We got up for around 6:00am (there really were no lay-ins)
for a quick breakfast before embarking on our tour of the Zulu battlefields of
Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift. Lead by our native guide, Dalton, we were
enthralled by the bravery and brutality of his ancestors. He retold the stories
with such passion (all from memory) that it actually felt rather emotional to
picture the battles that happened where we stood all those years ago.
The mountain side overlooking his small village was littered
with white rock mounds of where British soldiers had fought and died and were
now buried.
During the battles, thousands from both sides died whilst
the Zulus desperately attempted to protect the lands they owned and to keep the
foreign enemies out. However, the foreigners (Europeans) invaded not only as a
conquest for land but also to stop the blood thirsty regimes of the Zulu people
which Dalton told us about. For example, stoning to death a pregnant girl for
having relations with a European solider and beheading an ex-Zulu warrior who
had converted to Christianity after missionaries had started to come over. The
whole experience was truly fascinating, especially as we got to see the Zulu warrior memorial - a tree that was planted on royal Zulus' graves grew out of the dead warriors' shields with a leopard (symbolizing the Zulu monarch) to protect their spirits and to bring them home if they had died far away from their family:
When we arrived back at the hotel, we were welcomed by
ostriches, zebras and impalas – just roaming freely outside our hotel. Overall
a very insightful and interesting day.
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