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Thursday, August 17th, Malealea Lodge, Lesotho An entirely new venture for us has just been completed. Where do I start? Malealea? Indeed, this lodge has become something of a location celebre for out and out different adventuring. It's located about 80Km South West of Maseru, almost hidden in a valley with and incredible view of the Matalile mountain range. The owners Mick& Di Jones bought the lodge in 1986 when it was still a kind of trading post, and have turned it into a centre for hiking, 4 x 4 off road and pony trekking into the interior of Lesotho. It was originally built in 1895 by a (wayward) Brit as a trading post, almost exclusively because it had one of the best views in the world! Mick is the on site manager while Di looks after the marketing and August 13th.:Mick meets us after we arrive from Marakabei Lodge at 2:00PM. After we leave the mountains about 50Km from Maseru , Lesotho begins to resemble other parts of Africa. It's a pretty boring road except for the last 4Km. Once you reach the "Gates of Paradise Pass" just above Malealea; things start to look up. We head through two wire gates, the first contains the guides and horses, the second, the lodge itself. Lots of horses and locals waiting for something to happen. The gate guy finds the man, and we meet Mick. He immediately recognises my name from my e-mailing of February. We head off to his office/ house for a cup of tea, and he decides on where we will stay and what organise our dining arrangements. This has been the highlight of the tour for Kayla since I told her about it in March bar none. She wants the full 6 nights/ seven day grand tour. We think about what tour of the interior we will be taking as we move into our chalet - a trailer home, meanwhile, clothes go off to the laundry and we relax, late lunch with an incredible view of the mountains, and enjoy a sundowner or two on the bar verandah. What a life. After a bottle of wine, and a few well selected arm twists from Kayla, we all (mostly) decide on a 4 day 3 nighter into the mountains. Mick is informed, and all is arranged. We go at first light (9:30AM). At dusk, there is a band show: local kids put on a band and/ or a choir show. Tonight it's the band. Totally home made instruments, old cans, bits of wood and tyres make as good a beating and strumming implement as a Ludwig (well maybe not quite as good). Remember, there is next to nothing for these kids, so they all have Dinner is a glorious African Backwater buffet: soup, stew, truly marvellous, cheesecake pud thing. No peace here, we need to organise for 4 days where we expect there to be literally nothing, and maybe less. There are two large bags for day to day, and two sleeping bag packs for the pack pony, plus a saddlebag for each rider. August 14th.: After a few more cans and crackers from the local store are packed, we meet Ismail our guide, and our ponies. We are supposed to have wet weather gear, hats, winter gear, decent riding boots, sun protecting clothing etc. We have a jacket each, no hats, pumps for riding and wear tank tops (except the missus of course) - sound familiar?
At the bottom of the gorge, we stop to have a drink and marvel at our lucky escape from almost certain death. Ismail tells us no one has ever fallen off. Another 2 hours of riding, and we are getting into serious back lands here. Lunch time, we are on a hill top, there are no trees, bushes, and little grass. Lots kids shepherding cattle, sheep, goats, several horses around. We find some rocks and hobble to them. Once again, bums and legs ache. A shepherd boy plays his tin can fiddle just for fun a few metres away through our chompings. People we meet smile and say hello or the Sotho equivalent. They obviously see tourist on horseback quite often out here. The landscape is pretty bleak. By 3:00PM, we are at our overnight accommodation. The ponies are totally crapped out - it's been a long way up and down. The pack pony is a bundle of sweat - it's glad to get rid of it's load. This village is simply a few mud huts (rondavels), lots of kids, many more sheep, goats, chickens and cattle. The hut is circular and about 4 metres across. It's equipped with five thin plastic mattresses, a table, a gas burner, plates, cutlery, 4 chairs, two stools, a mud floor, some dust, a door, two "windows" and a bucket of "spring water". There is a long drop 20 metres down the hill with a truly incredible view of the valley to ponder during our exertions. Everything else we have to have with us, or it's not available till we get back.
We came this way as we wanted to braii some chicken and this was the only village that has a grill! Amazing to think that the gas burner in our hut is probably the most sophisticated equipment within 25 Km. I ask our guide for 12 eggs from the residents - no problem - here's breakfast, lunch and probably a few heart problems some when in a few years time. 60cents each. The lady does not know what 12 x 0.60 is. Aiden & I draw the maths in the sand. There is shit, garbage (not so much the western idea of garbage - these people cannot afford any such luxuries wrapped or otherwise), but bits of bones, maize cobs, plastic bags, scraps of rags. Dust and dirt and more dust. Imagine Algonquin Park at 7000 feet, little rainfall, no trees, poor soil and 1 million people living there for a thousand year. Now imagine living there on $20.00 per year for this time. In order to use the braii (in reality this turns out to be a bucket with holes in it), we had to bring our own charcoal. Dinner proceeds complete with burnt spuds and roasties - just like home! We finish our sundowner - a light chardonay as the sun sets. By 7:00PM, candle power (we brought 3), is the only light and we are totally wanked out. 15th: The local roosters start around 5:30AM. The sheep and goats have been complaining most of the night. They are right in front of our hut, which is right next to the chiefs hut - a place of honour for us. Our guides are up soon after, and have the ponies ready by 6:30. I find a lamb which was locked out of the enclosure last night, as I enter the long drop. Neither of us expected this, but we exclude each other, and both get on with our allotted tasks. Coffee, black, a few leftovers and some eggs later and we get our acts together by 8:30.
