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My Visit With The Sangoma

Saturday, February 28th, 2009

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(to see an individual photo, click on the image to enlarge)

While staying at Malealea Lodge in Lesotho, the owner arranged for me to have a visit with the village “Sangoma” or witchdoctor. He was supposed to arrive at 7 a.m. (before our anticipated departure time at 8), but I ended up getting a knock on our door at 6 a.m. by the “interpreter”.
He advised that he would relay whatever the sangoma said since the sangoma could not speak any english. I had already been awake since 5:10 in anticipation, so I just threw on some clothes and joined him.

Just to let you know, I have never been to a fortune teller or anything of the sort back home (or anywhere else for that matter). I have always been of the mindset that “I’d rather not know” and that it was all “hocus pocus” or bogus anyway. My massage therapist (Hi Kim!) will be proud of me though!

I followed the interpreter into a dark hut. It was very surreal, given the fact that it was at 6 a.m. and there was a lot of cloud and mist in the air. The sangoma was just finishing his prayers, then greeted me with a big grin.

After sitting down, he requested his 30 Rand ($3.00) and it was put down on the dirt floor in front of him. He then put a shell necklace around it and then went into his pockets and brought out a collection of shells, horse teeth, dice, etc which he shook in his hands, then released on top of the money. From the positioning of the objects, he then began to tell me my future.

Needless to say, it was all quite interesting…………. I will lead a long and healthy life, as long as I give my sisters a big party. So, Cindy and Caroline, get ready for a party when I get home!!! Among other things, the sangoma advised that I would return to Lesotho, have many travels in my future, and would “work with my hands”.

THIS IS OUR FINAL BLOG:

Our adventures have come to an end in South Africa. We wish to thank everyone for their comments and good wishes.
We hope all of you will have the opportunity some day to have a trip of a lifetime.

Lisa n Fred

Swaziland n Lesotho

Sunday, February 1st, 2009

Swaziland

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Swaziland

As we crossed the Mozambique border into Swaziland, the landscape turned to rolling verdant hills and lush valleys, dotted with small communities and subsistence farmers.

We drove approximately 1.5 hours on excellent roads into the central west area into the Mhilane National Park. We checked into the park’s rest camp ($46/night, private bath, fan, kitchen facilities) and relaxed on our porch which overlooked a valley of grazing zebra.

We enjoyed our lunch at the restaurant on a wooden deck overlooking a large pond. Within a couple of minutes, two eyes emerged from the water and started coming directly towards us. Fred and I ended up eating our meal with a 10′ crocodile lying in wait only a few feet away, below us on the deck. There were also several small fish at the water’s edge and to create some excitement, I threw my bread crusts into the water to attract the fish. In turn, the crocodile would whip open his mouth to eat the fish.

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We then spent the next few hours riding along the park’s trails on horseback. We rode Swazi horses alongside herds of wildebeest, zebra, greysbok, kudu, and warthogs. The wildlife were not particularly frightened by the horses but they were aware of their presence. Our ride finished with a wild gallop through the bush and back to camp.

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The next morning, we headed out early to drive to the Drakensburg Mountain region in South Africa. Once again, we crossed the border back into South Africa and drove for about 6 hours to the Royal Natal National Park area. Here, we stayed at a fantastic lodge in a two story cottage, complete with a kitchen, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a living room, and satellite tv (all for only $46/night). We had a delicious meal at the restaurant, with drinks, for only $18.

The Drakensburg Mountain region is one of the most impressive areas in South Africa. Jagged mountain peaks, green valleys, rolling hills, steep cliffs, high plateaus, and the Orange River make up most of the terrain. Once again, we were on the road again and the paved roads were excellent.. We headed south towards our 7th African country: Lesotho.

Lesotho

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We crossed the border without hassle at Ficksburg and drove for about 2 hours along more great roads to the Malalea Mountain Lodge and “Pony” trekking centre (they are not actually ponies). Lesotho has spectacular scenery similar to what I imagine Utah would look like. It reminded me of the Cederberg Wilderness Area with sandstone mountains, semi-desert, and interesting rock formations.

