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 |   A Journal to impart knowledge and facts |
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July 22, 2015 I'm going to start today to record on a daily basis whatever happens to strike my fancy. So, it is a very cool breezy day. I just posted 5 short book reviews to The Monthly Reading Challenge. I'm suppose to put away some winter wood today from the woodpile outside but I'm playing hookey from work to write so starting this blog will get done. I'm having a daily fight with a flock of English Sparrows that are trying to take over my barn. They are making a terrible mess so they have to go. I have destroyed several nests so far they don't leave but they get out of the barn when I am around. I'm just starting the fight so I guess I don't know how far I have to go to discourage them. I'm trying not to spread myself to thin on WDC because I find so many things that are interesting here and I am trying to work on a new story. I really enjoy sitting at my desk with a cup of tea and reading blogs on WDC. |
| BCoF Your tour guide isn't up to par so your're planning the activities for Durhan's late afternoon and nightime. https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g312595-d16911364-Durban_Cit... Check out the restaurants and tell us which one you prefer and why: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g312595-d6033553-Reviews-Mali_s_In... or https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g312595-d5029013-Reviews-The_Grill... don't worry we have hotel reservations at: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g312595-d299216-Reviews-Garden_Court_Ma...  Durban proved to be a great city to see. At the third largest city of South Africa it has a rich history. Durban means bayou or lagoon. The waves come crashing in so I guess it's a really great spot of surfing. The Moses Stadium is a beautiful design. There are some very good spots for tourists to see. I heard that Da Gama stopped here looking for a route to India. Another fact is Durban has been around for about 12 thousand years when hunter gatherers were prevalent in the area. All these restaurants had 4 or more stars. So, I looked at a lot of travelers comments. I chose the Panarottis for their pizza. Panarottis has a lot of 5 star comments. You can be a part of making your own pizza and they have lots of toppings to chose from. Also, we could sit at tables outside and watch the tourists go by. I liked the way the staff served the food and the choices we had. I had a pasta dish with a piece of baked fish and vegetarian pizza. Last there was bananas on a waffle heaped with soft ice cream covered in Carmel sauce. Hungry from all that camping and singing in Lesotho. ![Merit Badge in Travel
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| Final segment of our excursion in Lesotho Thank goodness we were rescued in the middle of the night, we got a little sleep, change of clothes and breakfast. Semonkong to Underberg After breakfast, we either hike to or take a 4x4 drive to the Maletsunyane Falls. The weather determines whether we drive or hike. Depart the Lesotho Highlands via passes that enter South Africa at Qacha’s Nek. We snake our way through the last remote villages of Lesotho. We cross the Senqu river again – which we first saw on Day 1 and then follow it along the Senqu River valleys toward the border town of Qachas Nek. Once back in South Africa we travel through to the small town of Matatiele. From Matatiele we skirt alongside the Drakensberg mountains and return to Underberg along scenic back roads, returning usually around 15:00-16:00. (3-4 pm) https://www.wri.org/resources/data-sets/orange-senqu-river-basin-study https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qacha%27s_Nek https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALeKk03fpZXvXPAt1bLoAtEYuOVVcs7zRQ:159572385... Discuss what you've seen today. Impress us with your observation skills.  So, today I learned a lot of odd facts. Some apply to what we saw specifically today and others apply to news in Lesotho. One of the news items is important to our travel because the weather over southern Africa is turning cold. I thought how unusually our weather here at home is because August has always been a very warm month. Not so this year. Last night We hit 40 degrees toward the early morning hours. In that frame of mind I found a local weather report for Lesotho and discovered that if the rate of moisture in the air continues Lesotho and parts of other countries this far south in Africa could experience snowfall by morning. Temperatures could drop below zero degrees. The Orange Senqu River Basin extends over 4 different countries; Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, and south Africa. The main river in the basin is called Senqu in Lesotho. This reference indicated that the river may have other names where is traverses other countries. (I did not take the time to find the other names, if you know you can enlighten me). Drakensburg Mountains greatest elevation is within Lesotho borders. Drakens burg