If you have viewed our 2 August entry already, we have added a couple photos to that entry (on 6 August).

Today we set our alarms for 4am to be on the road about 6:30 so that we could arrive at Tendele Camp close to the 2pm sign in time. Mission accomplished — left 6:45 and arrived 2:15pm.
We went through the Mahamba border post to South Africa, then bypassed the towns of Piet Retief (now renamed eMkhondo) and Vryheid. A portion of the bypass that Google maps suggested around Piet Retief was terrible with washouts and big rocks all over the road. We had to slowly pick a path to straddle the gullies and not scrape bottom on rocks at the same time–didn’t bother even trying to stay on the correct side of the road. Decided not to return via this route! We stopped in the town of Dundee at the Dundee Boulevard (mall) that Steve suggested for a restroom break. Went into the Pick N Pay store for a couple items while there.

Next we went through the town of Ladysmith and by the edge of Bergville to the Royal Natal National Park. The last 6 miles to the park entrance was a detour on a narrow winding paved road because a bridge had washed out. After another 4 miles on a similar paved road inside the park, the final mile of ‘residents only’ road was a strip road–two strips of concrete with grass growing in the middle and both sides.

Just some comment on paved roads in South Africa–we found them not to be up the the standard they were 30 or more years ago. The pavement often looks good then suddenly there is a pothole (or many). In addition, for areas of high pedestrian traffic there will be speed bumps (“sleeping policemen”) to slow traffic. Sometimes these are preceded by reduced speed signs, warning signs and rumble strips. Sometimes not, and the warning stripes are often worn off the speed bumps. As a result, a good driver is always scanning the road for a pothole or speed bump that may be hard to detect. Also the painted lines (center, no passing and edge lines) are often well worn or almost invisible.

We picked up the key to our 2 bed chalet at the camp office and on the way to the upper camp saw several bucks, guinea fowl and lots of baboons around the chalets. There were signs not to feed the baboons, and there were also warnings not to leave windows and doors open. On our previous visits, we never saw baboons around the chalets, only at a distance while hiking. We had a baboon climb onto the kitchen window sill and watch while getting supper ready this evening.

It is definitely cooler at 5,000 feet elevation, so we used the electric oil-filled radiator heater most of the time we were inside our chalet. There was a small wood fireplace in the living room and wood for sale at the camp office. The electricity was included in our cost. Should have brought some firewood with us!

Like the roads, we noted the upkeep of the chalets were not up to the previous standard. They were nice, comfortable and functional, but details needed attention. For example, the beautiful varnished wood window frames were long overdue for refinishing and the landscaping was lacking the finesse of earlier years.

Thankfully, the scenery was a beautiful as ever and we look forward to a full day of enjoying it tomorrow. We were in bed about 9pm to get some good rest for the full day ahead.