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Our accommodation at the lodge ($46/night, private bath) had a great view overlooking the valleys below. A few resident peacocks strutted their stuff around the property by day, and on top of our room by night. Each night at 6 p.m., guests congregate to enjoy tribal music performed by local men with their very rudimentary instruments. They even had some dance moves to rival those of Michael Jackson.

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Early the next morning, I was off for a 5-6 hour ride ($18 US for the full-time, along with a $5 tip to the guide) with a friendly German couple. Since Fred was suffering from a cold, he unfortunately missed out on a spectacular ride. I have never ridden on such challenging terrain including steep climbs up rocky embankments and down narrow, rocky gorges. The “Basotho” horses were remarkably sure-footed and very careful where they placed their hooves. I didn’t realize a horse could even lift its hooves that high (it was as if we were climbing stairs).

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After an hour into the ride, we dismounted and tied the reins to one stirrup and let the horses graze freely while we did a half hour hike down into a cave to see thousand(s)year old bushman paintings.

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We also stopped midway on the ride for a hike down to a beautiful waterfall where we munched on our snacks from our saddlebags. It was then back to the lodge via a different route over small streams and more rocky surfaces.

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The next morning, we were off early to begin our long journey back towards Cape Town, South Africa.

Lisa n Fred

Kruger National Park . . . Shocking

Friday, January 16th, 2009
krueger-day-1-002.jpgkrueger-day-1-004.jpgokavango-delta-082.jpgkrueger-day-1-016.jpg Kruger National Park . . . Shocking! From Maun, Botswana, we drove a long 10 hours skirting the semi-arid Kalahari desert, ... [Continue reading this entry]

Baking in Botswana

Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
After entering Botswana, we drove to the town of Kasane located on the banks of the Chobe River. We found the lovely, Water Lily Lodge (private bath, tv, air con, balcony overlooking the pool and river, $85 US/night) and were ... [Continue reading this entry]

Happy New Year from Vic Falls

Tuesday, January 6th, 2009
nam-to-vic-falls-028.jpgnam-to-vic-falls-042.jpgnam-to-vic-falls-033.jpgnam-to-vic-falls-085.jpg Happy New Year! Fred and I left Etosha National Park and drove 6.5 hours north-east to Rundu, Namibia. The scenery was ... [Continue reading this entry]

Etosha National Park

Tuesday, December 30th, 2008
etosha-199.jpgetosha-033.jpgetosha-179.jpgetosha-004.jpg From the Ombinda Lodge in Outjo, we drove north towards Namibia's grandest park, Etosha. Also called the “Great White Place ... [Continue reading this entry]

Climbing “Big Daddy”

Tuesday, December 30th, 2008
desert-lodge-080.jpgdesert-lodge-075.jpgdesert-lodge-106.jpgdesert-lodge-110.jpg We had a very early morning, December 24th, as we were awoken at 5 a.m for our 4 x 4 ... [Continue reading this entry]

Galloping into the Sunset

Tuesday, December 30th, 2008
desert-lodge-125.jpgdesert-lodge-030.jpgdesert-lodge-034.jpgdesert-lodge-035.jpg From the town of Keetmanshoop, we headed in the direction of Maltahohe to the heart of the Namibian ranching community ... [Continue reading this entry]

Plan A, B, C . . .

Friday, December 26th, 2008
Plan A After a great breakfast buffet, we headed west on the B4 towards a remote, colonial town on the South Atlantic called Luderitz. Apart from wanting to see an old ghost mining town long abandoned, I had no real desire ... [Continue reading this entry]

Wild Horses of Namibia

Friday, December 26th, 2008
While staying at the desert resort, Klein Aus Vista, Fred and I had the opportunity to go on a 3-hour “sundowner” sunset safari to see the wild horses of the Namib Desert ($21 each). These are some of the ... [Continue reading this entry]