25 - 29 JULY 2011
MOKHOTLONG
WOW what a bus trip, through gorgeous countryside, snow, more snow and then it’s looking decidedly dodgy to continue. But onwards we go over the Southern Africa’s highest road pass, Tlaeeng Pass (3275m) with a great driver. I chat to the girl in the seat in front of me who is heading home for school hols – Pulane lives across the road from GROW, where I had planned to so she kindly organises for us to be dropped at the top of the street, IN THE BLINDING WIND AND SNOW.
Get a freezing room and soon discover that there is very little heating BUT the beds have electric blankets. So an early night to find the snow piled high next morning and quickly realise that I’m going to be snowed IN here!!!!!!!! ARRGGHH. I head out to the taxi rank with Pulane to find that maybe a taxi might go to Natal tomorrow, but no need to come to the rank – he knows where I’m staying and will pick me up! Service with a smile never materialised. 
Next morning I pack and wait and wait until around 11am to head back to the rank to find there are no taxis going with passengers, only driving to see if they can get through. Hmmm after 2 nights staying in an icebox I walk around town to check out other accommodation options, with heating and find a B&B who also cooks food. So I move to make friends with the heater and TV there! Sights to see here include most of the population wearing blankets and gumboots, often riding donkeys, ponies or the occasional horse and most definitely holding some kind of stick if you’re a bloke! Thursday I head out early to the taxi rank, but NO GO, nothing is moving over the Sani Pass anytime soon.
Pulane suggests I ask at the District Administrator’s office and they were a wealth of information. A helicopter had been sent from Maseru to Sani Top today, to help out the stranded folk there, but couldn’t land due to wild weather. The District has now sent a car up with ‘many bags of salt’ and with the taxis checking each day they hope to clear the road in the next few days.
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| Popular modes of transport |
They agree that if I can get to Sani Top then as soon as the road is cleared there should be plenty of transport down to Underberg. I check back at the taxi rank and find a couple of passengers from this morning are trying to get through to SA by going back to Buthe Butha. Sounds like a plan but I will try contacting Sani Chalet to see how things stand tomorrow. In the meantime I’ve found a good kitchen for lunch, a nearby bar for a beer and the b&b serves a nice dinner. Too bad my days revolve around food – I will try and get walking some more at least, if I’m still here tomorrow. Day 4 and no taxi going ti Sani top. Plan B, yes 3 taxis went through yesterday to ButheButha so that’s where I’ll go today and try crossing at Calendonspoort then at least I’ll be in South Africa with a better chance of getting to Durban for the weekend. YAAAH. On the taxi now as I type, heading north and back over the Tlaeeng Pass – wish me luck!
FACT: Lesotho today has a collapsing economy with grinding poverty in all rural areas but locals tell me diamonds have been found at an reopened mine. The national university, has a new Dean, who has just announced it will reduce its intake from 6000 to 1000 students only in 2012. Lesotho’s environment in huge trouble with salinity, deforestation and erosion huge problems.
AND if you are from Lesotho (lee sue too), you are Mosotho (ma sue too) and you speak Sesotho (sa sue too)!
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| It snowed overnight? |
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| Yep, it snowed some more overnight |
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| Pulane and I in the snow |
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| Pulane and her sister |
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| Painted loo block |
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| That black ice is annoying |
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| Do you think we'll get out? |
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| Convoy to Buthe Butha |
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