Lesotho and the South African Coast

We're in Cape Town. Since the last post--and so long ago it seems--we have been busy. I ruined another razor a few days ago -shaving is becoming an expensive habit, so I believe I will no longer shave until we are done with the Himalayas. After St. Lucia, we drove to Durban, which was a nice, laid back city on the eastern coast. It is cool to see the stadiums going up around South Africa, in prep for the world cup next year (see picture below of a team practicing in the sand).

From Durban, we drove into the Drakensberg region, which reminds me of Connecticut... lots of little dairy farms and red and gold leaves (it is now into the winter season here).

From there we took a 4x4 minibus into Lesotho, up and over the Sani Pass (which I will forever refer to going forward as the "Insani Pass", because I have never before been as frightened in a vehicle as i was going up, and moreover, down this stretch of rock, shale and loose LOOSE mud. At one point on the way back Tatyana actually screamed at the driver to slow down before we flew off a cliff face. He didn't speak English.

So, Lesotho is amazing. An absolutely beautiful country. The highest country on earth, as measure by the elevation of its lowest point, Lesotho is the first real step back in time we have experienced in Africa. We would have taken a picture of one of the locals, but we thought it rude, and you'll just have to experience it for yourself when you go there. As I mentioned, the road into Lesotho on the Sani Pass was terrifying, and on top of that it was raining, hailing, and snowing throughout our trip in. At one point, we were absolutely certain we were going off a cliff, as the van lost traction and slowly slid toward the open edge. You know you're in deep dooh-dooh when the locals grab on to the seats and ceiling... The pass was much more appealing, though no less frightening, the next day after the weather had blown over (below).




















By the time we got into the country, it was pretty late, and there was no electricity, so we made dinner by candle light (local smoked trout from the river -very good) and slept... a lot. The next day we hitch-hiked our way to the nearest town and took another 4x4 minibus down the Sani Pass and out of Lesotho. Really cool country -I would definitely recommend a week-long backpack through the country, as it is not very large and the people are really nice. I would also recommend a language cheat-sheet, as most of the folks we met don't speak English. The day we left there was an assassination attempt on the prime minister... you wouldn't know it at the border, and I don't think the border officials knew it either... not sure how anyone could have a beef with them -nice people. I'm rambling...









So, after Lesotho we drove back to the coast and spent the next few days driving down toward Cape Town. We stopped for a few days in wine country and were amazed at the beauty of this region, just northeast of Cape Town. I'll apologize because I don't think my pictures nearly do justice.... just beautiful!! These valleys are surrounded by strikingly steep mountains, and produce some really unique wines. And some of the estates are impressive, even by our own standards... a lot of money has been made here, and it shows.... The best part is you can taste for US1.50, and really REALLY good top shelf bottles sell for as little asUS15. A decent bottle for two bucks. The Pinotage is goooood, and we found a really yummy viognier, which we are saving for some afternoon this week... 4 bucks. :)