In North America I think about the color of my skin exactly zero times a day. In South Africa I think about the color of my skin about 100 times a day. We came here not knowing much about the history. Terrible but true. Of course things like Apartheid and Nelson Mandela meant something to us, but little else was known. It’s really a crime how little I know about history. It was the most boring subject to me in high school. That is also a crime. Just an infinite number of dates and names of white dudes. It is HIStory after all. That is also a crime. So, I will not teach you about the history of South Africa here. Instead I will share some of our brief experiences in the country and some new-and-surprising-to-me information.
Our route around the world seeks out places of natural beauty and cultural diversity, all while chasing summer ;) and avoiding big cities ;) Leaving Lesotho we headed towards the uKhahlamba-Drakensburg Park in South Africa, a UNESCO world heritage site. Before we even got to the Drakensburg we traveled through remarkable terrain in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park. It had vibes of Star Wars meets Lord of the Rings.
Our destination was Cathkin Park, a launching pad into the Monks Cowl region of the Drakensburg. The Drakensburg is a stunning range, almost like the wall of a fortress. So distinct. It reminds me of no other mountain range I know. The Lesotho-South Africa border runs along the ridge of the fortress wall. Cathkin Park seemed like a normal enough quiet holiday town at first. It was spread out across the rolling valley which was lovely. But with a little time it started to feel like the Truman Show. Walls, barbs and spikes protect everything. Black guards protect everything. Every Airbnb is behind a gate. There is an overly manicured vibe in some parts. The vibe of Whites being served by Blacks was intense. Honestly it was uncomfortable. It is so in your face. You feel complicit to something icky. At the Monks Cowl trailhead you pay 70 Rand to access the Drakensburg. That is 6% of the median weekly income for Black South Africans. So Black people are busy collecting the fee, helping you park your car and serving you drinks when you’re done hiking with other White people.
Hazel got a hall pass from hiking after doing her biggest hike ever. Will did another 3+ hour solo. I am really impressed with Will’s hiking and backcountry confidence and prowess. Justin went trail running. Yours truly rocked a solo hike which occasionally turned into a run. Typical heads-down-pound-of-the-miles while watching my HR to keep it pegged at the top end of Zone 2. Such a dork. Our fitness gear also got some good use - TRX, bands, balls. For bench press I literally laid on a bed and lifted a small bedside table. “Hey, can somebody spot me so I don’t drop this bedside table on my face?”. Ha ha. Use it or lose it. Views from the hike:
We switched Airbnbs after our first night. Second time we’ve bailed on our reserved accommodations since starting the trip. Justin made the call this time. Huge props to him since our upgrade was 100x better with insane views of the entire region. Plus it had trails out of the front door for short walks and runs. It was a much needed sanctuary.
Still getting used to the 5am sunrise. I will never get used to the 7pm sunset. In summer?? These people are getting cheated out of their summer nights. Mornings were mostly sunny and clear. Slowly clouds would build and by evening there would be thunder showers and lightening.
Seeing zebras out and about in the wild is wild. Lots of good wildlife sightings. Looks like gazelles hooked up with cows?
South Africa is 80% Black and 7% White. Apartheid as you surely know was a horrible racist system of racial segregation. It was in effect was 1948 until 1994. What a heinous chapter in history. It ended a blink ago. The country remains so segregated. There is still so much wealth and power in the tiny White minority. There is so much crime and fear of crime. According to a 2022 World Bank report, South Africa is the most unequal country in the world with 10% of the population capturing 65% of national income. If you want one super duper raw ingredient to increase crime in your country, that would be it.
Driving through Johannesburg at rush hour there were so few cars on the road. Google maps showed no traffic anywhere. It dawned on me that maybe Blacks don’t own cars. And then I wondered “Is that a racist thought?”. About ten times a day I wonder if I’m being racist. Sure enough 6% of South African Blacks own cars while 71% of the White minority are car owners.
It should be noted that the US is the most unequal country in the 38-member OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) with the top 1% of Americans capturing 21% of national income. Hopefully it’s not a surprise to anyone that this is getting worse. I’ll just leave this graphic here for other visual learners like me. The World Inequality Database is an incredible source of information.
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