For the first time this holiday we had a morning wake up call. Up at 6, breakfast at 7 and departure for Isandlwana at 07:30. This however, definitely beats the fate of my colleagues who return to school for a staff development day.
Today we were to savor the extraordinary Battle of Isandlwana led by our amazing guide Alistair. In an emotionally charged and thought provoking rendition of events we toured from the ridge overlooking the vast battlefield area, to the museum, and then onto the Battle sight at the foot of the sphinx shaped Isandlwana mountain. Here among memorial headstones and plaques to the fallen lie hundreds of white painted stone cairns where the bones of the brave soldiers lie. A surreal experience absorbing the battle history.
We returned for at lunch on the deck at 1, after a busy morning. Following afternoon tea and chocolate cake we went for a walk, with all the wonderful food, we needed it.
Along the walk we saw giraffe, they were so tame, we could almost walk up to them. We also saw impala and blesbok. This morning we saw a purple-crested turaco. The other wildlife we frequently encounter are big rain spiders in our room, one of which we share a shower with. However, the purpose of the walk was not to walk off cake or look for wildlife but it was historical. We walked to the cliffs overlooking the gorge of the Buffalo River. We identified areas of the story we had heard about this morning of brave soldiers crossing the Buffalo from the then Zululand back into Natal. We also visited the grave site of Melville and Coghill, the first men to have posthumously been awarded the Victoria Cross.
Sitting around the campfire chatting to the guests this evening, we were struck by the number of British tourists we had met and most of them had been back a number of times. I guess it must be a cheap holiday if you are paying in pounds and good news for South African tourism.
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