Afrique 14 – LESOTHO 1

 The Senqu river is the Orange River, but with Lesotho name.

We enter in Lesotho by Telle Bridge. It starts by a steep long hill by a gravel and stony and dusty road. After a while it flatters a bit and becomes tarred. After 10 km we arrive at the cross and we turn on right to Moyeni, or Quting. The countryside is very different, full of mountains around, fields with cows, sheeps and crops, and with a lot of villages, with little and simple houses. People too are very different. All they say us Hello how are you-good and you-fine. We need a third hand to say hello every minute. Animals are keeped by shepherds. A few men and women are working in fields, all by hands, no machines, or helped by oxes. Donkeys brings bags and goods. Time to time a man on a horse crosses the road. We feel like being before 1850. But too there is a light traffic of minibuses, the local comun transport, and some cars, mostly enterprises and officials. The road is hilly and steep. We enter in a small town by midday. There are a lot of artisan shops, people sitting in the street by groups. We find a kitchen, where we can eat the local meal, mutton, mais and pickles, 2.5$. We have a nice contact with locals here. Then we continues till Moyeni. We pass the turn on left to the dinosaures footprints, cross the bridge, and climb by the town for 2 km, by the main street. It is full of shops, supermarkets, people walking, and noise. We arrive at a lodge, where we stop for the night. That is the one the woman at the imigration service recommanded us. And too we met on the way the owner, who proposed us to bargain the price, so we do. Good room for 35$. It is a funny small building with a roof made of grass. It is 6 years old, and already the soil is 5 cm down by places, with all the problems coming with bad fundation.

Next day we go back to the bridge downhill, turn on right, pass the footprint museum, and follow by the steep climbs and up and down. We quickly connect with the Senqu River. All around are high mountains. The river bed is between two high slopes with a few trees around, willows acacias and eucalyptus mostly. Near the houses we see little trees bloming with pink flowers, peches. Grass is yellow and orange, ground red and yellowich, sky is blue. We have a light wind from West, like nearly always from Capetown. We pass Cutting Camp, which is just a few houses, and the slopes around are with a lot of christmas trees plantations. After a long while and hard work, we cross Sebapala River and village, which are small farms around. Yet there is no cantine for our lunch. After other steep up and down, with spectacular views on the river and the mountain, we arrive in Mount Morosi. It is a town, busy, noisy, with a lot of poor shops and supermarkets, and minibuses traffic. We find the cantine, in front the bus stop. We let the bicycles outside, and take the meal inside, taking care of the stuff by the window. Around are people drinking a lot of beers, or eating too. Neighbours are women drinking beers. After lunch I stay outside while Martine feed the bottles with water. I see the neighbour women I talk before going out the pub, with sexy and colorful dresses, and undulating the body. That is very different than other women, strictly dressed, with brown clothes, and blankets for the cold. At the end I feel insafe in that place. And a woman with a bible drawing on her shirt starts to talk to Martine, while a beggar tries to rob a plastic from a panier of the front wheel. And when Martine see him he stops and moves back, and by the same movement the woman says us goodbye, like if they were acting together. So I propose to move quickly away, following our way. At the real end of the town, we see the road camp, which is the yard and lodging for people repairing the road, and in front 2 policemen. We first talk with the policemen and ask there opinion about the possibility to camp in the road camp. When we obtain the agrement, we go to ask to the caretaker at the entrance. He phones to the boss, who agrees. And then he drives us till the end of the place, near the lodgings and the working building. Here we wait for the boss chatting with the 2 secretaries. Well I am tired so it is Martine who does all the chatting. At 4h30 the boss arrives and definitly agrees for our camping. The place is good, with trees, grass, water and toilet. It is not so cold anymore by night, about 5°, Spring is coming.
Next day we make quickly the steep downhill, 6 km, to join again the river bed. We cross the Quting river, and we start the very very steep uphill. We make 14 km in 6 hours, walking and pushing the bicycles. We climbs 1000 m, but of course with some parts downhill, which makes the uphill steeper and harder. The pass is at 2500 m high. At the top we have the view of all a large circle of peaks and mountains. We see a village and we ask at the first house to camp. The men agree. We start to pitch the tent in the courtyard, but a young woman who speaks english arrives. She recomands us to pitch the tent inside the ruins of a case, protected from the dogs by the walls. After a quick cleaning, we do. Then Martine goes with the woman visiting her house. When she comes back, we take some rest in the tent. By 5 pm we get out to cook the dinner. By 6 pm we are again in the tent, as it changes cold outside. During all the time we pitch the tent and rest and eat, 12 children, plus men and women, stay around to look at everything we do. But there are never boring, and always trying to make us comfortable.

