Becky and Nick's Around Lesotho Trip Extravaganza

If you can't tell, the name was not mine but it's still original!

This trip, which I took a week before the Christmas Holiday was to take me completely around Lesotho in a week and a half. It did and I even started in Semonkong, smack in the middle of the country. The amazing part of this entire trip is not the travel time or the distance. Most amazingly, Becky and I survived public transport for those ten days without once attempting mass murder! The tests of our patience are as follows! :

Day 1 and Day 2.
I got up to Maseru just fine. It's nothing I've never done before and like an old pro it was well planned and executed! I headed out the next day for Becky's site south of Maseru. I caught a 6am bus that booked it and I unexpectedly got to her junction much earlier than anticipated. I hit the right timing for a combi to the river, yes I said river. Becky got there just in time to see me head across in the steel bathtub of a boat.

On day 2 we stayed at Becky's site for a night. It's not as bad as she makes it out to be for those who hear her complain! Her house, though small in comparison with any average sized bathroom back in the States, it is quaint and has a nice homie feel!

The next day (day 3) we headed out early. When I mean early, we got up at 3:50am, had our coffee and headed out before 4:30am in hopes of not missing the only taxi straight from the river to Qhacha's Nek. Luckily we hiked down to the river fast enough to catch the boat in time to ride with two goats. These two goats were headed to Initiation school to be the celebratory brai (ie they were dinner). I felt their apprehension about getting into the boat as I dodged the four inches of water at the bottom with my ruck pack on my back. It was an act of grace!

Getting to Qhacha's and finally to Sehlabathebe was uneventful though Becky considered not getting a seat for half of our three hour trip to Sehlabathebe as an extreme failure. At the time it was an issue but after the rest of this trip, it wasn't anything to even notice!

Once in Selabathebe we figured out where we would stay—Mandy, the volunteer out there, couldn't come back in time to hang out with us. The Greenhouse lodge comes recommended for it flexibility and accommodations. It's not bad for what you get! The national park, which we headed out to the next day (day 4), is amazing. Definitely make a trip out to the arches and the water pools. Its a completely different Lesotho.

The next day (day 5) we were ready at 5am for the taxi. Unfortunately, we were told three different times that became progressively later. We headed out to the junction at 6am and waited most of the day for a taxi that we later learned wasn't leaving until the evening. Thirteen hours and four quarts later we left on a combi headed only to Sehonghong. Six thirty at night isn't such a bad time to leave in the States. You can still see the road with your headlights. You can ride safely, alert, and with little traffic. No worries here about traffic. We were the only thing on the road. I also wasn't worried about the driver when, at one point, he reaches across both Becky and I to get his Red Bull out of the glove department. Gotta love globalization!!

Feeling safe on this road—if you can call it a road—was a hopeless dream even with headlights. At least there were only two times the entire trip that our driver actually looked over to me with relief as if he had doubt about making it through. I knew sitting up front was a great idea! I must say it's unfortunate we went at night and during patches of rain. There were surely some spectacular sights we missed because we could only see as far as the next turn in front of us. A blessing in disguise is, however, not forsaken.

Getting to Sehonghong at night not knowing where we were going except that the combi was to drop us off at the Police Station was unsettling. Once we reached the Police Station entrance the driver said “ok, here you are.” “Really?” I asked as politely trying to hide the doubt in his plan. Because Sehonghong has no lodging facilities he hoped the police wouldn't mind if we stayed in the station. I found out when the bus left the next day heading up the Pam's site and then Becky and I got out. At the station door we knocked and I explained ourselves. But before I could finish talking the officer already said yes and upon opening the door I see we are not the only two who want to stay here. There are people sleeping on the floor in front of the office counter, on the counter, behind the counter and anywhere else there was a bit of space. Note to self, lodging in Sehonghong needed/business opportunity??!! But Peace Corps Nick was tired and both of us just wanted to crash and get this long day over with. As we settle in behind the counter of the station ALL the other passengers came in stuff-in-hand. They had sent the two who can't speak Sesotho in first to make sure it's ok then they followed!

I would love to say it was an amazing night and I woke refreshed and ready to catch a bus to Pam's site in Meshai. Well, the next day I was never more ready to get on a bus but it surely wasn't because I had a great night's sleep. Any number of things made it uncomfortable. I wasn't sleeping on my bed/a bed, there were people moving about all night, the police were the loudest people having what seemed like a party in thee next room; any of these things could have made it hard to sleep, right? After 2:30am if did get better once the drunk officers left for their duty in Mokhotlong. “That's it, get a head start before we head up so we just miss you!” At one point, one of the officers asked me for my number and gave me his in case we were ever in an unsafe situation. Might take my chances with the crook before the cops.

At any rate, we were up and out at dawn on day 6. We made it to Pam's site in something around 45 minutes which was such a nice change from all the transportation we had been on the past five days. At site we were treated to pancakes and coffee, some much needed chill time by the river, and excellent company with Pam. Her 'Me' who hosts her in Meshai is amazing and I would love to go live with her; though, I love Semonkong!

Early on day 7 we headed on the bus up to the junction which splits between Thaba-Tseka and Mokhotlong. Thinking there would be plenty of tourist traffic, which there normally is, we tried to hitch whenever possible. About seven hours later we got on a combi, unsuccessful with a hitch. Sitting there was pretty fun though since Becky and I were well rested, positively charged, and ran into too many funny situations.

I almost convinced a fellow Jamaican of my island heritage. Some strange interactions with the Afrikaner tourists that shot through provided plenty of material for the rest of the trip. At one point one Afrikaner, upon learning we were from the United States of America, said “Oh, really? We have someone in the other car from Argentina.” Argentina? We said the United States of America not the Americas. Sometimes the connections we make in our heads are too funny.
Once we made it to Mokhotlong the drama that is Lesotho's Public transport melted away into regular ridiculousness. We had a great time the rest of day 7 and day 8 hanging out with Rachel and James in town.

After such struggles to get around Lesotho, I cut my stay short and didn't head up to Rachel's on day 9, instead opting to head back to Maseru early. I had reservations at Malealea lodge for Christmas that I didn't want to loose because of public.

All-in-all this was an awesome trip and it has given me an awesome perspective of the entirety of Lesotho. I also saw some sights that I may not have seen otherwise. Maybe we had some issues along the way but I wouldn't trade my partner for anything as we went through it all. We traveled well together and most of the time we're making jokes to keep ourselves sober in all of the insanity. You can't doubt the power of humour!

I will post other pictures on Picaso soon.