Prepared February 22, 2012, en route Colombo, Sri Lanka and February 26, 2012 en route Port Blair, Andaman Islands.
February 7, 2012, Garden Route and KwaZulu Natal, South Africa: A Long Day of Travel
Completing breakfast and checking out of Hunter's Country House by 8:00am, we drove west on the Garden Route toward the town of George where we were to catch our 11:30am SAA Commuter flight to Durban. Traveling across the Knysna Estuary and the uplands, we entered the Sedgefield area and the estuary formed by the Diep and Karatara Rivers. The Sedgefield estuary and marshlands are a wilderness national park, and there are many bird species in the area. Climbing the uplands west of Sedgefield, there are panoramic views of the Indian Ocean. Our guide was keen to point out beaches in this area, because they are the premier surfing sites in South Africa! Being from Hawaii, this had to be important information to us: he was a surfer himself -- Hang Ten!
South Africa's Best Surfing Sites
Descending from the hills into George, another 19th Century settlement now devoted to tourism, we drove through the town to the George Airport. This regional airport was anything but congested, and it took only a short time to check-in, clear security, and say thanks and good-bye to our driver/guide, Gareth. After a short wait, we walked out on the apron and boarded our Embracero commuter jet for the 1:30 minute flight to Durban.
There were only 8 passengers aboard the flight, and except for some mild turbulence, it was uneventful. SAA even served a box lunch and drinks! Not like the American commuter airlines, which removed the galley to cram in more bodies. Visualize a US commuter flight announcement circa 2015: "OK, everyone stand very close together. Aren't we all comfy?"
We landed at the recently-opened Shaka International Airport Named for the great Zulu principal chief, Shaka Zulu. (Not the Hawaiian hand sign!) The airport is huge and designed to be "grown into," so it feels a little lonely when you arrive on a flight with eight passengers. After the luggage was picked-up, we were met by our driver/guide for the Kwazulu-Natal portion of the tour -- Rob.
Rob escorted us to his four-wheel drive land cruiser, stowed the luggage in the back, and at about 1:30pm, it was off on a four-plus hour drive to the Spion Kop area of western Kwazulu-Natal and the Three Tree Lodge, where we would spend the next three nights. Traveling on the N2 toll road, we went south into the outskirts of Durban and then turned northwest on N3 towards Pietermaritzberg. We turned off N3 northwest of Pietermaritzberg and proceeded along R103 (a two-lane highway) until we reached Balgowan, where we stopped at Granny Mouse Country House for tea and scones. We were greeted by two large and very friendly dogs, who made immediate friends with E and followed her onto the lanai where tea was served. Rob knew the owners and staff, so we were very well treated. (The scones with fresh clotted cream were wonderful, not at all like the hard-tack biscuits that pass for scones on the ship.)
Part of KwaZulu Natal
This is the area where most of the sites mentioned are located
After the tea break, it was back on the road to Mooi River (Rob's home), Escort, and the Ladysmith junction. Turning southwest on R616, we approached the east-to-west trending Spion Kop Hills from the north, and passed around them to the west, reaching Three Tree Lodge about 6:00pm. We were welcomed by the owner's mother and four Lodge dogs, given a cold drink, and shown to our cabin to freshen-up and get ready for dinner at about 7:30. Our cabin was a replica of a small, late 19th Century house. It was built out of corrigated, galvinized iron, with a lanai facing Spion Kop (hill) and the battlefield. There was a game reserve on three sides of the Lodge, but we were not lucky and did not see any game, although other guests did (giraffes and rhino). Before dinner, we met Simon, the owner of Three Tree and the man who would escort us on our Boer War battlefields' tour the next day. Dinner was served while we were seated around a large table with 12 guests, 2 family members, and 4 dogs all in attendance. At about 9:00pm, we wished everyone a good night and walked back to the cabin and bed.
Moon Rise Over Spion Kop
February 8, 2012, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: Boer War Battles
NOTE: 19th Century South Africa's history is in many ways a dance of death between three contending groups trying to occupy and control what is now Kwazulu Natal. Three major wars were fought in the northwestern part of Kwazulu Natal between 1837 and 1904 -- the Boer-Zulu Wars of the 1830s, the Zulu-British War of the 1870s, and the Boer-British War of 1899 to 1904. The above map scan shows the area. In this area, the British probably suffered more military defeats than in any other part of the Empire (possibly excluding Afghanistan).
In 1899, the Boer Republics, fearing take-over by the British Colonial Government in Cape Town, invaded Natal and occupied the northwestern portion. A British garrison was surrounded and trapped in Ladysmith. One large force, under Gen. Bulwer, was sent from Durban to relieve Ladysmith. However, what was presented to the British public as a short/cheap war turned very ugly when Boar Commandos in a matter of 7 days defeated Bulwer's forces at Stromberg, Magersfonten, and Colenso. The Black Week turned a short/cheap war into a long/expensive one! We visited one of those battle sites (Colenso), the site of the battle of Spion Kop, and a third engagement near Colenso. Had things worked out differently at this third engagement, the history of the 20th Century would have changed markedly.