Over the pass - probably around 2000m+. Here we are above the snow line - we are lucky - it's spring. There is ice on the southern sides of the mountains and the streams are frozen as we tramp through them. It's a beautiful sunny day - yet another beautiful sunny day in Southern Africa! Lunch again is anywhere we stop, again, rocks and views. Our bones are no longer complaining, we simply smell a lot now. We reach our next village by 2:30. We get off our horses a little easier today! Edna & Edni enjoy themselves with their special viewing location.
Ismail & I chat about the area etc. We talk about the snows in winter, planting seasons and how many kids/ wives he has (one of each). I ask him why he has so many layers of clothes on (two sweaters and an overall boiler suit), compared to my single thin tee shirt. Succinctly he pinpoints the issue: "Yes, but you are fat" he explains. At our suite, another shepherd boy passes outside playing his fiddle as he leads his sheep into the stone enclosure, once again, just below our rondavel. Aiden is "mattress master" and organises our sleeping area. Sunset at 6:00. It's a full moon. This is an added bonus as we brush our teeth - we can see without the candles. As we wash, the soap often drops into the dirt (see references to "shit" above). This is certainly an experience quite different to just about any other we have ever been on! We are lying in our sleeping bags, on our mattresses (an idle tourist luxury here), 5 cm off the floor by 6:30PM. The dust gets into your skin, into your nose, into your food, drink.... everything.
We all awake early, wheetabix, hot water and jam (jam?), black coffee and are able to get out earlier too - 7:50 today, August 16th. We have been in Africa for 6 weeks! The way we have found to get the ponies to go, is to shout "hai, HAI" at them, and beat them with the reigns around the neck. This gets to be a bit amusing as "hai" sounds a lot like "Hi!" to the ponies who are obviously unaware that the slight difference in pronunciation have very different meanings for action.
We arrive at 1:30, very early, probably due to our galloping around. Our final night in the bush (bald lumps of rock would cover it better). Our guides unsaddle the horses and head off to greener pastures somewhere. The local kids gather around. Our check in time is a little later - the floor is being refreshed, mud and cow shit seems to be the
accepted mix here. The previous contents of our apartment is outside while the floor is fixed. We wait
on the chairs, in the shade of the newly blossoming cherry (?) tree. The floor dries slowly, but we are in
around 3:00. You do not stay here if you have asthma! It's almost noxious in here. Ilge talks to the local headman - the usual children things, "how many do you have?" he asks, "two" she answers, "and you?" she requests, "eight or nine" he replies. We find there is no gas anywhere, so we borrow a kettle of hot water from the hut next door. Tea on the verandah. Lots of small kids, some with malnourished bellies scoot around in front of us. One of them suddenly run down the hill. There is the sound of a large fart, and everyone collapses with laughter. Our guides eventually return at dusk, and try to find some parrafin for some heating. There are gone for nearly an hour to the next two villages and return with none. Cold cans of beans and peaches tonight. Kayla has 4 wheetabix with cold water and sugar. A communal Ugh!
Now we turn around with the sun on our right - moving East. (Here the sun is in the North, and moves from right to left remember). Out of the village, (we were told their names, but I've forgotten them), once again, up, up over the pass. Our pack pony is now definitely frisky with next to no load except the trash we are bringing back with us. It has been a pain since it could move around easier as it feels it should be ahead of us back riders - Kayla & Aiden always lead, and keeps cutting in - often on precipitous slopes. At the top of the pass, we see we have to head down at least 500 metres to the valley floor in front of us. There is no way you can negotiate these hills and trails without a guide - it all looks exactly the same to us. This is a longer drop down and as I've ever seen, I'm changing the camera gear (in our trusty camera backpack) as we move down. Digital camera, video and 35mm SLR (with either 35/70 zoom or 100/300 zoom). Getting good shots is a problem with all as the subject and the photographer move all the time - whether you intend to or not! As we head through a village - first vehicle we've seen in days, we gallop off past the locals who have a great laugh as they see us charging along. More "Hi's" produce more gallops. Eventually, after another gorge, we are back to the first gorge we had our first palpitations 4 days ago. Lunch at the bottom tinned beef (beef hearts, beef fat and beef), and once again, beans, peaches and cookies help us survive. Once up the nearly vertical face, (by now I'm totally fed up with photo's), more galloping back and we are in Malealea again. Where's the shower? We organise ourselves, laundry, grub, dispose of trash etc. The choir sings tonight. Beautiful harmonies. We sup on our Cabernet Sauvignon till they finish. Piece of resistance: Dinner is massive T-bones that litterally fill the plate. After cold beans for a day, this is a feast. It was probably a feast in it's own right anyway! Aiden & Kayla both get one, and both finish it! Fantastic evening. The generator is off at 10:00PM, and we sleep the sleep of the cleansed and accomplished. Paradise is nearly over. Tomorrow, we are off back to reality, time to grease the door locks, and charge the cell phone. Distance travelled this entry: 225 Km. Distance moved on trip this entry: 125 Km |
information details in Bloemfontein about 200KM away..
One hour into the ride, we see what was meant by "testing the riders nerves". There is a beautiful
canyon ahead of us, unfortunately, we have to go down it. The trick is to lean back going down and
forward going up. The pony manages whatever you do. My digital camera batteries die as we head
down - no pix for this one folks! (This thing chews up power - avoid Kodak digipix!)
After moving in, we are off to a local waterfall - an hour and a bit away. Our guide is about 8 years
old.It's a tough walk too, especially bearing in mind our bums & legs. 
Back in the saddle, we climb into the hills above the village, up, and up. Always with the sun on our left
- heading West for another day - this is really heading to central nowhere. 
A 
I stay awake awhile (not totally exhausted yet). This is not the place you need to have a sudden pain in
your chest!
Breakfast, well, we make do with a cold can of beans, and head off early at 7:30.
