South Africa – Swaziland – Mozambique – Lesotho : 5th February - 8th April 2001

After a week and a bit in Cape Town, where I got to visit most of the familiar places – Robben Island, Table Mountain, The Waterfront and also Klein Constantia Winery, I left to travel along the Garden Route with Andy and Rachel who I’d met at Ashanti, the hostel in Cape Town.

We travelled by Baz Bus – a minibus for backpackers, which picks you up from your hostel, and drops you off that the hostel at your next destination.  We travelled together for about 2 weeks, one day travelling, one day hiking along a coastal path or in a nature reserve, another day travelling etc.  The walks got progressively longer and more challenging.  Andy adopted the nickname Sheikh Andy because of the way he tied his t-shirt around his head!  

At Storms River, we went Black Water Tubing - like white water rafting, but in tubes.  We later found out that a year earlier, 13 people had been killed on this river on a tubing day out.  The following day, we walked in the Tsitsikamma National Park.

 From Port Elizabeth, we all went our own ways, and I headed inland to stay with friends Peter and Lynne.  This was my first taste of what I thought was ‘real Africa’, staying on a farm where sheep are sheared with ‘overgrown scissors’ and farm workers ride around the land on horses, and a game reserve where I got to see almost every species of antelope that was pictured in the Lonely Planet. 

I now know that Africa is so diverse that any number of scenarios could be ‘real Africa’, but for me, the Garden Route wasn’t it!

I loved Durban, despite the fact that so many people had told me not to bother stopping at Durban.  It had some very interesting museums which, sadly, were deserted and also the very beautiful Temple of Understanding (Hare Krishna).  I stayed for a week with friends Allister and Gillian and closely avoided drowning in the Indian Ocean - twice, before heading towards Swaziland. 

Further north, in the St. Lucia Wetlands, I took a mud-bath in the mangrove swamp whilst being watched by a hippo and crocodile!

My next South African destination was Kruger National Park, where after a 3 day stay, I’d been lucky enough to see all of the Big 5 twice over (Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Rhino and Buffalo).  I didn't book my visit to Kruger until I got to Hazyview Backpackers.  They arrange their own tours and have a guide (Lloyd) who is permanently based inside the Park. 

The main event was the Queen Mother’s Birthday Celebrations (The Swazi King’s Mother).  I think everyone in Swaziland was there.  I was staying at a big house called Sondzela in Mlilwane Reserve and managed to hitchhike back to the main camp, where Lucia the hippo had left her lake to be fed.

Whilst in Swaziland, I also took the opportunity to get a visa for Mozambique, just in case I decided to go there.

After much apprehension, I did make it to the Capital, Maputo.  As a former Portuguese colony – it had a very European feel.  I found an English speaking guy on the bus and asked directions, and he and his colleague took care of me, found my hostel, took me for lunch and I spent some time on their catamaran in the harbour.  Although the city is very run down following war and floods, there's a lot of construction work happening and I’m sure it’ll be a great place again one day, and I'd certainly like to explore more of the country.

Many places will accept South African Rands as well as Metacaish, but if you don't speak Portuguese, they'll hold it against you and make it difficult.  

Very corrupt…Even the police will rip you off if you let them!

'The Kingdom in The Sky'

Not an easy place to get to, but very worthwhile.  I’ll never forget the sounds of the cattle-bells echoing through the valleys, and the happy faces of the small children running from their brightly painted rondavels to say hello or 'give me sweets', and others jumping from the river bank into the very brown water.

Playstation?  They don’t even have televisions or electricity and the few that get to attend school feel very privileged.  The local children's band were playing in the hostel’s grounds – guitars and violins made from 5 litre oil cans.  The violin bow just a 6” stick.  The best bit was the drum.

After a few days in Mozambique, and a few days in Lesotho, I made the long overnight journey back to Cape Town ready to depart on my 3 week overland tour up to Victoria Falls.

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