Leaving the Three Tree Lodge after a hearty breakfast, J & E with Simon and Rob drove southeast toward Estcourt until we reached the railroad line near Frere. We parked Simon's van and walked a short distance across the railroad tracks to a grave site which memorializes the death of three British soldiers of a Lancaster Regiment. Near this site, Winston Churchill was captured by the Boers. Simon related the events of Churchill's capture. Churchill, although no longer an army officer but a newspaper reporter, organized the effort to free an armored train that had been ambushed by the Boers. He and another British officer successfully freed the train and sent it steaming away. But, they were unable to get aboard and were captured by the Boers. Churchill would later escape from the Boars' POW camp. His sensational adventures were widely reported, leading to his running for Parliament and becoming an MP at 25. The rest of the story is history, as they say.
Grave Marker of British Soldiers Killed
in the Armored Train Engagement
Rail Line
Churchill was captured near left center, demarked by electrification towers
along modernized rail line.
Returning to the van, we drove through the town of Colenso, where on December 15,1899, British forces were massed to attack Boer forces encircling Ladysmith and to relieve the British garrison there. Simon drove us to a ridge north of Colenso. Here the Boer commander (Gen. Lewis Botha) had established dummy gun positions to draw British artillery fire away from his actual troop positions hidden along the Thugela River, much closer to Colenso. Sitting in camp chairs on the ridge line, Simon narrated the sequence of battle. Simply, the Boer ambush failed because of preemptory fire by green troops. But, the British failed to cross the Thugela River, and because of deadly Boer rifle and artillery fire, the Brits were forced to fall back, losing 74 officers and men, as well as several artillery pieces.
Colenso Battefield from Dummy Gun Position
Battlefied is in center of frame along tree line
By the time Simon had finished his narration, thankfully, the sun had gone behind some clouds, and a breeze came up. It was still in the low 90s but didn't feel quite so oppressive as we made our way back to the van for the 30-minute drive to the Spion Kop battlefield. Spion Kop is a series of three mounds forming a ridge line and running east to west appoximately 1,000 ft. above the valley of the Tugela River. Fortunately, for both J&E, we did not have to climb Spion Kop, but we could be driven to the summit where the major portion of the battle took place. However, before the narrated tour of the battlefield, a delicious picnic lunch (compliments of Three Tree Lodge) was served and eaten. This lunch was definitely NOT field rations! There was fried chicken, ham and cheese sandwiches, cheese, cookies, and fruit.
Lunch having been eaten and the picnic stuff stored in the van, we started the narrated tour of the Battle of Spion Kop. British forces, now commanded by Gen. Warren, had advanced westward along the Tugela River in hopes of finding a crossing (drift) that would allow them to encircle the Boer forces defending Ladysmith on the South and West. The drift was to the south of Spion Kop, and to protect the elements crossing the river, on January 23, 1900, Gen. Warren ordered the Spion Kop to be occupied with a night attack. This attack was successful, and a small, Boer reconnaisance unit was thrown off the hill and retreated to Boer positions on the north slope. The British then began to entrench their positions on the center crest of the hill, not realizing that the Boers had artillery (Krupp 75mm guns) on both the smaller mounds to the east and west of their position.
Ridgeline of British Night Advance
Site Where British Drove Boer Patrol from Spion Kop
White markers in center of frame
At daylight on January 24, 1900, the Boer commandos under Gen. Lewis Botha attacked the British from the north slope, and their artillery began firing directly along and into the shallow trenches that the Brits had dug during the night. This slaughter went on until evening, with the British suffering heavy casualties and making one command error after another. Since neither Gens. Warren or Bulwer had direct observation of the fighting, and the senior officers of Spion Kop were being slaughtered along with their men, there was no coherent battle plan. By evening, both the Boers and British had decided to withdraw because of heavy casualties. Both sides withdrew during the late evening, but during the night, Boer reconnaisance discovered that the British had left the field and reoccupied the crest; thereby claiming victory. Simon explained all of this and noted many of the specific accounts of bravery and sacrifice made by officers and men on both sides.
Remains of British Trenches
British Trench Line/Grave
Because of the heavy British casualties, men were buried in the trench where they fell.
On the day after the fighting, there was a truce to bury the dead, most of whom were buried in trenches where they fell. Many of the Boers were so shaken by the experience of burying the British dead that they left the battlefield. Also, on the day after the battle, three men who would have great influence on 20th Century, world history were on Spion Kop -- Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandi, and Lewis Botha.
Tombstone of a British Officer Erected by His Family
Memorial to the British Officers and Men
Memorial to Boer Officers and Men
After visiting the grave markers of both the British forces (1,743 killed and wounded) and the Boer (335 killed and wounded) who perished during the fighting, we returned to the van. In the two-plus hours' time that we had been trekking the hill and listening to Simon's narration, the weather had continued to deteriorate. Storm clouds and lightning could be seen in the distance, and we were glad to be back at Three Tree Lodge for a cold drink and a hot shower before the sky fell upon us. After the storm, we had dinner with the other guests, the family, and of course the dogs!
Note from J: All of the materials covered by Simon's narration, I have recounted from memory. It may not be historically accurate. If you want the history of the Boer War, please consult your local library for the relevant books or Google it! But, beware, there are (even today) two versions -- British and Boer!
To be continued....
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