The mountain kingdom

Yesterday morning we woke up early and made the nearly four-hour drive from Ladybrand to Semonkong, Lesotho. Our destination was the Semonkong Lodge, a rustic little lodge high atop some of the most magnificent mountains I've ever seen.

Lesotho is often called the "mountain kingdom" and for good reason. It wasn't like there was a single mountain range to cross, but we kept going over mountain pass over mountain pass, along a very rocky unpaved road. You can imagine how my back felt after the rickety journey.

Along the way, we passed many little tiny villages of thatch-roofed huts and corrugated tin shacks. Men and women walked alongside the roads with beautiful, heavy wool blankets pinned across their chests and boys herded sheep along to find new grass upon which to graze.

The people of Lesotho, the Basotho, are very peaceful and we encountered one little boy, approximately four years old, who tried to hold a conversation with us. He spoke to us in Sosotho, and we explained that we couldn't understand him, but he continued to hold his end of the conversation until he got bored of us and walked away.

We made our way to the Maletsunyane Falls, a very spectacular waterfall that is apparently home to the longest abseil drop in the world. I can't really describe how spectacular it was, feeling like you're on top of the world, gazing across a huge gorge at a stunning waterfall.

At each of our meals in Semonkong, we had the most delicious bread, crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. They used it as toast for breakfast, to accompany our soup, as a bun for a cheeseburger and as a pita for shwarma. But we didn't get tired of it and I really couldn't get enough.

Because of the altitude, it got very chilly at night, but fortunately we had some of those local blankets to keep us warm at night. And night came early because the lights cut off at 8pm, thanks to the unpredictability of the region's electrical supply.

While at the lodge, we met a few American Peace Corps workers and all were shocked that we chose to spend our vacation time in such a remote part of the world. But this past weekend was much more like the Africa I looked forward to visiting. People who live simpler lives, untouched natural beauty and spectacular skies for miles and miles.