After a damp day in Drakensberg, we crossed the border into Lesotho, the Mountain Kingdom. The landscape, which had been rather flat, dry, and scrubby, began to get more interesting with a bit more greenery and compelling rock formations. This batch also includes a potty stop and a our Lesotho border crossing, not to mention the guy sitting in his wheelbarrow…
The home stretch before arriving at the Malealea Lodge was a notoriously bumpy road, the “African massage” on steroids, but our driver, Shorty, took it slow. Unfortunately, the kids have learned to beg. This batch shows some spots at the lodge (note the bottle-lined walking maze), our camp site, the activities list (with maps), the majestic view, and the appearance of a full moon!
The next day, our group having made some choices for activities, first took a hike to catch some of the vistas in these wide open spaces. This batch starts with one of our two guides showing us the village where she lives. In addition to the geology, you can see some of the wild flowers, ruins, and a stone house…
After the hike, before lunch, a couple of us popped down to the handicraft shop adjacent to the primary school. Then there was lunch…
After lunch, we went on a horseback ride! I was worried about five hours on horse in the afternoon sun, but it was six hours and awesome! Some of the most challenging trails – up & down, slippery terrain, lots ‘o rocks!
We trail rode to a majestic waterfall and finally took a break…
The rest of the group went back to the lodge, but Ruth & I went on to see the bushmen cave paintings. It was rigorous, but beautiful, and the paintings were fascinating. Allegedly 7000 years old, there were many more than the bush paintings we had see before. While there were a few animals, but mostly humans were depicted. This batch also includes more shots of the landscape, and the beautiful cloud dappled sky…
After a very busy, strenuous day it was great to get back to dinner, the full moon. This batch also depicts the river and bridge we crossed in returning to South Africa the next day.
After an exciting thunderstorm, including a close bolt of lightening that knocked out the power for a spell, we slept well again in our huts. Early the next morning we off, out of Lesotho and off to the “wild coast“…