Mesmerizing Lesotho!

Have you ever been to a place where at every turn you are literally having your breath taken away by the beauty you see?   Besides almost suffocating to death by beautiful scenery, I’m pretty sure my co-pilot was tired of hearing “oh wow…. look at that!” as I held my breath at every turn.

still holding my breath

 We were on a long winding drive to Semonkong “the place of smoke”.  The directions to this place where very vague in fact they read “A couple of hills, a couple of bends – Semonkong Lodge is where the road ends!”  What they meant was a couple hundred hills and more bends than you can imagine but you will eventually find the lodge at the foot of a river.  After the promised 3 hour journey had passed and we were still on the road, doubt set in.  What if we are lost?  What if we took the wrong turn?  With no Google maps and no road signs I resorted to faith “don’t worry I said the “directions” say it’s at the end of the road we just haven’t arrived yet.  To further ease our anxiety we stopped when we saw the next stranger to affirm that we were still on the right path.  Countless hills later and several strangers in between, nightfall fell and now we really started to worry as the road seemed to be getting worse and worse and there was still no sign of the lodge.  

Those mountain peaks look like the traditional Basotho hat.

Asking one of the sheperds to affirm if were on track.

As life would have it, often in your darkest moment when you think all is lost it’s at that very moment that you see a sign of hope… Lights ahead!  We were excited, glad to see some form of civilization.  We hurtled along, flinching at every bump that attempted to do some damage to our trusty vehicle.  We eventually arrived, tired and hoping that we still had accommodation for the night. 

The winding roads to Semonkong

Luckily many a visitors to Semonkong have been known to take more than the said 3hours to reach this place of tranquility so we still had a place to sleep with a fireplace! (Lesotho gets cold in the evenings after all this is the land of the blanket people)  We had our supper underneath the stars and boy where those star’s bright and plentiful.  Such unmasked splendor can only be experienced in the most rural parts of the world. 

I found myself withdrawing into myself, taking in the sounds and the magnificence of my surroundings, thinking of the 204m long adventure that awaited in the morning.

Semonkong Lodge in the Morning.

Summer in Jo'burg...I love this City

While we’re young and beautiful, living free and easy. Here without a worry, dancing in our bare feet swinging to lifes rythm and making memories. 

-unknown- 

I love summer, it's my happy time, people are happier, the birds are singing there generally seems to be more laughter in the air.

Proudly South African Mimes put a smile on your dial.

Buildings look prettier as trees clothe them.

lunches shared with friends and family mark our weekends.





Sunday afternoons spent dancing to some amazing, latin inspired african beats on the Roof Top at Arts on Main.  

Saying Goodbye to an Old Friend and Meeting a New Friend

Taking in the silent language of 2 bodies speaking to one another.

Seoul Sister- South East Asia for 1

Life is like a wave. Resist and you'll be knocked over. Dive into it, and you'll swim out the other side.  Evelyn, Exotic Marigold Hotel

“Flight 625 Cathay Pacific has been Cancelled” I arrived at the airport, partially voiceless due to a cold with my ginormous red suitcase only to be greeted with a sign board about my flight being cancelled due to typhoon Vincent  in Hong Kong.  Typhoon  Vincent?   I really had not factored in that Typhoons are a regular occurrence in Asia and something that I would have to deal with throughout my trip.  You would think that I would be put off by this freak of nature; instead I was adamant that I could not stay another day in South Africa.  

Mayhem at the airport as we all try and negotiate flights with other airlines.

Within an hour I had negotiated with Cathay to organize my flight to South Korea with Singapore airlines, I found myself wheeling and dealing using my “oh so sexy” pair of boots to negotiate a good seat and possibly an upgrade * there is nothing wrong with pushing your luck sometimes* even if it means possibly trading in your shoes for an upgrade. 

The "oh so sexy" boots, It truly does help to be well dressed when you are travelling, 

In between the hustling and exchanging some money for the trip I missed my boarding call, by the time I realized I was running horribly late I had to call in back up.  I grabbed an ACSA employee who was already off duty and pleaded with him to help me make it to my Flight.  Perhaps it was the look of horror on my face but something certainly worked for me because the next thing I knew I was rushing through customs with him and just when I thought my lungs were about to give up on me he ran ahead to make sure that they did not leave without me.  There were times when he looked back and shouted “sistas come on you can do it” and even though I thought I might surely die en route this bit of motivation pushed me to jog even harder.

I was the last person to scuttle into the plane and was hailed with looks of disapproval for having held up the flight.  At that point I was just glad to have made it with half a lung still intact and a burning chest,  as we took to the skies I couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of the sky at that very moment a clear reminder that I had made it.

relief.

One night in Prison...

I have been chucked out of places and even almost tossed into prison but when I found myself behind 'bars' at Constitutional Hill,  it was for a good cause.  To celebrate the great work achieved by various corporates and community leaders for improving communities within Southern Africa.   

The Mail & Guardian Southern Africa Trust Awards for Change are a great way of encouraging Africans to do what needs to be done to achieve a better life for themselves and their fellow man. Afterall we cannot rely soley on the government to improve ourselves.

Prison time well served with some very handsome inmates.

Constitutional Hill is a  National Heritage site that has witnessed a century of South Africa's history. From British soldiers who fought with the Boers at the turn of the century, to the youth caught up in the Soweto Uprising, to the dawn of democracy and the building of South Africa's Constitutional Court, Constitution Hill has witnessed it all. Visit Constitution Hill and learn about the injustices of South Africa's past while observing the process by which freedom was won and is now protected. Exhibitions and guided tours have been designed as an interactive experience, offering visitors the opportunity to participate in the building of Constitution Hill. Visit http://www.constitutionhill.org.za/tours/ for tours.