Travel Story «Swaziland»

Swaziland | 0 Comments 11 June 2006 - Last Update 11 June 2006

Way back on the 22nd of May we took a very bumpy 10 hour bus ride from Durban to Swaziland, not only because of the crappy roads but also because Africans are obsessed with speed bumps! They are everywhere and often seemingly in the middle of nowhere. At the Swaziland border we had another lesson on how not to stare at the big men with bigger guns when you walk past and not say "Cool! Look Trines, more guns!". Over the border the houses changed from red mud brick to being completely made of big sticks. Amazing. We stayed at Sondzela Backpackers which was part of a wildlife sanctuary. That meant we had warthogs and ostrichs in our backyard. We also had our first home washing experience in the outdoor sink. Unfortunately we didn't have any money for activities so made do with a very comfortable hammock and the free animals in our backyard. If you look on the map, it's between Manzini and Mbabane.

We went for a walk around the huge park with a guide who decided to join us called Moi Moi. Because we only had a few hours till sunset Moi Moi took us on an express tour cross country bush bashing. We walked for 2 1/2 hours learning the differences between the different types of antelopes (impala, nyala, bleesbok) and between males and females. We also saw some zebra, our first wildebeest and visited a hippo pool. There were about 6 hippos it in including a baby that kept trying to jump up on its mother's back. Gorgeous. Did you know that hippos can weight up to 2.5 tonnes and can graze overnight up to 250kg worth of grass! Moi Moi was studying for a wildlife exam coming up so was telling us everything! There was also a croc sleeping nearby.

The dinner's at Sondzela were amazing. While we were there we ate warthog on the braai (BBQ) and also impala stew. We also had our first fruit, vegetables and salad in a while.

One morning while Trines was still sleeping I visited the local fruit market. There were heaps of stalls set up, all selling basically the same things! The fruit and vegetables looked amazing so I bought a pineapple for 25c, a bag of carrots for $1, 5 apples for $1, an avocado for 25c and they were all delicious!! (I thought that it was very good value but as everyone knows I still live at home, and no, do not do the grocery shopping so would not actually know how much it would cost in Sydney! And no, i still do not know the cost of chicken in Sydney!!!)

Anyway, after that outing I decided to continue my day out so... I'd heard about a candle factory that all the tourist buses visit and thought I'd try my luck getting there. The public transport system in Swaziland works like this- there are many many minibuses and no bus stops. So you start walking along the road in the direction you want to go and when a minibus comes along you stick your arm out and point in the direction you want to go. The minibus pulls over, already crammed with people (there were 19 people all with some sort of baggage- a washing basket! on a bus fit for 12!). The sliding door operator man opens the door and shoves you in on top of all the other people and the driver takes off before the door is closed. Once inside you negotiate your price and tell him where you want to go. The bus dropped me 1km from the shop and I had a nice walk past the small shanty houses with tiny children playing in old car wrecks and plenty of chickens running like their heads have been cut off. There was a small group of shops and an outdoor market. I bought a small hippo figuirine and a candle in the shape of a rhinocerous. It's really cool! Hope it makes it back to Sydney in one piece. The workers at the candle store were masters. Beautiful hands that could shape a lump of paraffin into elephants, rhinos, giraffes, even a buddha (Georgie babe, it was gold and I wanted so much to buy it for you. I took a photo instead!)

There were a group of American tourists at the markets who could not believe I was travelling with only a girlfriend. I almost gave her a heart attack when I told her we were not only going to South Africa but about 6 African countries. They are so funny. We can spot them a mile away!

I hailed my minibus and made it back in one piece. 
We've seen thousands of birds and trees that aren't worth remembering but one tree definately is. It's the Umbrella Thorn. It's a pretty small tree that has a flat top. The leaves and branches just tend to grow out rather that up. Anyway, it's a really cool tree. Maybe you have to be here.

Also staying at the backpackers were 2 young guys who had been volunteering in an orphanage for 3 months. It was awesome to sit and hear some of their stories. Looking after kids who just disappear one day and don't come back, not knowing who has Aids and who doesn't (some families know, some choose not to), not knowing the children's backgrounds or family situations, not receiving any training before starting to teach, taking the kids to hospital, maybe/maybe not getting any medicine. Sounded like an amazing experience.

Everyone in Swaziland was amazing. So helpful and nice to us. We did not get hassled by anyone and it was such a beautiful place as well.

We left Swaziland after a relaxing few days tavelling through South Africa again to arrive in Johannesburg on 25th May.

 

 

 

 

Photo albums from Swaziland

General (2)

29 June 2006 | Swaziland | Last Update 03 December 2010

  • Our delicious dinner was walking around our backya

 

Post a Comment

 

      
This site is only viewable in landscape mode !
Session Tracking