Sanguine Tenacious Tidings

Lesotho

We're going to be here for a couple of days.
https://www.safaribookings.com/tours/t29369
The mountain kingdom of Lesotho is out-of-this world for its sheer mountain beauty. Combine that with its unique culture where the people have combined a 21st approach to certain day-to-day activities whilst holding onto their culturally unique way-of-life and it blends into an amazing experience. Our guests are often visiting Lesotho whilst on holiday in South Africa. We have perfected a 3-day tour which incorporates many of the top things to do in Lesotho, despite being on a time budget.

This is our lodging, Bird Haven.

We're leaving from Dar-es-Salaam, it's a seven hour flight from Tanzania. We will be arriving at 3:00pm then directly heading up the Pass. So get some sleep on the plane because we have a real long day ahead.
what was your impression of Sani Pass?
This culture is very unique. What were your impressions?

Kingdom of Lesotho

At Bird Haven we stayed in a rondavel which is a kind of house built in the African Style. It is a round house built with cement walls and a unique looking roof.

There was so much to see here. With 330 Species of birds and 60 species of mammals inhabiting the kingdom of Lesotho we were never out of sight of some kind of animal life.

Lesotho is its own kingdom, landlocked within the state of South Africa. It is not unusual to find South Africa and Lesotho teaming up for one kind of project or another.

One such project is the Katse Dam. I like to view dams. They are amazing feats of building architecture. The particular dam causes water to flow into 3 different rivers. These rivers are stocked with trout. There are also fish hatcheries for trout that can be viewed within the waters of the dam. Trout is therefore one of the major exports of Lesotho. The people export the fish to Japan and other countries. The Dam is the highest one in Africa. The water for it comes from summer rain and winter snows.

Taking a side trip with our group Blue Moon, WakeUpAndLive, Lynn, Hullabaloo, Sandra Lynn, Carla we drove in a 4 by 4 rental to Maletsunyane waterfall. The gorge is very deep. There are not any safety rails in the viewing spots so don't get to close to the edge. While we were there a storm came up. It actually seemed to climb up from the mountain behind the falls like a living thing. When storms arrive so quickly in these mountains, the temperature drops suddenly so with our cameras it sent us running for the vehicle.

The drive up the mountain to the falls was very scenic. We got a good view of the way rural people of Lesotho live. Many are livestock herders. They keep herds of cattle, goats, and sheep. They build and maintain terrace gardens. The average pay for approximately 77 percent of the residents of this country is about $3.10 USA dollars per day. The local currency is called maluti. The farther you drive from the airport the higher the rise of land becomes. The people are referred to as the blanket people. They wear colorful costumes. Much of the travel by rural people is accomplished by horse or just walking. In the cities the traffic lights are called robots by the people.

There are schools for the rural children but they must walk long distances to attend each day. They are a friendly people and will not be worried if you give them a lift in you vehicle if you see a group walking along the roadway. They seem to be jovial and happy to meet tourists. Always willing to discuss local happenings and talk.

A drive up the Suni Pass has some rules that must be followed. It is illegal to drive the single lane pass road with anything other than a 4 by 4 vehicle. The single lane road is gravel and rough stone. It passes through water streams and can be very muddy. Since it is so mountainous constantly rising as you drive and also rural you may see wildlife and local flora, along the way. There are some places along the way where you can move off the road to let another vehicle pass you. You may see abandoned automobiles along the way that were not up to the rough terrain and were left by their passengers.

No matter where you are within the Kingdom it is a beautiful wild and scenic country. It is a mixture of old ways and new ways. The children growing up are dreaming of becoming Doctors, Lawyers, pilots, and others while their parents, and grandparents are maintaining a seriously rural lifestyle. A nice place to have an adventure.