Heading South again
Leaving Mozambique we managed to cover a fair amount of ground in a short period of time. We left Tofo early in the morning; in fact I would call 3a.m. in the middle of the night, and then spent 16 slow hot and uncomfortable hours on minibuses. The first leg took us back to Maputo where we quickly found our connecting bus that was to take us to Manzini, Swaziland. The only little problem however was that we were the first passengers to sign up at the bus stop and the driver needed 23 other people to get onboard before he would even consider getting into his seat. We spent three stinking hot hours pacing the busy sidewalk up and down dodging offers to buy everything from soft drinks, to kitchenware to leather shoes and DVDs while the bus excruciatingly slowly filled up person by person. At 3pm we left Maputo with not a square centimetre of free space left.
Swaziland
A quick and hassle free border crossing into Swazi really made it obvious that we were leaving chaotic Moz for a more organised and structured place. As we drove up the mountains that make up the Eastern part of the little kingdom of Swaziland the air got cooler and fresher and opening the window provided comfort and refreshment rather than hair-drier-hot polluted air making everything black. Only a few hours later we had reached Manzini right in the middle of the country. Our final destination, Ezulwini Valley only a few kms from Manzini, but as it was getting dark we wanted to get on the minibus without any delay. Unfortunately neither the driver nor the conductor ended up knowing where the backpackers we were planning to stay at was located resulting in us passing our turnoff. Despite them having a tight schedule, they dropped off all other passengers at their respective destination along the main road and then turned the van around and drove around on smaller roads asking people for directions until we eventually found the hostel, which ended up being quite a way from where we thought it would be. We paid a few extra rands and thanked them. They could easily just have dropped us off on the main road, but really took their time to help us out. It’s little things like that, people who go out of their way to help you for no benefit of their own, which makes this whole travelling business such a pleasure!
At 7pm having covered a good 600kms we had our shower, downed a smoothie and ice cream for dinner at the hostel and were fast asleep by 9pm. clean sheets, a fan, cool air and a shower never felt so good. Legends backpackers was just a place to stay for one night and in the morning, well-rested and full from a tasty breakfast, we were back on the road again. The end goal was the Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, Swazi’s oldest reserve, and a great place for hiking as there is plenty of wildlife but none of the big cats, hyenas or elephants. We arrived at Sodwela camp, a beautiful hostel located inside the reserve overlooking the valleys and little creeks below. This is where our tent was given its inauguration on African soil. After getting the tent up (without arguing) we had a quick lunch and went out on our first unguided walking safari. We saw impalas, wildebeests, zebras, nyalas, warthogs and a bunch of monkeys. It was great being so close to the animals without the sound of an engine, and it makes you feel so much more part of the nature around you. It also made it possible to see all the little things that you wouldn’t notice from the car window, like the dung beetle rolling balls of crap up a hill, and the pretty little wild flowers and the colourful mating grasshoppers. We had a great afternoon. Back at Sodwela we cooked our own dinner and went to tent early again.
Waking up to the sun warming up the tent and a bloody annoying bird singing all morning we were up by 7am, had breakfast and headed out on our next little walking adventure. The first part of our trek we were accompanied by Dutch couple, but only a few hours in it was just Mike, me and whatever animals and bugs we could see and hear around us. While we did see a fair amount of wildlife again, this time it was more about the breathtaking landscapes around us. Over 6 hours we hiked up to the top of Nyonyane Mountain, 1250 metres high, and then back again. From the top we had spectacular 360 degree views of the hills and valleys around us. It was a great feeling having found our own way up the little trails and being to be able to sit at the top for a while seeing no one else but a few baboons messing around on the slopes below us, and hearing nothing but the wind around us.
Back in SA
We left Swazi the following morning when the rains had reached us and headed back into Durban, South Africa. We had heard nothing but bad things about Durban before arriving there. As most other large South African cities the crime is soaring, there is virtually no public transport and the city centre is completely deserted after 5pm when businesses close and the informal not-so-legitimate businesses open up for the night shift. We were therefore let off just outside our backpackers, where we stayed for 2 nights to get our selves organised for the next leg of the trip into Lesotho and the Drakensberg where we were planning to head to next to avoid the hordes of South Africans hitting the coast for Easter weekend.
