The country is called Lesotho. The people are called Basotho. One Basotho is a Mosotho. They speak Sesotho. Confusing but true. When we travel, we often like to ask ourselves "What are we doing right now?" Asking this question is a way of living in the moment, and answering it often makes us laugh. Here is our trip to the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho in a series of "What are we doing right now?" moments.
#1. What are we doing right now?
Checking out the view from our hotel room! We arrived in Lesotho as the sun was going down, and so we decided to look for somewhere to park the car for the night, and slept in the back. We knew that we had a room with a view, because we saw some lights from a small town called Teyateyaneng in the distance, but we didn't know what else we would see when the sun came up. Turned out, the view was quite spectacular. We were able to see the lowlands towards the border with South Africa, but once we were awake, we continued our drive into the mountainous heart of Lesotho.
#2. What are we doing right now?
Driving down dirt roads, getting lost. We didn't see many cars the whole day, but did see plenty of people on donkeys! In the mountainous area, Lesotho doesn't have any fences. The land is owned by everyone and no-one. It is a place unlike anywhere we have ever been. It is Africa, but not as we know it. It snows in the winter, and even in the summer can get quite cold, causing many people to always wear blankets, and regularly hats. Tradition is very strong in Lesotho, which is really nice to see!
#3. What are we doing right now?
Waving and saying "Dumela" to people on the side of the road! Everyone seemed so happy to see us, the people were really welcoming to us. We gave rides to a couple of people, who were so gracious to us.
#4. What are we doing right now?
We don't really know! What are we seeing?! Driving down the road, we notice seven guys all dressed up on horses! Turns out they were on their way to a funeral. Since we didn't study Lesotho much before going, we knew we were in for one or two surprises, but this was something else!
#5. What are we doing right now?
Sitting on a Basotho horse, in the middle of Lesotho, wearing a hat, blanket, and whip, as our hitchhiking friend takes pictures for us!
#6. What are we doing right now?
Talking to Basotho people. We had the amazing opportunity to speak with some shepherds, and many children who were so happy and interesting. The shepherd boys were particularly interesting to speak with, since they have a lifestyle so completely different to any that we have come into contact with before. They are living a very traditional life, which was great to witness. Without exception, the Basotho people were so friendly.
#7. What are we doing right now?
Hanging out with Thabo Raletooana, all day! We stopped in the village of Pulane at about 8:30 in the morning, and asked if anyone knew where to buy a hat. The people we were talking to did not speak english, and so they called for someone who could. Thabo came to give us directions, and next thing we knew, he was in our car, giving us a tour of Lesotho! We spent hours with him, dropping him off in the capital on the way back home so that he could watch a football match there. Thabo was one of the nicest people that we have ever met, top man! He was fun to be around and was a great guide, our six or so hours with him were really fun. We asked him question after question about Lesotho, and he taught us all about the culture and explained many traditions to us. At one point, we asked him about gun laws in Lesotho. Our answer came as he whipped a gun out of his jeans and we were staring down the barrel! It was one of the classic "What are we doing right now?" moments. But the best part came at the top of the mountain. With the wind howling all around us, Thabo said "Should I shoot you?" It took a second before we realized he was asking if we would like our picture taken!
#8. What are we doing right now?
One of the most important items on our checklist was to hike to the top of a mountain while we were in Lesotho. We donned our hats and followed Thabo's guide to a 9,350 ft peak that had some excellent views! It was really windy up there! But it was a great experience. We were able to take in some great panoramic views of Lesotho, something special!
#9. What are we doing right now?
On our way back to Johannesburg, we saw fields and fields of sunflowers. We must have seen millions and millions of them! We stopped off quickly and tried to assimilate into their group, but it didn't really work.