(Temporary Backup) South Africa #34

Woke up at 5:15 AM. I am sort of liking this early arising, although I’m pretty sure that the enjoyment will fade rapidly once I’m home. There was a hike today, but a few of us opted out and decided to explore the area on our own. One of us had noticed that there is a tiny coffee shop on the grounds where we could have breakfast, so we headed over there.  This woman has her own little business on the grounds, she makes 3 different kinds of grilled sandwiches and serves coffee, tea and cake as well. We ate here a few times, in order to support her.

The cake was soooo good, a very pineapple-y type of carrot cake. Not that I had it for breakfast or anything......😊😉

After breakfast we decided to leave the compound and check out the local area. 

The first place we came to was a small handicraft shop, manned by two local women, although it was a cooperative shop with many items made by the local ladies, not just these two. 

It was filled with all sorts of interesting things, including wallets made of old milk cartons.

And a homemade face cream. The “before and after” picture cracked me up!

We chatted with the ladies for a bit, purchased a whole lot of items, and moved onwards.

Right next door was a pre-school and as we waked by we could hear the sounds of kids singing inside. One of my group had been a teacher and a principal for years and she stuck her head inside and asked if we could have peek. The teacher happily invited us in and the kids continued their song, which was (oddly enough) “If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands.” So of course the 3 of us sang along, loudly with all the actions. One little boy laughed so hard he fell right over. I guess they don’t get too many middle aged white women singing and stamping their feet in their classroom. We talked to the teacher for a bit and we ended up all leaving a substantial amount of money for her to buy what she needed the most. We asked about the pictures we took, and it was all quite ok. Note the small solar panel outside, that’s the only source of electricity for the school.

The window you see here had broken glass in the bottom 2 panes (and remember, we are at an altitude high enough that there is frost and occasionally snow in the winter) and the swing set had no swings. Hopefully our donations will help.



We continued on down the road, the goal was to find a cultural centre that was supposed to be 2 km away. We saw some farmers, slowly tilling their land. It was only about 10AM, and probably already +30. I just don't know how these men can wear blankets and rubber boots.

The scenery is beautiful, but everything is so dry.



Local traffic jam. The people here were extraordinarily friendly. A noticeable difference from some areas in South Africa. And again, yes, we asked everyone about taking pictures before we snapped. Generally everyone was more than happy, the but occasional older person would say no, or they’d turn their face. While they appreciate and utilize western medicine, the use of traditional medicine and witch doctors are still widely used.



At this point we had easily walked more than 2 km....maybe that building in the distance is the cultural centre?


Nope, it wasn’t. We walked some more, passing a lonely little graveyard. Funerals are a big deal here, and the idea of cremation is horrifying to the locals.

We eventually came across a farm with a sign announcing that it was a sheep farm, a fellow came to see if we were interested in buying a sheep. I think he was joking....what do 5 ladies want with a sheep? (A young woman is still worth one cow and 24 sheep though, that’s an average dowry) he said we’d be foolish to look for the cultural centre...it was “down that hill, follow the road to the river, then turn this way (wild gestures) then other way, an then walk and you will probably not see it anyhow.” So we just decided to turn around and head back. I don’t want to be the next wizened body lying in the graveyard.

Heading back we passed another school, and we stopped in again. The kids came running over, all in uniforms. We asked to talk to teacher, and they took us to their principal, and she let us watch a bit of their class time. We were in a 3/4 split. The school itself was K-7/8. 

Some of the families are more well off than others, and can afford to buy nicer things for their kids, thus the uniforms for everyone, no different that many schools around the world, but, the families with more money can also afford to have their daughter’s hair straightened or braided in fancy designs etc, which is very much a status symbol, so all girls have to have their hair cut short in the same style. We were told that the girls, especially the teens, aren’t thrilled and thus they tend to wear caps.

When we walked in, the kids were so excited to see us and they proudly wanted us to check out their workbooks. They were working on multiplication tables today. They had never heard of Canada, but I don’t think that I had ever heard of Lesotho when I was in grade 3. They all gave us their pencil so we could write a comment in their books and then gave us a high five. They other half (I’m not sure who was grade 3 and who was grade 4) were learning the difference between paying for goods and bartering. Bartering is still a given way of life here, and I thought it was pretty amazing that they learned how to do it in school.

Look at this brilliant smile! 

We asked the teacher what the school needed most, and she said “Doors.” Doors. That sort of breaks my heart. We left her quite a bit of money, I would think more than enough for doors and supplies. Not to sound like one of those sappy “voluntourists”, but it was a nice feeling to be able to help, as opposed to buying a t-shirt at a souvenir store. And education is so crucial. 

After that, we headed back to our lodge. It was such a good day. I know the hikers on our trip simply love to hike, and hiking in the highest Kingdom in the world has got to be a thrill, but today was an awesome day for me and I didn't regret missing the hike at all. And the day isn't even over yet.