Lesotho

I had the most epic adventure this weekend! For my Human Growth class we went to the country of Lesotho. We left early Saturday morning, but it turned out our professor was really sick, so he sent two of friends to go with us along with Baba Phillip too. The drive was about a total of 4 hours long. We drove through the Drakensburg Mountains again and it was beautiful! We then arrived at Sani Pass where we went through customs and then had to change vehicles because the rest of the way has to be in a four wheel drive. So we all piled into the back of a Land Rover with our driver Roger. We squeezed in with our luggage and laid down on the mattress. The road was really bumpy and winding! Mom, you would not have been able to survive! It was really high and scary! It was only 5 miles but it took 40 minutes to get to the top! We then arrived at the Lesotho border- I now have four more stamps on my passport! 


We dropped off our luggage at the backpacker's lodge and stopped at the pub, Sani Top Chalet, really quick to get a drink before we headed off for our horseback riding trek. It is the highest pub in Africa! 2874 meters above sea level! After that we went to go meet our Lesotho horses and our guide George. We all hopped on and took off! There were 7 of us including George- Kaitlin, Alex, Roseanna, Michael, Baba, and me! 


The view was beautiful! And we had wonderful weather (until the thunder and lighting storms and hail came on our way back). It was so surreal to be riding through this gorgeous country with nothing but mountains surrounding us.  Every   hour or so we would come upon a flock of sheep and their shepherd.  It was so different than anything I have ever seen, the way the Basotho people live. The Basotho men wear these big wool blankets for clothing to keep them warm in the cold weather.  We also got to know George a little better on our trip too. He is 23 years old and has been riding since he was a kid, and doing tours for the past 7 years. He lost both of his parents when he was younger and now he lives with his brother. He has his own herd of sheep too. He is also one of the only people in the village who can speak English. He enjoyed our misery very much as we complained about our sore butts, and made our horses go even faster! 


One of my favorite moments of the day was when we reached this valley and my horse started to gallop and sprint. I felt like I was going to fall off and die, but at the same time it was so magical.  I looked to my side and my friend Alex was riding right next to me.  I just let out big scream! I couldn't have been any happier at that moment. My heart was smiling! This is living :) Surrounded by God's majestic creation. This will definitely be a memory that I will never forget. 


We finally arrived at the highest point in southern Africa (the highest point south of Kilimanjaro) after 4 long hours! It was beautiful to look at all the mountains below us. There was also about 10 Basotho men up at the top. They thought we were hilarious and they loved taking pictures with us! My friend Kaitlin even got a marriage proposal! He said he had a lot of sheep, goats, and cattle, so he should be able to marry her. It was great to interact with these guys while Baba and George translated for us. We had to return soon though because we were losing daylight and needed to be back for dinner. By that time, another 4 hours on a horse did not sound good to me.  Every part of my body was so sore! On the way back there was one point were we were all just crying/laughing at all of our misery! It was definitely a bonding time! We tried to sing some songs to keep our minds off of the pain! Also, because we were behind schedule George made us go really fast which hurt even more. But, we did get to see a gorgeous sunset while horseback riding! We all made it! With only a few injuries! 8 hours of riding on horseback! And it was definitely worth it! 


We came back right in time for dinner and ate at the pub. We met some really cool people there from all over.  There was one big group that was training to climb Mt. Everest soon! Roger was also the owner of the pub.  He told us before that most people don't make it past 9 PM but we were determined to make it to midnight for Alex's 20th birthday the next day.  But, after that horseback ride we  knew we couldn't make it.  We were exhausted, sore, and nauseous (I swear all my organs are jumbled inside right now).  


In the morning we went up to breakfast where we got the whole pub to sing Happy Birthday to Alex.  Then George took us on a tour of the village. We visited one women in her hut and learned more about their day to day life. We even got to try a sip of Lesotho beer! George also took us to see how they take the sheep wool and turn it into yarn and then knit it into hats. I got to buy one of the beanies they made! And somehow we got into a conversation with George about giving him a lock of our hair. He said he could get a lot of money for it. So what the heck- Kaitlin, Alex, and I cut of a piece of our hair and gave it to him. (We checked before to make sure this wasn't some marriage ritual) haha 


We did some souvenir shopping and then headed back down the mountain. The bumpy ride was way more painful on the way back! We passed the border again and were back in South Africa. The trip was so memorable but way too short! I have so many great memories and loved meeting all the people there! It was a once in a lifetime experience. I will definitely be feeling it in my muscles and in my butt for a long time...


Look on FB for pictures coming up!