an offer for the cottage. Instead, later we made an offer to become the manager so w...

We are fortunate to be on the road and slopes although admittedly, it takes a lot of effort to accomplish our goals. Perhaps our mantra is that if we don't sweat then the rewards are somewhat dissipated. Nevertheless, there are times when we wish the Editor would be a little easier on us. Last Friday and Sunday, we spent many hours in Giants Castle Game Park, another wonder of the Drakensberg. Pictures and anecdotes will follow a few days after this blog, highlighting the results from another knock-out set of experiences. Truth be told, too many of these knock-outs and yours truly will be laying on the ground, knocked-out. Set out below are pictures with some verbiage which we hope will give you an idea of the fun, quirks and generally, our way of enjoying the precious gift of life. "I'm sure I ordered fries with that. 'Bloody humans' are good for nothing. And how come there's never any ketchup. Who eats fries with mustard? And...this really ti...

Autumn arrives in Natal as leaves fall. A view from our living room...not bad. Back on the hike, another look down a gorge as the colors rear up at us. A favorite scene as we watch the sun light up the area below the Cathkin group, including Monks Cowl. The trails in South Africa are tough. However, in all our hikes thus far, we have met but one small group of locals. We don’t know what it means but perhaps they know something we don’t. Could it be too much biltong, braaivleis and Chevrolet? After four hours, we crossed paths with a Canadian and his African trail guide. Once again, they were the only two people we saw all day on the mountains. Yet, we are never lonely. Says something about our editor. We had left the town of Winterton early in the morning, arriving at Cathedral Peak Hotel where we parked the car and set out to face this formidable mountain and her sisters . In our rush to get going and the fact that we had left the cottage in the dark, arriving af...

Early morning, walking from the hotel towards Cathedral Peak, 7 miles distant and over a mile high. Apprehensive but in for a surprise. (Right of middle at rear.) Much later, getting closer as we admire the 'manicured' grassy slopes. Peak is right-rear. We often find ourselves in interesting situations. We remember when we were in Jindabyne, a small town in Australia, staying at a lodge. The Innkeeper, an English woman married to a local, knocked on our door saying, “It’s been a while since we’ve been to the movies. Would you mind if we went out for the evening?” Of course not. Direct inquiries to our room, we told her. Sitting on the patio late Sunday afternoon after the proprietor of the Purple Cottages had mentioned they were going fishing, seven sisters with their families (poor fish), we continued using our computers and watching for passing traffic, all of three or four cars per hour on the main road. Shortly thereafter, a man approached and wanted t...