Lesotho

Rebekah and I arrived in Durban yesterday evening and are taking the day to do administrative stuff (emails, photos, sleep, etc). The night bus from Cape Town to Bloemfontein was fairly easy (any time I take public transport I thank the hours spent on the school bus as a kid; I can sleep anywhere, any position) and we arrived at four in the morning. A two hour minibus taxi ride brought us to the Maseru Bridge where we walked into Lesotho. First stop was a two hour taxi ride into southern Lesotho to Malealea. From this lodge we did a quick hike to some San cave paintings before returning to watch the local choir and band perform. It is cold in Lesotho! Next morning was an ass-numbing horse back ride to some waterfalls (probably nicer in the summer when you can swim) before catching the taxi back into Maseru. We dropped our gear off at the Anglican Training Centre (it was the cheapest place in town!) before wandering around the market trying to find a Basotho blanket. This is the first 'African' item I have bought since arriving in February and I love it! It epitomizes colonial Africa. When the British first arrived they didn't like that everyone wore animal skins so they started importing blankets for the people to wear. These have become so popular that almost everyone in Lesotho wears one (different ways for men and women). The patterns have different designs (maize for fertility, planes for courage, etc) but they are still made in England and imported! What's more many of the patterns feature RAF planes, medallions and ensignia! So comfortable and warm. We got up at the ungodly hour of 4 o'clock to catch the bus to Mokhotlong that apparently left at 5 or 5:30. After an hour and a half in the cold and the dark in the sketchyist neighbourhood in Maseru the bus finally arrived. Every single person that walked by us wondered who the white backpackers were and if they really knew where they were supposed to be. Eight hours on that bus with every available space taken up (at on point I had three sheperds practically sitting on my lap) we made it into the old-west town of Mokhotlong. There were horses tied up outside the bar! We slept in the Farmer's Training Centre and when we sat down to watch the sunset and enjoy a cold beer over a dozen pickups filled with people arrived. They broke out the beer and started to party. It was the civil servants holiday and the local District Administrator had organised this party. Within a couple of hours (after we had chatted with soldiers, police officers and the DA) everyone was trashed! We were exhausted from the day so we retreated to our room for the night. Another early morning to catch a taxi up to Sani Pass (you'd think there wasn't any more room for one more person but we ended up with 17 people and luggage in a minibus taxi!) and we arrived at the Sani Top Chalet at 9:30 am. This is designed as a playground for wealthy South Africans that drive up from Durban and Pietermaritzburg to go dirt biking, ice climbing and fly fishing. There are no tree is Lesotho so it is easy to hike anywhere. We wandered along the cliffs of the Twelve Apostles and admired the view. Lesotho is a plateau (lowest elevation is 1500m) and since we were right on the border we could see the land drop away into South Africa. I've never seen landscape like it before and the photos I have don't even begin to capture what it's like. Check out a few here. We were invited to get drunk with a bunch of guys celebrating a guys-weekend-away and had the eye opening experience of several conversations that started, "I don't want to sound racist but..." However, we were invited to stay at there places in Jo'burg and they want to take us around town when we get there. Free accomodation! We did another hike the next morning before packing up and walking down the pass. We did eight hairpin switchbacks in 15 minutes of walking before a passing convoy pick us up and gave us a ride down. Another vehicle gave us a ride into Pietermaritzburg where we caught a taxi into Durban. I miss Lesotho already.