They say you should never work with animals or children and that proved prophetic making the final film in the Getaway Mazda Change Your View road trip series. Still, a whole heap of fun was had (watch it, below). Here’s what happened. And what didn’t.
The idea was a grand one, no question, go and find a bearded vulture in the highest of the high Drakensberg, then ask a mural artist to capture its essence on a huge wall. What could go wrong?
Well, pretty much everything, except, happily the car. Mazda’s latest SUV crossover, the Mazda CX-30 proved to be the making of the trip, a peerless cruiser, as adept at dodging potholes as it was shooting up dirt roads and enduring epic traffic jams. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
Durban. Mural artist Giffy Duminy has a great deal of epic art scattered around the city, and we went in search of it, to give context to his conservation bent. Turns out the local constabulary aren’t especially keen on strange film crews stopping randomly by the side of the road or on underpasses to film exciting artworks. A few choice conversations, a lot of explaining and on our way, heyup no harm done. Next, Durban’s traditional midsummer heatwave weather deserted us too, just as we dipped Giffy in the usually warm Indian Ocean. And of course, a good number of takes were needed to get the perfect shot.
It was a grateful crew that set out early the next day, headed for the wild open spaces of the Drakensberg escarpment around Witsieshoek, some four hours away up the N3. Except that a 22-wheeler had conveniently scattered its highly flammable gas cannisters all over the major arterial, necessitating a side-trip through the Midlands, along with thousands of other commuters.
When finally the big empty skies of Witsieshoek arrived, much celebration was the order of the day. And – hurrah – the non-stop rain of the past three months abated, offering up a window for Giffy to paint his epic mural and the team to go in search of the bearded vulture. Much scanning of the skies. The wonderful team at the Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge tempted the big birds with delicious bones (their staple food). But to no avail. Camera shy perhaps, the raptors stayed frustratingly out of range, appearing tantalisingly on the horizon and then soaring off over the escarpment, not to return.
Bearded vultures are highly endangered these days, and endemic to the high Berg. They characteristically drop bones they find from a great height to shatter them before eating. The legend suggests it was a bearded vulture that killed Aeschylus by dropping a tortoise on the poet’s bald head.
Nor was the Sentinel hike with its famed chain ladders possible. All that rain had reduced the approach road to a mountain track, so the dream of filming the Tugela Falls, the world’s highest waterfall, flew over the horizon with the vultures.
No matter, the weather was holding and the lodge was enormously welcoming. Team darts with a single dart was a memorable evening’s entertainment, a whole community coming down to watch Giffy’s developing artwork, much fun was had. By the time the work was completed and it was time to leave, friends had been made and promises of a return firmly pledged. No end-of-days traffic jams on the way home to Durban through Golden Gate National Park, just a slalom of snaking roads, which, once again, helped to underline how superbly set up the Mazda CX-30 was; quick on its feet, responsive, endlessly enjoyable.
As the team headed out, it seemed just over there, banking to land, was a bearded vulture, coming in to eat…
Ah well, life’s full of laughs.
#changeyourview
Competition
Win with Mazda, Getaway and Legacy Hotels and Resorts (CLOSED)
Leopard in Pilanesberg National Park by Steve Evans/Flick Commons
Follow the Mazda Change Your View series and stand a chance to win a Legacy Hotel and Resorts weekend getaways for four.
Indicate one of the destinations of the three Mazda Change Your View trips and stand a chance to win a Legacy Hotel and Resorts weekend away for four.
How to enter, below
List one of the three destinations in the Mazda Change Your View series.
Provide your name, address and contact details.
The Prize
A weekend at Bakubung Bush Lodge in the Pilanesberg.
Discover more about the Legacy Hotels and Resorts prizes here.
- The prizes include accommodation on the basis stated, and the stated extras for four people.
- It does not include airfares or other travel expenses.
The competition closes on March 11 2022
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Trip 3: Follow Getaway and Mazda into the hidden Drakensberg – and win!
