Lesotho: The Highest Country in the World

This weekend I went to the Northern Drakensberg and stayed in a backpackers (hostel) that does day trips to Lesotho (pronounced le [like French]-soo-too).  Lesotho is an independent country completely surrounded by South Africa.  Even though it doesn't have the highest point in the world, it is still known as the highest country in the world (altitude-wise) because it has the highest low point (the lowest point in Lesotho is 1400 metres).  Apparently they do also get high, or at least grow marijuana, however our guide said it wasn't very good.

Lesotho mountains

Anyway, Saturday morning, we left for Lesotho via the Monantsa Pass.  As we arrived at the border post, the whole area was covered in mist.  Fortunately, as we drove down the pass the mist disappeared and we got beautiful views of the mountainous Kingdom of Lesotho (seriously, it's a kingdom, they have a king).  We made our way to the Mafika/Lisiu (pronounced Mafeeka-Deesee-eeloo) Primary School.  The Amphitheatre Backpackers donates a portion of the money charged for the day trips to the school there.  They also collect clothes at the hostel to donate to the children as well.  Our guide told us that Lesotho is the third poorest country in the world but also not to feel bad though, and instead to appreciate how they live comfortably with what they have. 

The school field with the clouds just disappearing over the mountains

The kids gathered around a camera, checking out their pictures

 Even though it was a Saturday, all the kids were at school because it was a special day.  We didn't really get a lot of information on the festival or holiday or whatever it was.  We were told that there would be dancing and singing at the school but all we saw was a play with kids acting like old people.  It was really cute, but they were speaking Sesotho (rhymes with Lesotho) so we didn't really understand.  We got to interact with the kids a bit which was fun.  They loved getting pictures taken, looking at them, and taking pictures themselves.  We also gave a lot of high fives.  We couldn't understand each other though (beyond "hello" and "photo") so there was just a lot of awkward  giggling on both sides.

The play

We left the school to go on a walk to see some San ("bushmen") rock art paintings.   Unfortunately, the paintings have not been protected like other rock art sites so people have been chipping pieces off the rock as souvenirs.  I was really glad we got to see what was left of the paintings though.  I had been trying to find rock art sites that I could visit near Joburg but I wasn't sure if what I was looking up online was legit.  In this painting we could only see an eland (a really big antelope and a very spiritual animal for the San) and a few people. 

Rondavel and mountains

Ntate Gabriel, the sangoma

After the walk, we went down to the village and headed to a shebeen (basically a little pub).  It was just in one of the rondavels, marked by a white flag.  In there we got to try some traditional beer, passed around in large containers.  It wasn't actually bad, very yeast-y though.  We also got to see some of the women dancing (the men weren't so into it).  After the shebeen, we went to visit a sangoma, a traditional healer.  He explained how he became a sangoma after receiving premonitions and helps heal people through herbs and speaking to their ancestors.  I asked him if he can heal himself if he gets sick or if he goes to another sangoma.  He said he would either visit another sangoma or go straight to Western medicine.  So the two are not mutually exclusive and they recognize that some things are better healed through medical doctors than sangomas.  Next, we went to get some food.  We had pap (ground maize porridge... but not soupy, sticky) and a really salty spinach thing that was amazing!  Best pap meal I've had. 

We headed back to the backpackers after that and we had some awesome chicken curry for dinner and malva pudding for dessert.  I sat with some very nice people I had met on the tour.  I was kind of nervous going to a hostel on my own because of the social dinners and communal areas but I had forgotten that people who stay in hostels are usually super nice and like meeting new people, so it all worked out.

The next day I went to the Royal Natal National Park, home of the geological feature the Amphitheatre (hence the name of the backpackers lodge).  I went there though to see another rock art site.  I had to go with a guide, as a protection measure for the paintings.  His name was Mathiba and he was very friendly and knowledgeable.  He also had excellent eye sight and pointed out antelope on a hill opposite us that took me like 2 minutes to see while he was describing where to look the whole time.  These rock art paintings were more extensive, depicting a giraffe, a water buffalo, a leopard, a snake, multiple eland and other antelope, and the San dancing around a campfire.  I was very glad I went there.  After that, I left the park and headed home.  It was an excellent weekend!

Rock art painting of elands in the Royal Natal National Park