An Adventure in Lesotho

Lesotho. A small kingdom completely surrounded by South Africa. The country is about the same size as Belgium or Israel and has approximately 2 million inhabitants. The lowest point in Lesotho is at 1500 meters, making it the country with the highest lowest point. Almost two-thirds of the country is covered with mountains, ranging from 2200 to 3000 meters high. There is even a small ski resort.

And in this small, interesting country, we spent five days. That was quite a while ago. On Saturday, September 22nd, we met at half past five in the morning and set off in our two huge Toyota SUVs - and they really proved themselves. After eleven hours in the car, we reached the border at the Maseru Bridge - a new stamp in our passports :)

Many of the men were dressed very strangely, they had blankets draped over them and wore a sort of balaclava that only left their eyes exposed. Later we found out in a travel guide what the blankets are all about. The Basotho blanket is used not only for protection against heat and cold, but is also a status symbol. Boys only receive it after they have been circumcised. Depending on the pattern, it can represent wealth (cabbage head) or fertility (maize cob).

When we passed through the rural areas, we were usually welcomed very friendly. Many people waved and smiled. The children came running. But sometimes, there was also begging. Especially the children seemed to be "trained" to expect something from the white people in the big cars. They often called out "Sweets, Sweets" and held out their open hands.

Our route took us through the whole country. We arrived at the capital Maseru on the west side and left the country again on the east side via the Sani Pass in the Drakensberg Mountains. We took a boat trip on the reservoir at the Katse Dam, the highest dam in Africa. And we visited the Maletsunyane Waterfall, which is 192 meters high.

So those were five days where we spent almost all of our time in the car. A little hiking was actually planned, but the roads in Lesotho just didn't cooperate. But it was still worth it. We saw so much. Collected so many impressions. We crossed the whole country and got to know it a little, a country I had absolutely no idea about before. And we grew even closer, had silly and profound moments, silently admired the breathtaking scenery out of the windows, sang along to songs, leaned on each other to try to sleep, endured a tense hour and then experienced an even more relaxed mood afterwards - thank you very much, you were the best fellow adventurers one could wish for.