Traveling to Africa from the southwest of the U.S.A. is such a LONG distance, but it’s part of the traveling adventure right? Today marks the four year Anniversary of our living for 3 months in Lesotho, Africa! I have many wonderful memories about my first time in Africa and my adventures there.
The long journey has begun.......
Lesotho here we come! We flew 17 hrs 30 mins on a direct flight from D.C. to Johannesburg, South Africa. This is the longest single flight I have had in my entire life. We were beyond exhausted. I recommend to you to stop in Johannesburg for a connecting flight to somewhere in Southern Africa. The idea of refreshing yourself in an exquisite hotel at the Intercontinental Johannesburg O.R. Tambo is tremendous!! We made absolutely the right decision to rest ourselves for a night. The next day, we were heading to the mountain kingdom Maseru, Lesotho for 45 minutes by plane. Then checked ourselves into a cute suite at the Mpilo boutique hotel, I guarantee it is the best hotel to stay in town.
Lesotho is a landlocked country situated in the highlands of Southern Africa, also known as “The Switzerland of Southern Africa". It is surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. Local people speak Basotho and English languages. This is a mountainous country, with an average altitude of more than 1600 meters above sea level and highlands which cover around 65 percent of the land area at elevations ranging between 2300 and 3482 meters. From the sandstone hills of the lowlands to the basalt cliffs of the highlands, Lesotho is the only independent state in the world that lies entirely above 1000 meters. About the temperature variations, the winter ranges from mid 60F (highest) - 20F (lowest) and the summer is about 90F (highest) to 70F (lowest). Although I’ve heard from the local people that their last summer reached 100F, the highest in their history... I believe its global warming.
Right now we’re in the winter season and I’m enjoying it. I didn’t get to be Dora the Explorer this time since the place is not safe to wander around alone, but my husband and I have several road trips on the weekends. We explored the mountain off roads and I do mean only 4x4 wheel can deal with it. Sightseeing the African villages and the mountain scenes were spectacular. Places to visit around the countryside of Lesotho are a bit rough on me. I have a serious car sickness especially during a 4 hour nonstop drive on curved mountain roads. Oh boy. Motion sickness pills won’t help me.
One of the highlights of this trip is my husband and I attended His Majesty King Letsie III’s (King of Lesotho) birthday ceremony as representatives of America. It was an amazing event and we were able to see the traditional African performances. What wonderful stories and pictures on my travel blog! Local people dressed in traditional outfits: Basotho blanket and hat.
A day before the event, we stayed overnight in a small town called Semonkong and went sightseeing at the famous Maletsunyane Falls, local villages, and watched the horse races. We stopped for lunch and dinner at the Semonkong lodge, a nicely done lodge and the staff is so friendly. For me, a night in Semonkong was quite extreme. The town itself shuts down electric power at 10pm, which means there is no heater, no hot water, no light……Man I was shocked. I survived that freezing night and started to appreciate more and more what Mpilo boutique hotel has offered us.
Okay it’s getting to be a long story....
Next week, I’ll talk about the most famous 5 star luxury lodge in Southern Africa called “Maliba Lodge” situated deep inside the Tsehlanyane National Park / Drakensburg mountains! I’m so excited and I can’t wait to share this story!! Take a peek on my blog. Thank you so much to all my readers for following my journey.
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