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 |    My random thoughts and reactions to my everyday life. The voices like a forum. |
| I do not know quite what happened or when , but my hubby and I now qualify for seniors' discounts at some venues. This creates a quandary; in order to save money, but not face, we have to admit to our age. HMMMM..... We definitely do not consider ourselves to be old. In this day and age ,when people as a whole are living longer and healthier lives why are 'young seniors', those in their fifties, like moi, considered 'old'?? It's so true that age is just a perception! "Maturity" is very objective/subjective, and I object! Whew, a few years have skittered by since I composed this biography block. Those "fifties" are in the rear view mirror and they are distant, fond memories. Oh, I do not plan to stop writing any time soon. |
Day 19 Lesotho, South Africa We are still exploring the Lesotho countryside. Today, I stumbled to a riverbed to stare in awe at the largest footprints I have ever seen. In the sandstone preserved for centuries, 57 cm. long prints hint at the possible enormous size of a dinosaur. Scientists believe this is proof of a theropod bigger than any previously thought. It has been dubbed the "kayentapus ambrokholohali" with the Sesotho words ""kholo" meaning big and "hali" meaning very. Many tourists opt to recline next to a footprint for a perspective pic. The thought of a creature that immense roaming this land is mind-boggling. My next foray took me to Kome Caves to see a cluster of five smooth, curved, adobe huts similar in appearance to igloos. They resemble large grey pieces of stone pottery tucked under a giant , sheltering rock overhang. Mature green trees provide shade and a tumble of boulders provide a low wall of security. People still reside here, swathed in the traditional wool blanket for warmth. They sit on adobe-formed benches, or chairs. At one end, a "kraal" has been built from tree branches for the cattle. Huh, "kraal" is similar to "corral." This is one way to deal with the heat of the summer. My fellow bloggers and I returned to Thaba Bosiu for another hike to the summit. The stunning vista is one of expansive azure sky, rocks, rocks, and more rocks, plus patches of emerald green. I can envision this spot as a fortress. We ventured into the largest city and the capital of Lesotho, Maseru. The first thing I noticed was the traffic congestion and the drivers proceeding in the wrong direction aka British style. The steady thrum of vehicles pierced the air. Typical city buildings blotted the skyline. Maseru is Sesotho for "red sandstones." One building is named The Basotho Hat and it resembles the indigenous straw hat. We strolled through a bustling, colourful market bulging with all manner of wares. Voices rang out in greeting and bartering squeezed into conversations. Feeling famished, our weary group chose to dine at the Sky Restaurant perched atop Mallo Boutique Hotel. Wow, the mountain views through the floor to ceiling windows were stunning. The local trout meal tasted delicious especially since I did not have a hand in capturing it. To round out our spectacular day of sightseeing we visited the Maletsunayne Falls at Semonkong. This is another wow sight. A straight, single drop waterfall cascades from a collar of lofty rock walls brushed with a velvety green into a gorge studded with more rock. The hazy mist has been described as smoky and thus the name Semonkong which translates to place of smoke. A brilliant fiery red and orange sunset illuminated the horizon with its glow. Glowing ourselves with the beauty we had witnessed, we piled back into our 4x4 bracing for a jostling return ride to our hotel. We anticipated a night cap of some sort on the terrace. What is that saying about best laid plans? No amount of planning prepared us for what transpired. Had we signed on to camp , or rough it in the wild? Not since freezing Antarctica had we stayed out under the stars. Our guides insisted that hiking 'out" could not be an option. They reminded us that the terrain was rocky. Yep, we had certainly seen our fair share of boulders. With resigned shrugs and sighs, we accepted our temporary plight. A disabled, bawking vehicle was just a glitch. We would make a camp, hunker down ,and wait for the morning and a rescue. We could be flexible, right? At our guides' prodding and armed with a flashlight, Lyn's a sly fox  , Apondia  and I set forth, but not too far from the vehicle, in search of firewood. Even with the bright beam, we stumbled about. Struggling with armloads of branches, we couldn't help but grin in triumph when we dropped them back at our overnight stop. 💙 Carly  , WakeUpAndLive️~🚬🚭2024  , and Prosperous Snow celebrating  had created a ring of stones for the campfire. Determined to spark some kind of flame, we relied upon our aboriginal training gleaned in the Outback. We rubbed two sticks together and the guides watched bemused. Gasping with the effort ,we nodded an okay when one young man produced that modern marvel the match. We'd tried. Lighting a fire no matter by what method was the main objective. Soon , we were rewarded with a roaring campfire. We each chose a boulder to lean against and we snuggled into our Basotho blankets. The creeping cold could not touch us. Apondia pointed out the shimmering constellations in the clear sky. Our guides produced an accordion and a makeshift drum created from a plastic pail strung with metal washers. They proceeded to serenade us. We had music. We had warmth. We had good company. We laughed as we mispronounced Sesotho lyrics. In return, we sang a few of our traditional campfire songs. Who says a glitch cannot be fun? Hey, we're the squawkers and squidders. We can deal with some rocks and rough sleepin'. ( OOPS! I forgot to address the disgusting issue of cannibalism. There, I've made my thoughts clear! No, I cannot comprehend eating a person, no matter how hungry I am. Did some people dine upon others seeking power and immortality? I do not know. YUCK! Were there recipes?) |
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