Have you ever wanted to take a lift and when the doors open you enter a magical forest with waterfalls and trees thousands of years old? Have you ever had, let us call it, this Narnian dream? Well, in Graskop, Mpumalanga, you can have this for the low price of $10! You can then take a glass lift and when the doors open at the bottom, you enter a magical place, an enchanted forest with the most incredible waterfall. All jokes aside, this is one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Not because it is dangerous and an adrenaline-chasing activity, but because of its beauty.
So please let me take you on this virtual journey on which I will show you the lift, the stunning views when you decide to grab a snack, some of the "wood art" exhibited at the information center, and the stunning waterfall at the bottom of the lift.
# Going Down With the Lift
From the road, you cannot see the place. It was by accident that we arrived here. I needed to take an important call and this was the only place that had a signal. We then saw, through the parking lot, the lift and we decided to give it a go.
A small building with a high walkway. The lift occupies this strange liminal space between society and the concrete jungle and the untamed forest. As soon as the doors open, you arrive. The state of nature. You smell the fresh air and you get this nostalgic feeling of "I belong here".
Here is a short video of us going down. Sorry for the poor quality in terms of the windows shining. It was early morning and the sun was still bad.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGvymf4fK7E
The views you get from inside are insane. Here is a photo I took standing on the side of the lift just before we went down:
From the bottom, you look up. It did not feel that high, you tell yourself. But then you see how small the lift looks.
You then realize how lucky you are to be able to do this. I mean, think just 50 or so years back. You would not have been able to visit the forest down there. No one would have seen the waterfall unless you intimately knew the forest and you lived down there in the gorge. But we modern humans, conquering all and everything, built something special so that we can bask in nature's absolute beauty.
As the lift doors open, you are met with the most intense smell of forest and nature. You close your eyes and take everything in. Then you read these wonderful words:
Profound words. But then you need to move, onwards to the waterfall and forest!
# Pathway to the Waterfall
The amount of work they put in to make this possible is stunning. They made beautiful wooden bridges and walkways so that you can enjoy the beauty of this forest.
I know it is sad that we chop down forest space so that we can walk there and pay for the conglomerates. But it is what it is. We can enjoy the immense beauty of nature. It is what it is.
It's a mantra. *It is what it is*. Alas.
One can also sit down and meditate about the beauty and take in the fresh air. If I could stay down there, I would never go back up.
# The Waterfall from All Angles
The waterfall is something out of this world. I wish I could bathe in the water and lay in the pool. I wish I could wash away everything bad about myself in the magical waters.
But the rocks are slippery, it is off the pathway, and we modern humans from the concrete jungle cannot really cope with the pressure of not exploiting the beauty.
As you go up with the lift again, you begin the see how tall and big the waterfall is. From where the water actually begins to fall. In hindsight, the water falling at the bottom would probably hurt you if you were about to take a shower.
But yet again, imagine walking in the gorge and stumbling upon this awesome waterfall before the time of the internet and modern technology.
There is something truly magical about these amounts of water falling from the tops, almost looking like perpetual rains.
From the top, as you get out of the lift, you appreciate anew the immense scale of this waterfall and gorge.
# Grabbing a Snack with a View
Getting to the top, you start to feel the need to eat something and to yet again appreciate the view. You see the restaurant that looks out over the gorge:
Inside, you are met with a stunning place that serves awesome food at a reasonable price. In fact, the food was some of the best I have ever had at places like this. The view just makes it better, and the interior is like the cherry on top.
# The Wood Art
And when you walk out of the restaurant, there is some stunning wood art exhibited on the walls. I really hope these are sustainably sourced, but I know this is unlikely. The yellowwood tree is in trouble due to all of the trees being cut down in the olden days. But I think it is a protected species now. But see how creative they got with these:
# Postscriptum, or Alas, Everything Ends
Sadly, everything needs to come to an end. I hope you enjoyed this virtual journey with me about a strange but awesome thing in the middle of a forest. It is really stunning to experience and I hope that you might experience it as well!
All of the images are my own, taken with my iPhone. The video as well. The musings are also my own. I hope you have some nice travels coming up, but stay safe. Happy travels!
[//]:# (!pinmapple -24.94495 lat 30.84170 long graskop glass lift d3scr)