Stories to tell . . .: October 2015

On the Road with Friends from Back Home

Finally! The vacation planned eight months earlier became a reality:

Thanks to the careful planning of Mike, Deanna, Carole, & Barry - Mary-Anna & I had only to show up & off we went for 22 incredible days.

Zimbabwe-Zambia: Victoria Falls

Mike, Deanna, Mary-Anna & met in Johannesburg, RSA on October 1 to begin the first leg of our trip. It was incredible to leave the simple life in Lesotho & be transported once again to all the comforts of civilization. We flew to Victoria Falls the next day where we were met by Blessing, our driver/guide, who made sure we arrived safely & on schedule to all our destinations. Lodging was tent camping at the border from where we could hear the roar of the falls, feel its cool mist, & then be shuttled over to visit the falls. We spent a nice long day walking the length of the falls, taking a long hot walk & taxi into Zambia for lunch, before a cool evening river cruise & incredible dinner of bush meat & traditional foods.

Botswana: Chobe Game Reserve, Elephant Sands, & Okavango Delta

We explored different habitats such as savannah, desert, and an inland delta along the drive - viewing wildlife from bush drives, a river cruise, dugout canoe, on-foot, & by plane. We drove from Victoria Falls in the north all the way down to the capital of Maun. Our first stop in Botswana was Chobe which was Mike & Deanna's first experience seeing African wildlife & it did not disappoint. From the comfort & safety of bush drives, guided walks, & a river boat we got to see the incredible animals, amphibians, and birds of Botswana. After several days of tent camping for me & an upgrade to a room with en suite bathrooms for the rest of the gang, we drove on to Elephant Sands where our desert bungalows were built on high platforms at eye level with the elephants who "owned" the territory. Our final stop was the oasis of the Okavango Delta; green grasses, cool river, abundant bird life. We journeyed out into the delta on narrow dugout canoes to reach our wilderness campsite & bush walks. Mary-Anna found a wonderful treat & gave me the ultimate birthday gift of a fire-flies by the delta's edge which we celebrated with Mike & Deanna's gift - the best Tequila ever!

Elephant Sands

Okavango Delta

South Africa: Kruger Park

Another flight took us back to Johannesburg where we met up with Carole & Barry & jumped into rental cars for the drive toward Kruger. A quick stop overnight & by the next morning, after passing through beautiful farm land & orchards along the Drakensberg Mountains, we arrived at the Crocodile Gate at the southern entrance to Kruger. Our park lodging, Lower Sabie, provided morning & late afternoon game drives to see all the wildlife in the bush & at the river's edge (and some pretty good food at Mugg & Bean). After a few days we headed to Pretoriaskop at the western boundary where we completed the viewing of the Big Five by several sightings of a leopard. From this camp we parted ways with Carole & Barry & original 4 began our drive southward toward Lesotho.

Deanna's photos

Kudu by Deanna

Elephants walking home at dusk

Swaziland: Drive-thru

On a whim we decided to pass through Swaziland! What a treat - the Mountain Kingdom, unlike Lesotho, is more lush & forested. We visited a cultural center where we had a really interesting guided walk through a reproduction of a traditional village. Staying in a lovely lodge & having a delicious dinner made the short trip all the more worthwhile. The route to Lesotho passed through the Free State of South Africa & the gorgeous mountain area of Clarens near the Lesotho border where we stayed the night.

Lesotho: Mohale's Hoek & Semonkong

Our final destination was back home to Lesotho! Mike, Deanna, & Mary-Anna were good sports & so willing to experience Lesotho - so unlike our other destinations! First stop was a typical "plate" lunch in a shack-restaurant in Mafeteng; they said they enjoyed it! Then on to visit Tracy at her tiny home in the village of Ha Matahbo; a more traditional & typical PCV house in a simple village. No electricity, no running water, & certainly no space in Tracy's tiny one room house. Tracy was gracious & cheerful as always. Final stop for the day was my home; the Peace Corps House on the grounds of St. Patrick's church in the village of Thoteng, just 2 km outside the Mohale's Hoek District Capital. We settled in just briefly so we could go off to see the kids, Sr. Juliana, & Rethabile at St. Camillus Centre. The kids were their usual exuberant smiling laughing affectionate selves & entertained us all. It was especially wonderful for Deanna to see the little ones & the farm; she could see firsthand just how her fundraising efforts were making a difference. The rest of the evening was spent at home, no water so we all got to experience that challenge! The next morning - up & back to the Centre for a final visit with the kids & to meet Bishop Joale. The Bishop treated us to a nice long chat & then graced us with his blessing before we had to leave.

Mike, Deanna, Sr. Juliana, Bishop Joale Tlhomola

Our final stop was the mountain village of Semonkong & wonderfully comfortable & scenic Semonkong Lodge. Two short nights here but the best way to bring our 3-week vacation to a close. Beautiful surroundings, great food, comfortable rondavel suites. Mike & Deanna took a horse trek while Mary-Anna & I descended the Maletsunyane Falls by abseil. Unlike this past January when Tracy & I easily made the descent, Mary-Anna & I had an incredibly challenging time. Though the day was clear & bright & warm - the wind picked up & shifted the waterfall's spray right on top of us. It seemed at least half of the 670 foot descent we were pummeled by heavy spray! It was an exhausting experience but one we proudly survived!

We departed on October 22 for our final day together - the long mountain drive, max elevation over 9,000 feet, back towards Maseru. They would leave me at an intersection where I would travel by public taxi van back to Mohale's Hoek while they would make the long drive back to Johannesburg and catch their flight back to the USA the next day. The farewells were tender & we thanked each other for the wonderful 3-week trip we shared.