This morning we left the Katberg Hotel in mist and drizzle. A steep, very rough and muddy track took us over the Katberg Pass at an elevation of 5,500 feet. We were now climbing into the higher regions of the Southern Drakensberg mountain range, with truly impressive wide open scenery. What has surprised me is how unpopulated the countryside is. After leaving a small town called Queenstown we had a text message from Richard Smith (car 10) to say he was skipping the drive to Rhodes and driving directly to Maseru, the capital of Lesotho, our overnight stop in two day's time. That's one of the good things about these drives; you can go 'off piste' at any time.
Our drive then took us into some really remote areas of the Eastern Cape. We climbed up to nearly 7,000 feet on the Dr. Otto du Plessis pass (I haven't found out who he was). The pass was totally deserted and we were the only people using it. We emerged into a high valley with sheep farms and very few houses or people. The last 60 kms were on good fast gravel roads and we arrived in Rhodes at 2pm.
Outside the Rhodes Hotel with a very muddy Landcruiser
After many hours of driving on dusty roads it was time to get the car cleaned. A local sheep farmer allowed his farm workers to clean our cars.
Tomorrow we climb over the Drakensberg, apparently covered in snow, and then on into Lesotho. More fun for us all.
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