Dis cherry dided go up da moerse mountain

Until my recent trip to Zanzibar I had not set foot on African soil outside South Africa. I'm not counting the 8 hours I spent in transit at Namibia's Hosea Kutako airport. As far as first impressions of a country go I'm giving our neighbouring country the benefit of the doubt by believing that Hosea Kutako is one of the worst Namibian encounters and not the cover intended for the judgement of the Namibian book which I've heard is quite a place (read?).

But the second African stamp in my passport came sooner than expected. SJ and myself jumped at the chance to go up Sani pass and into Lesotho during our visit to Natal for Pip and Pugs wedding. Forced to leave poor Adamski behind due to the unfortunate misplacement of his passport we left early on Sunday morning to join a tour group departing from Sani Lodge not far from Underberg. The group was very international with me and SJ being the only Saffas apart from our guide Matthew. The ride up the pass is bumpy to say the least. SJ and I - sneaky and clever as we are - decided to build up some leverage by sitting in the back (the most uncomfortable spot) for the whole way up in order to enjoy the trip down in front seat comfort.

Okay, for all you intellectual freaks, Wiki describes Sani as follows:
"Sani Pass (coordinates 29°35'18.87"S 29°17'33.86"E) is a route that connects Kwazulu-Natal and Lesotho. It is a notoriously dangerous road, which requires the use of a 4x4 vehicle and above average driving experience. It has occasional remains of vehicles that did not succeed in navigating its steep gradients and poor traction surfaces, and has a catalogue of frightening stories of failed attempts at ascending the path over the Northern Lesotho mountains. While South African immigration at the bottom of the pass prohibits vehicles deemed unsuitable for the journey, the Lesotho border agents at the top generally allow vehicles of all types to attempt the descent. "

Yep, Africa sure ain't for sissies!

As one of only 3 landlocked enclave countries in the world, Lesotho lies completely within the boundaries of South Africa. It has a constitutional monarchy and has never been part of RSA. The Lesothon landscape differs quite dramatically from what one experiences during the ascent from the South African side. The top is relatively flat and the fields are scattered with huts and Merino sheep. It is not uncommon to encounter Lesothon shepherds along the way, wearing their traditional blankets, balaclavas and boots.

We enjoyed our packed lunches on top of the mountain at a good 3000+m above sea level, with a few curious shepherds hanging around trying to sell weed or get money in exchange for Kodak moments. The trip also included a visit to a local woman's home where we got to taste some tangy local beer and the most delicious freshly baked bread. And before our descent back into South Africa we made a quick stop at the highest pub in the Southern hemisphere, where the rain finally caught up with us. Since SJ, Adamski and myself still had a 3 hour drive to Durban where we had to catch a 9.15pm flight back to Cape Town, our guide Matthew had to put pedal to the metal to get as back down at a respectable hour. The speedy ascent turned out to be quite eventful when our landrover's spare tire came flying off the roof and landed on the bonnet as Matthew was maneuvering down the sharp turns of the pass. He found this hilarious, but I wasn't sure if this was from shock or amusement. For my own peace of mind I assumed the latter. He remained in high spirits for the remainder of the trip during which he (a native English-speaker from Rondebosch) recounted some Lesothon history in colourful Afrikaner Ingliesh, telling us the story of king Moshweshwe whose ouks was eated by uder brus and dat king Moshweshwe marrieded a nice cherry and dat everone dided smaak da king cause he were moerse cool.

The foreigners didn't get it of course but we were in stitches.

Having grown up fairly close to the Drakensberg I think I've often taken it for granted. I haven't been to the berg in almost 10 years and I was humbled by the experience. It is the place that inspired JR Tolkien to write the Lord of the Rings. It is the mountains that our Boer forefathers crossed in search for better lives. It has provided fun, adventure and joy to countless people but it has also caused disaster and heartache for many. But above all it remains one of the most awe-inspiring places in South Africa, if not the world. When you stand on the edge of a cliff looking over valleys that stretch into the distance as far as the eye can see, whilst surrounded by magnificent peak upon magnificent, you realise how small you really are in the big scheme of things.

More photos can be seen over here.