World Cup - Blyde River Canyon

The next day Geraldo wanted to get back to Jo’burg to watch Brazil take on Ivory Coast so he and Joaquin had to return back with the car but we still had half a day so we decided to drive the Panorama route which as the name suggests is a very scenic road through the Drakensberg escarpment.

Bourke’s Luck Potholes

An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that results from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations and is characterized by some of the steepest of cliffs in the world. The Panorama route snakes through this escarpment and along the way are spectacular views of canyons, cliffs, waterfalls, lush lowlands and odd looking pot holes created by river flows.


The first place we stopped was at the Bourke’s Luck Potholes which is a natural rock feature marking the beginning of the Blyde River Canyon and was carved by waterborne sand and rock grinding the riverbed. The reason why they are called as potholes is because the carvings look like round deep potholes.

After that we drove 15 odd kilometers more along the edge of the escarpment to reach the point of my interest which was the fulcrum of the Blyde River Canyon. The focus; a slab of triangular rock perched at the edge of the cliff overlooking the canyon and river below and the 3 rondavels (huge, round rocks, thought to be reminiscent of the houses or huts of the indigenous people, known as rondavels) on the opposite side.

A highland vllage

Three Rondavels

Before I set out for South Africa I had seen the picture of the view point described above on Google and had promised myself that I will go there and stand on that very slab of rock and view that scene. When I finally got to do it, it was a feeling of accomplishment as well as being in awe. It was also a slightly crazy thing to do considering you are standing on that triangular rock and looking at the view with nothing but that slab of rock separating you from a fall of about 760 meters or 2500 feet.


Taking in the view at - Blyde River Canyon


Add the fact that the wind was swirling all around me and I have to be honest that it was a pretty dizzying feeling. It’s definitely not a place for someone to stand if they are afraid of heights. The Blyde River Canyon is considered the 3rd largest canyon in the world after the Grand Canyon in the USA and the Fish River Canyon in Namibia although it’s claimed that there are even bigger ones in the Himalayas yet to be compared.


Joaquin and I parading the Argentina flag


Its was soon time for Joaquin and Geraldo to return back to Jo’burg but I was in no mood to head back yet and wanted to spend the night in this valley and come back and hike around in the escarpment the next day so I asked them to drop me off someplace on the way where I can find a place to spend the night. As we drove down from the escarpment I noticed an isolated farmhouse just off the road with a bed and breakfast sign posted outside.


Sunset

A black African family

We had driven for 20 odd kilometers before we has seen anything of note so not knowing if there was anything else nearby I decided to check if they had any room vacant. Upon knowing that they had vacancy I came back to the car and took my backpack and bid farewell to Joaquin and Geraldo promising to meet up with them in Polokwane (where the Argentina and Greece game was going to be played in a couple days time). I saw the look on Geraldo’s face and he had the look on his face which said that “you must be crazy to just hop out of the car randomly in the middle of nowhere”.

Lady from the highlands selling fruits

Afrikaner guesthouse

The farmhouse that I decided to stay that night was owned by an Afrikaans family. So far on my trip I had interacted with a lot of tourists for the World Cup in Jo’burg and with Black South Africans. This stay was going to give me my first brush with the White South Africans and seeing the country through their eyes.

Scrumptious Afrikaner dinner served on the bed


Unfortunately for me, after surviving the cold weather for the fist 9 days in South Africa, my body gave in and I had caught the cold. I also suddenly felt lonely now that Geraldo and Joaquin were gone. So here I was in a seemingly isolated cold place, lonely and fatigued. That was cue for me to take it easy that evening and quit early but not before watching the Brazil and Ivory Coast game on TV. As I went to bed that night I hoped that the next day I would feel a little better as I was planning on hiking through panorama route.