Johanna
Underberg and Lesotho
We took the “Underberg Express” minibus from Durban inland towards Underberg, on the foot of the Drakensberg Range. As we ascended into the beautiful green mountains, the not-so-beautiful rains started to set in. But soon we arrived to a welcome crackling fire at Khotso Backpackers. In front of the fire, we spotted some lamb (unfortunately for Mike uncooked) sitting next to the fire. This little guy had been abandoned by its mother and had been left out in the cold. Johanna helped to try to nurse the guy back to help.
We spent one night at Khotso Backpackers before setting off on our three day horse ride into and around the mountain kingdom of Lesotho. We were soon introduced to our horses – mine with Tovolax, who was just like me – a bit of a pig and lazy sometimes. Johanna’s horse was Pixie, who was just like her – strong minded, and didn’t want anyone else to take the lead. Our fearless leader and guide Steve gave simple instructions “No matter how much it hurts to stay on, it hurts more to fall off – so don’t”. With that in mind, we jumped on our horses and crossed the border into the Kingdom in the Sky – Lesotho.
Soon after crossing the border we were guiding our horses across babbling creeks and through rolling green hills. Without a sign of civilisation in sight, the scenery was stunning. It was just the mountains, the horses and us. Soon enough, we were trotting and running with the horses. I was amazed that I could feel so invigorated and in pain at the same time as my bum and balls took the full brunt of the saddle. We rode a total of 23km on the first day, and ascended from 1500m to 2700m above sea level, before arriving at Sehlabathebe village. The village in the hills was pretty basic with free-roaming cattle, Basotho people wearing their traditional blankets and kids waving to us on our arrival. Steve cooked up a storm, including some traditional Basotho bread, and some local kids came in to sing to us before we settled in to take refuge from the cold night air.
The second day of riding took us through the cave country – an area dominated by beautiful caves and rock formations. Steve led us to a cave with ancient sani paintings – not unlike the aboriginal paintings back in Oz. As we observed them, a group of 10-15 shepher boys began to emerge from every nook and cranny, and began to surround us. They were seemingly fascinated by what we were doing in their neck of the woods. We moved on before stopping for a quick lunch, where Johanna took a quick, and extremely refreshing dip in the river.
We continued on, past donkeys, sheep and shepherd boys. Amongst the many rivers we crossed, one was particularly hairy. So much so that one of our co-riders, Pangea, ended up going for a short swim with her horse. On one hand, it was quite funny. On the other hand, I still had to cross and had the camera strapped to my belt. As Tovolax entered, he veered into shallower water and also into the trees. I ripped through the branches – quite paintful, and I felt quite silly, but at least I was dry. Johanna also had a hairy moment later that day when her horse Pixie went for a long run, but she managed to hold on tight.
The third day, we left the lodge for the 27km ride back to South Africa. The mountains were covered with mist, and that’s exactly where we were heading – it was going to be a wet day ahead. As we rode through the Valley of the Wild Horses and to a beautiful waterfall, the rain got heavier. Soon, neither the sure-footed horses nor the riders were having much fun. As we led our horses through the rocky terrain, the banter and the singing stopped, and we just trudged forward through the mud.
But after a long, wet day, we were relieved to arrive back at the South African border. We unsaddled our horses and got back into the back of a truck, and pulled down the tarpaulin. But under the muddy tarp, amongst the saddles, and with stream riding from our wet bodies, you could have imagined we were refugees being smuggled into another country. By that evening, we were happy to arrive back to Khotso Backpackers for one of the best hot showers we have ever had.
After a more civilised morning the next day, we set off to the Splashy Fen Festival near Underberg. Splashy Fen was described at South Africa’s version of Woodstock. But rather than peace and love, we soon discovered this festival was more about booze and mud. We spent the rest of the evening checking out some of the bands, warming ourselves by the bonfire and being entertained by all the drunk teenagers falling over in the mud.
After having an amazing time in stunning Lesotho and lovely Underberg, we decided it was now time to get another dose of sun, and made plans to head back to the South African coastline.
Mike
As always, our slideshow for Swaziland and Lesotho is on this blogsite – check it out!
Good luck,
Remi (the tall dutch guy)