Next day the very steep up and down contInue, and we have to burn the stops downhill, and push the bicycles walking in the climbs. We are now at the top of the mountain, and we dont see anymore the river. We continue to see a lot of villages, very small farms, crops and animals with shepherds, donkeys and cows and people working by hands or with oxes. Part of the houses are rectangular, other are cases, circular with a roof made of dry grass. Everywhere it feels very quiet and peaceful. We cross an other town, Mphaki. Well it is just a long street, with downhill the official buildings and enterprises, and after the top the bus stop and poor shops made with corrugated steel. Here we find a cantine for the usual meal. This town is small and feels safe. To feed our bottles of water, a young drives me to the comun tap, from where water falls drop by drop. So they put buckets under the tap, and come back later when they are full. Well a little further we stop along the road, where an other tap, always open, lets run a lot of water wasted. I remember that in South America, at such a tap all the taxis and minibuses would stop to feed tankers and bring them to the town, certainly to win some money. But here noone does. We continue up and down, steep and slowly, by the same beautiful countryside. After crossing a village, a group of pupils starts to speak with us and asks money, « swit ». Martine explains them that tourists dont like that, and that we travel by bicycle because we dont have a lot of money. She makes nearly a class, with all the children around her and listening. And suddenly all change and they propose to help us pushing the bicycles for the next steep climbing, very good and nice from them. Well there is a downhill then, and we overpass all the children. We cross a river and other village, and we push the bicycles a long while till the top of the hill. We cross a new pass at 2400 m high. At this top there is a small village, where we decide to stop for the night. We first ask at a woman at the first house, but men are not here so she cant say yes. We continue a bit, till the grocery shop. The woman says yes, and first tries to find a place on her yard. But we dont find any, and so suddenly she proposes we sleep in a empty room. Of course we agree, and the husband arrives by the way, and gives the permission. We dont have to pitch the tent. We make some shopping in the shop. The man makes us comfortable, putting a curtain to close the window, and finding the key for the door. Well all the family comes to visit us, for sure, and Martine does the chatting. Clearly she is better than me in relationship. When she tells she is an Architect, the owner asks her help for a pump trouble in his house. Well Martine cant do nothing, of course but she proposes to send them the local NGO contact.

Next day we have an early alarm clock. First at 5 am sing the roosters. Then the dogs bark. The sheeps and the donkeys join at the concert. And at 5h30 everyone starts to move outside and speaks. We awake like one hour later. we continue the steep up and downs till Patlong, crossing the same nice countryside and villages. Patlong is a very small town, a few caravans for shops, a big grocery, a village downhill, and schools. First we miss the cantine and arrive at the end of the town. So we go back, and after some asking, we find the cantine, where we get the usual plate. We continue, with a first up and down to join the river Orange again. Then we have 10 km of normal and comfortable and beautiful road along the river bed, at the foot of the canyon. Herds of animals with shepherds are in the bed itself. The road go smoothly up and down. At the village of White, it starts the very steep up and downs again, infortunately. The slopes are too steep along the river bed, so the road has to get off the canyon and overpass hills. Time to time we go go back near the river, to cross again a new hill. Suddenly we see a long climbing in the distance, and a village just before. We decide to camp in this village. We ask for the house of the chief, and children drive us till his house. The chief and his wife are very nice and after a short chatting, agree we camp near there case, in the courtyard. It is more quiet, only a few children look at us. We take a rest in the tent, and then we eat outside. The chief offers us 2 chairs. Then he comes to show us a foto of another cyclist he received before, Cristof and Steffen.

Next day we have the same alarm clock by all the animals. We awake at same time, and after the fotos, we move, slowly walking and pushing the bicycles up. We have a very long climb, 20 km, passing a lot of villages, to join the town. At the last village before the town, children join us and help us pushing the bicycles. We buy the traditional meal and we eat it a bit out of the town, seatted on rocks. In town a young cyclist with a real mountain bike sees us. He joins us again when we are eating, takes fotos of the bicyclces, and fotos of him and his friend on the bicycles. Then we pass the border, wich is at the top at the hill. After we have yet 33 km to do to join Matatielle, the first main town in South Africa. Infortunately the road is not tarred, but a very rought gravel with stones and lot of potholes. So we go very slow. For 12 km there is only grass and shrubs, till the first village. We ask here for lodging, but there is none. So we continue. We see a lot of houses in the distance, but in fact it is just the start of 20 km of suburbs before Matatielle. Eventually we join the tarred road, and with tail wind we arrive just before 5 pm at the supermarket, where we buy the dinner. The town is just 3 streets with a lot of shops and supermarkets, the big buses station, and a lot of poor people, blacks, in the streets. We go to Royal hotel, where we have a room with kitchen for 30$. We stay 2 days for rest and internet and manage our luggage. As Spring is coming, cold is away too, and we plan to cross an other part of Lesotho, from Sani pass till Butha Buthe. So we decide to send luggage to the next backpacker, in Clarens, Free State. We go to D and H courier, but they dont desserve Free State. Nicely they contact an other company, and manage for us and for free that that company pick up the luggage by the afternoon, and bring it till Clarens. We save 13 kg weight.
Tomorrow we continue the trip.