While Sani Pass was very much our focus, there was one important stop before we got there: the Mandela Nelson Capture Site (and memorial). This commemorates the life and achievements of Mandela highlighting the event that took place on the road in front of the memorial. The feature of the site is a sculpture that from a distance looks like a random grouping of upright black iron posts. As you move to a certain perspective, the image of Mandela appears. Quite surreal. It was another international border crossing today, this time into Lesotho, nestled in the high plateaus of the Drakensberg Mountains. The route into Lesotho is Sani Pass, a formidable pass with a fearsome reputation. Only two of us (not including me) rode the pass. The rest of us went in 4x4s. The final section, the greatest part of the climb, more than confirmed the wisdom of being in the 4x4s. It’s notorious because of its 8 very tight and frightenly steep switch-backs that land you an incongruously flat plain that’s Lesotho. We woke to a fairly clear sky with patches of fog in the valley. It was a wonder-view of the pass creeping its way from the distant fog through the twists and turns to the top. On the way down in the 4x4s the road looked relatively benign in contrast to the day before. But not all that inviting. I had some regrets but only fleetingly when until reality and common sense took hold again.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 06:34:14 +0000
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