means dragon mountain. It is famous for the fact that it has hiking trails for all different abilities of hikers. The mountain is known for different types of animals. Depending on where you are in the mountain you can find giant antelope, mountain reed buck, grey Rhebuck, orilii jackal, Genet, civet, baboons, and vervet monkeys. There are a lot of different very nice places to stay that attract tourists. I was kind of surprised to find the amount of nice horses and trail rides offered here. (at this point I should say, horses have a really good instinct for staying alive. From what I saw in several different YouTube videos, it's a good thing because of the type of trails into the mountains these animals are using. If you are riding one and give it a choice it will chose the best footing and keep the rider safe.) Matatiele is in South Africa. My curiosity led me to wonder if there are any border clashes so I looked into a local news website and found that as recent as August 18, 2020 there was an incident where two Lesotho soldiers pursued cattle thieves across the border into South Africa. Shots were exchanged between The Lesotho police and the South Africa Defense force. The two Lesotho law enforcers have been arrested and are seeking bail but so far do not even have legal representation. There is presently a lot of infighting among political rivals within the country. A Prime Minister is being forced to resign because his present wife paid to have his former wife killed in 2017. I stopped reading the news in Lesotho when it began to sound to much like home. I have to say I enjoyed researching all about the dams, rivers, mountains, and living creatures and people of this nation. The schools and education systems show a lot of care is being extended to ordinary citizens of this nation and in years to come it will pay off in educated people who care to preserve a way of life for the people of this nation. There are campgrounds in Lesotho for those who want to experience a more wild look at the country. ![Merit Badge in Blog Camping
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Traveling with you in Europe was so much fun, hope you join us again next August! Until then, we hope all your blogging experiences inspire you equally as much!
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| BCoF: BCoF There's some interesting people from Lesotho. Pretend you're interviewing one of them, what questions would you ask? Give us at least 7 good questions. Don't forget to mention how you handled the unexpected adventure after the vehicle broke down. Improvisation time. http://countrylicious.com/lesotho/famous-people  We spent our evening conversing and learning about the local culture while we waited for our car to be fixed. I asked the family how life had changed because of the Katse Dam. I was told that King Letsie III with Nelson Mandela was helping the entire African continent to stabilize with their ongoing out going personalities. Please tell me about King Letsie III? The king has a very extensive education. He has a bachelors degree in law. He studied legal studies in G.B. he took a diploma in Agriculture Economics with Wye college. He has used his knowledge to resolve and eliminate malnutrition in the country. His efforts have extended to the African continent. The irrigation and financial success of the Katse Dam is part of this effort. So, the effort to promote trout raising is also an economic success? Yes. Most certainly. It also plays a role in the King's effort to teach the country about eating habits as they relate to health. I asked questions about recreation for the family. we had an in depth discussion about actors and actresses. Desmonde Dube was mentioned for his role in "The Number 1 Ladies Detective series. This is a series that is in great demand. We discussed the Olympics because I wanted to know if they send athletes? Lesotho has a good runner, Mosito Lahata. Our friend brought out a lesiba. I had asked if he knew of this folk instrument? We were talking about musicians and he was able to demonstrate this homemade instrument. I asked him if he knew about the manokhorang instrument? This is the one I saw being played by a young man when we visited the 13 churches. He said he did not have any experience with this instrument but he had a friend who played one. I learned a lot from this night time visit. Indepth things I might not have known about if the auto did not break down. |
