I literallly knew nothing about Lesotho before I drove over the border. There is a different currency than in South Africa, even though they have a 1 to 1rate for it and you can use the South African rands anywhere in Lesotho as well. Also that the country is entirely landlocked by South Africa and the nickname is 'Kingdom of the Sky' because of the many mountains that the country has.
It almost seems like back in the days Lesotho was just too hard to reach because of the rugged mountains, and that SA said...'hey you know what...this stuff is too high and too much of a hassle in that harsh mountain climate...make your own country and good luck with that'
And honestly in the majority of the country. Life does seem harsh because of the altitude. But I also saw a lot of agriculture going on on locations where I didn't expect it. That is when you know people are taking care of themselves. Dealing with their own food, having decent road, people herding their sheep. Stuff is going on.
Interesting to see how good the roads were in Lesotho, as in really decent asfaslt which the average European country would envy. 'Built by the Chinese government' is the rumor...But why on earth would the Chinese be bothered by putting roads in a country which is just ll in the mountains.
....And that is when I passed the diamond mine...Aha!!!.....It all makes sense now....
We choose to drive over the east side of the country. Not just only that would mean that we would skip the main capital Maseru (I would skip a capital any day!) but it would also mean passing over the higher peaks in the country. There we found the skiiing region of Afriski which I made a post about recently but also it would mean we would drive down over the legendary Sani pass
But this required a night of staying here in the country
And we did that at this legedary rondaval (round house) near the South East boarder. It was not easy to reach this place and you surely needed some 4x4 or at least high clearance to even reach these little houses.
This was literally in the middle of nowhere. And even though summer was starting it was cold here because of the altitude. That means you have to keep a fore going inside your house to keep it heated for a bit.
Guess who did not manage to keep a fire going the whole night??
Does this shape of the roof and the whole feel of the rondaval remind you of something? I have been in Mongolia once for a couple of weeks and sleeping in a yurt there in also very cold temperatures reminded me a lot of this experience actually.
Only in the yurts the roof are from fabric and here they are for hay and branches which makes it a lot less easy to move them. But the woodfire inside...That just feels the same!
There was also a main building that acted a bit more like a central building for everyone in the region. There was only current from like 1900 tot 2200 when they turned on the generator for a bit of electricity, but for the rest this place was without any electricity. 3 hours a day is just fine if you ask me!
It turned over in a harsh weather situation
I wok up in the middle of the night, the fire had gone out and the wind was blowing around the rondavel. Not strange if you think about that there aren't any trees or other places to hide at all. Just the wind blowing over and through the mountains hitting the houses hard.
When I stepped outside I saw this gigantic cloud coming towards me. Then you know it is going to be a bit rough right? But even that is okay...You just take it easy and accept that this is the weather as it is!
The weird thing about this place?
I had totally accepted that it was all basic in here and that seems more than logic because of the weather and the altitude. That means all heat and cooking is back on wood and coal fires. Warm water is something that is isn't always likely to 'just have'. Water pipes outside freeze over and burst when they are not dug into the ground.
But when you are leaving a little atm machine comes out that makes a connection to a satellite network and you can just pay by card??
That was hilarious but it doesn't make sense at all!
But what a place. I know now again what silent and desolate means again. Perfect for a while!