Drakensgburg and Lesotho
Trip Start
Feb 14, 2006
1
24
104
Trip End
Ongoing
Middle of Nowhere,
Lesotho
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
After a LONG drive on really nice back roads, we arrived at a town called Ladysmith to get some grocerys and take a break. It was here that I found out about all of the Boer War Battlefields that were in the area. I decided that since I drove all morning while Kel slept, I deserved a geek fix. So I took Kelly to a battle field and got to play teacher/detective as we did a walking tour around the area. I really should have been a teacher.. but alas, now I'm unemployed.. and probably unemployable. But at least I've still got my health.
We got to the backpackers around sunset and set up our tent. We could not have asked for a more beautiful welcome to this part of the world. The area around the mountains is rolling hills surrounded with these flat topped scrub trees and long golden grass that whispers when the wind blows. The mountains themselves seem like they sprang right out of a less sinister He-Man cartoon. There are also lots of lakes and rivers in the area which breaks things up nicely.
The next day we got up early and went with some people from the hostel to Lesotho. This is a country that is completely surrounded by South Africa. It looks really weird on the map. It is a mountain kingdom that exists because the Zulus that settled it, could beat back any invasion with relative ease. There really isn't much there, so the Europeans basicly left them alone. It is also one of the poorest countries in the world, which made for an interesting day. The first glimpse of this poverty came when we crossed the boarder. There was no place to get your passport stamped. The border crossing consisted of a few burned out and abandoned trailers. As we got in to town, we visited a school with beautiful smiling kids who walked anywhere from 1 to 2 hours each way to get to school. Up hill, both ways, in the snow.. No shit. These kids were ambitious and they were being taught in English. Even though most of them spoke the local click language. I took some photos of them and let them play with our camera. Big fun..
Later we went further into the mountains to check out some cave paintings that were roughly 10000 years old. They were impressive, but not nearly as impressive as the mountain people walking around, up hill, with impossible loads on their heads. These people are hard core. I couldn't carry the loads they had balanced on their heads with both arms. But, I am surprising frail.. so that shouldn't come as a huge shock.
Lastly, we went to see a witch doctor. This was a bit contrived and set up for us Gringo's so I didn't like it much.
I've got to cut this short as I'm running out of time... We left the mountains the next day as it was about to snow and we were in a tent.