| Leribe to Semonkong After breakfast we backtrack slightly to visit a riverbed close to our accommodation to view evidence of prehistoric life forms. If the river is in flood these ancient footprints are hidden but usually the water levels are low enough o look at the Dinosaur Footprints. We leave the main road to Maseru and travel to the Kome Caves, home to modern cave-dwellers. These caves were originally inhabited by clans escaping the Lifqane wars and cannabilism. We make our way to Thaba Bosiu along the back roads which go through many rural villages. Thaba Bosiu is a cultural centre of utmost importance to Lesotho and its history, We then drive into the capital city Maseru for lunch. This gives one a good understanding of modern-day city life in Lesotho. Mid afternoon we head back into the highlands of Lesotho going through the Mantsa Pass to the highland town of Semonkong. Dependant on weather and water levels, enjoy a lovely sunset over the Maletsunayne falls before checking into Semonkon g. oh no, our vehicle broke down and we're going to spend the night in the wild. https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/places-global-african-history/m... discuss what you discover in the information and in the pictures. If you lived back then how would you handle cannibalism? Join in or become a vegetarian How did you cope with the breakdown and having to rough it over night.   http://www.sci-news.com/paleontology/megatheropod-dinosaur-footprints-lesotho-05... Kome Caves is still inhabited by a generation of the people who built them. The Ha-Kome family was fleeing from a cannibalistic society. I would prefer to eat vegetables. No I would not join cannibals. I don't even like the stories or movies of people who are stranded and turn to cannibalism to survive. When we rented our vehicle we were given some advice. Always lock our car. Vandals and petty thieves are at large. It is knowledgeable information for world travelers that many societies feel a little more important, when a tourist comes around so be cautious and friendly. We were also given a number to call if a breakdown were to occur. So, for us it was a surprise and dismay when the car radiator was punctured by a flying stone and we needed to wait for the rescue to occur. We were on a rural highway. There were farms spaced along the road at intervals. When the car started steaming we slowed to a stop. Everyone got out to push it off the road onto the side. The phone number we were given just wouldn't ring. Maybe out of range. As we were counting snacks and looking at the map, night was falling. We were near the conical mountain, area. We could see Mt. Qiloane in the distance. A man came walking along the roadway. He indicated we should not sit along the road. WakeUpAndLive shook his hand and motioned him to the front of the car. The man looked the radiator all over and shook his head, "ah, ah." he said, over and over than he waved and walked away into the night, he left the road and headed inland up a bit of rising land. I could see there was a foot path there. About a half hour later a young man came down the path with a 4 wheel drive vehicle. He motioned to us to help him hook up a chain. Then, we all got back in and he pulled our vehicle up the trail about half a mile there was a farm there. He showed us they had WIFI to use. So, we called and left a message. The number we called talked to the young man who actually explained in some English words that they would come to fix the car in the morning. There was a whole family of people. The mother showed us to sit down in a very comfortable living area and served us with tea. The father who turned out to be the man we had seen on foot nodded a lot with a big smile and said, Aha, a lot. There were three other children all were in late teens and could speak some English.So, we were able to talk about our travels and they told us about their school and farm. Blue moon and Sandra Lynn went out to sleep in the car. The rest of us bedded down with sleeping bags provided by the family on the floor of the family room. In the morning we wandered around. I noticed some wild animal tracks around the car. Maybe hyena but the girls who spent the night in the car were oblivious. About 11 a.m. a tow truck arrived and a different car was also brought. We switched our belongings into the new vehicle, and the tow truck latched onto our and off they went. Everyone was sorry to leave because the hospitality had been so special. The father clapped his hands when he saw the tow truck. We took their email address with us waving and goodbyes all around everyone was promising to keep in touch. We were very grateful for their hospitality. Our trip continued on the Maseru city. The capital of Lesotho. It is on the left bank of Caledon River. Fifteen miles south of Maseru is the national university. The city also has agricultural and technical schools. There is a railroad link to South Africa and air service to Johannesburg. The roads into the city go out to many different parts of the country. Many of the buildings have conical roofs similar to what we saw at the Bird Haven Lodge. I bought a cone shaped hat to wear and keep as a souvenir. This was a day to remember. |
