Afrique 18 – SWAZILAND first part

 Swaziland

We enter by Amsterdam border. The countryside continues to be forest plantations, mostly eucalyptus and acacias robusta, but some pine trees also. The road is always with long and steep up and down. There are a few villages or little farms, small houses and huts. We arrive in Bunya, which is a big paper pulp fabric for paper making, a saw-mill, and a private village for the workers of the fabrics and the forest. Along the way, after the fabrics, are a few houses too.
Here we have to decide or we go by the hills to Mbabane, the capital, or we follow along the river to Manzini. We let the capital and follow the river, easier, and also because the back-road from the capital to Manzini looks like a tourist trap. The road follows by up and down, but less steep. Around is farmland, with a lot of little farms, little fields and little vegetables and fruits gardens. The climate is hotter, we are downhill now, 300 m high about. We see mangoes and papaya, and a lot of small acacias. We look for a farm to camp but the terrain is hilly, nowhere flat more than for the house, and no big farm. We aren’t acostumed for that new country. In the end we turn to Malkerns, as someone indicate us a lodge not far. At a cross we ask again the way, and suddenly I see the van of the backpacker. I ask to the driver, and the backpacker is just 15 mn away, by the gravel road. So here we go to sleep.
Next day we are in a national park where we can cycle to see antilops, buffalos and zebras. So we stay. We make a 20 km tour and see some herds. But each time when we approch us they run away, no way to be near. We find the dam after a long search, as the map is very incomplete, but we don’t see hippopotams. For the dinner we take the braai prepared by the hotel, saussage on fire and pap and rice and vegetable, a big plate.
Then we follow for a while the back road from Malkerns, till the main road 3. We arrive in the suburb of Manzini, where we have to take the highway till Manzini. Then we lunch in the supermarket, I put a piece of gum from a truck tyre founded along the road, between the fork of my bicycle and the paniers, to avoid they touch and lime the fork, while Martine has a long talk with a local. After we have a very long and steep climb, about 7 km. The first part is in town, in the traffic, and then by a narrow road with a lot of trucks. At the top of the hill we stop in a hotel, as Martine is a bit seek.
Next day we continue by the hilly road 3. The country side is or little farms, or native forest, a bush of little trees, and shrubs, and high grass, with a lot of thorns. It is a bit boring. Just one tree has red flowers, and also jacaranda blooming all in purple.