Prompt: Write about Katse Dam https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g293803-d1764272-Reviews-Katse_Dam...  Since 2010 Lesotho's independence has been stressed by a possibility of being annexed by South Africa. Once a colony of Britain. It gained it's own independence. Political problems have risen in the county by some who think it worthless for the smaller country to maintain it's independence, when the larger country of South Africa completely surrounds it. Once called Basutoland it continues to maintain its independence. Nevertheless, The Highlands water project and transfer tunnels is a project of cooperation between the two countries. I like to view dams. They are amazing feats of building architecture. The Katse 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 second highest one in Africa. The water for it comes from summer rain and winter snows. South Africa pays three million Miloti a month for the water it gets from the Katse and Mohalo dams.Katse dam is a half moon shaped dam with a enough room across the top for a double road way. There is a business at the top of the dam which teaches with pictures and graphs all the specifics about how the dam was constructed. It cites the amazing amount of concrete that was used in construction even how many tons of concrete were delivered and poured per day during the construction period. The dam and area cover 8.8 acres of ground. This water project provides water for irrigation for two countries and is beautifully landscaped. |
| 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.  |
| Day 2831: August 17 Arusha,Tanzania Prompt: Write a story or poem about your Miracle Experience Balloon Safaris | Serengeti https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g297913-d15883436-Miracle_Ex...  Reality Balloon "Do you wanna dance and hold my hand?" Don't do it. Shuffling around inside the basket by several people will give a feeling on instability to the basket. Before we get into the basket the pilot weighed us. So, only a certain amount of people can ride depending on how much people weigh. We are told to visit a bathroom before we go. There are no bathrooms on board. The trip will probably not be more than two hours today. There are not any seats. If you cannot stand up for two hours maybe you should not go on the trip. No one will stop and let you off if you feel uncomfortable. The balloon will move in the same direction as the wind. This will seem to achieve a very serene movement. However, the balloon is kept in the air by hot air. We all know that hot air rises so the super burners will control the height of the balloon by heating the air inside it. When we need to come down the air inside the balloon will be cooled. The burners turning on and off will heat the basket and the air in the balloon. The sound of them will be noisy and will interrupt the serenity of the floating sensation by the loud sounds of the burners. The sound is like the force of shush in the air. People are fitted with safety harnesses and attached to the basket as they climb into it. Hang onto your hand holds when it takes off because there will be an abrupt jolt as the lines of the balloon stretch out to include the basket as it rises. And another jolt when the basket hits the ground on landing. If serious wind drags the balloon along the ground the basket will also be dragged. Your pilot is a master at running the burners so this won't happen. The pilot of a hot air balloon is an expert on wind currents. He rises or lowers the balloon according to how the wind currents are traveling and which air currents will take the balloon close to where he wants to go. The balloon will land wherever the wind takes it. One of the reasons you fly a balloon early in the morning is because the wind and weather currants are more stable before the sunrises high. It isn't the safest way to travel. Just a daring adventure. Good luck over the Serengeti.  |
The afternoon we'll be enjoying some of the awesome amenities at our hotel before the BCoF people take us to our next adventure. We're staying at Arusha Serena Hotel and Resort Spa.  When we took the unforgettable Miracle Hot Air Balloon ride, the staff were so organized. They took every precaution against Covid 19, even taking temperatures and special hand washing. We were assured that the car was also disinfected before each use. Sandra Lyn was snapping pictures, as we all were. It was startling to see the herds of animals moving below us alive. These are pictures I have seen on TV in movies and documentaries, now live below us. You know if you were standing on the ground the movement of such a large herd of zebras with their heavy weight would make the ground thunder under your feet. The guides know where to maneuver the balloon so we see the most different types of animals. The hot air balloon moves quite a bit faster than I expected. Sailing like a ship through the air. I could feel the quietness of the air flowing around us as we sailed forward. The sky was clear blue. The atmosphere dry and hot. There was a slight rise in the ground below and sparse bushes and trees. That is when we saw a pride of lions with cubs lazing around on the ground below. They did seem to notice us floating by above. Some rose from resting places looking up. A large male let out a fierce roar and trotted into some brush. Back at the Arusha we gathered for a meal where we shared pictures we had taken and impressions of the hotel and Serengeti ride. I was able to take some pictures of a tree that was totally immersed in large birds which I have not yet identified. Even while we are sitting here there are several different types of parrots chattering in the trees. I haven't seen live parrots in garden trees since I lived in the Panama Canal Zone for a few weeks in 1963. One of the interesting things about the trip was the ability to have fairly reliable WIFI even at the launch site of the Balloon ride. Perhaps more technology will have a good affect on people and there will someday be less violence in the world. The guides are very knowledgeable about the wildlife refuge and the poaching that the game wardens have to guard against always. This is certainly a beautiful environment. I'm going to be researching plant life as well as bird names and animal species. |
| BCoF: Let's talk about Ethopian cuisine. There's a few things listed, what would you recommend for us to try and why? What did you think about the coffee section? What's your favorite hot beverage coffee, tea or hot chocolate? I guess if I was to recommend a food to you it would be the Wat. It is a curry dish containing meat, maybe lamb or chicken; served on injera, which is a sourdough flatbread. I've cooked dishes similar to the sourdough flatbread. Actually, at some time in my life other mothers I knew were passing around the sourdough starter for flatbread. The stew Wat, has vegetables, and spices something close to a favorite dish in Cairo. My favorite hot beverage has always been tea. I say this puts me in peril because the people around here favor coffee as a rule. They seem to remember that tea was the beverage dumped in the bay while the coffee was not touched.  Any way, I don't drink a lot of hot chocolate. I never drink coffee. It makes me happy to see that so many of the places we are traveling to offer tea as a choice beverage.The priests that are in charge of worship in the churches are also farmers. They are educated by church to care for the worship services and take part in the social aspects of their village. One of them on a YouTube is far sighted enough to see the modernization that is coming into the local towns. He knows it will make some changes in the social attitudes of the people and is working toward educating some of the younger males of the villages, so if they leave and attend higher education they will understand the roots of their worship and culture. He is hoping that his sons will have a dual education as priests but also as doctors of medicine. I did not think the information I read took into account the upheavals in the area in the last few years. |
| Our trip has been customized to meet our needs.We will not be having the down time listed in the beginning. https://www.safaribookings.com/day/t21782 We're arriving and immediately leaving by plane to our adventure to Lalibela which is home to the 12th-century hand carved rock churches of King Lalibela (1181 - 1221) whom the town is named after. We'll have lunch in our hotel, then visit the first group churches of Lalibela (UNESCO World Heritage Site) which are found northeast of a stream named ‘River Jordan’. In a 1970 report of the historic dwellings of Lalibela, Sandro Angelini evaluated the vernacular earthen architecture on the Lalibela World Heritage Site, including the characteristics of the traditional earth houses and analysis of their state of conservation. ://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g480193-d7619296-Reviews-Tomb_of_A... Our meals are included but no alcoholic beverages so we're doing a brew tour. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g480193-d12133587-Reviews-Lalibela...  I found the tour of the churches interesting. In a way it is something that I view from a distance mentally, because when ever I see buildings like this I wonder how they came into being so many years ago. Were the people who built them willing participants in carving out the rooms? I toured the church in the sky. I'm not sure if I could take the crawl up the side of the mountain just to attend a service there. The inside was so artistic and beautiful. I watched a CNN documentary on PBS about the religion of the people of Ethiopia about 2 years ago. It specifically focused on their kind of Christian worship. In the Tigray region which is very close to Lolibela there are also stone churches. Du to a story about Queen Sheba and a son born to her and King Solomon. The story says the Ark of the Covenant is in the caring hands of the people of Ethiopia. I have found two different versions of how this came to be. As for the alcoholic brew tour, I find it also relevant to the study of the area. All societies over the years have been brewing types of alcoholic beverages. Maybe I'll study the historic ideas about this some time since, it is always something we wonder about. Home brewed wines and beers have been medicinal as well as sometimes the drink served with meals. Problems only arise when the drinks are used in a glutinous manner. Even though we are inclined to make fun of the results of to much of these beverages. I'm off subject somewhat today so my details are scanty. Just need to spend some time resting in the hotel. |
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