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Published: November 10th 2009
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Travelling around South Africa was always going to be an issue for me as I was reluctant to hire a car in Jo'berg and drive alone and the public transport system doesn't really exist over here unless you want to jump into 101 minivans. I therefore resigned myself to the fact that I was going to have to get the backpackers “Baz Bus”. The Baz Bus has a set route and picks you up and drops you off at designated hostels. It isn't my first choice of getting around however it does the routes and places I want to visit and therefore its a necessary evil for me.
I got picked up on Saturday morning and we headed over the border to Swaziland. I ended up deciding to stay at Sondzela which was situated within the Milwane Game Reserve. I got dropped off at the infamous House on Fire and Malendelas Restaurant and was told the shuttle bus would arrive within the hour to take me to the hostel. Whilst wandering around the shops I bumped into a fellow traveller who was also heading to Sondzelas. Steve, from the USA, and I sat and had the usual travel conversation.
We were eventually picked up and taken off to the hostel. One of the most noticeable things about Swaziland is that everything is miles from anywhere however the scenery is beautiful. You also find that the people are really friendly and very chatty. Thankfully when we arrived at the hostel dinner was just being served and so having paid up Steve and I both ventured down to the campfire to see what fare was on offer. Effectively the food was cooked Swazi style over a campfire. Dinner that night was chicken stew with mielle rice, cabbage, coleslaw and a green salad all fitting onto one plate so needless to say it was piled high.
Sunday morning and I got up and asked for breakfast and having paid I was duly sent out to the campfire once again. Handing over my slip I was offered either Swazi style porridge or cornflakes. I am afraid to say I went with the cornflakes as I am not a fan of porridge at the best of times. Cornflakes finished I was then given fried eggs on toast all cooked over the open fire, it was first for me to have fried eggs cooked
Warthog
This one is for you Rachel over a fire but I can recommend them. My only complaint was that whilst eating breakfast I was being watched by a large emu that stood less than 2m away eyeing me up....
Breakfast done I was ready to start my day and so I walked over to the rest camp and signed myself in. Map in hand I set off down the hippo trail. Milwane does not have any predator animals and therefore you are able to walk through the park without any problem although you do have to watch out for crocs and hippos. For awhile it felt like I was having a nice walk in the English countryside apart from the wildlife was a bit different in that I was watching zebras instead of horses, wilderbeast instead of cows and warthogs instead of pigs. After a couple of hours walking I found myself at the hippo pool (a large lake) however there were no hippos in sight. I headed back to the rest camp whereby I signed back in and stopped for a drink and some lunch. Whilst there I bumped into Steve and another girl from our dorm so we had lunch together. I did
have to laugh when they brought the bill though as the cost of the drinks were 50% higher at the rest camp than they were at the hostel - what you get for living the basic lifestyle! I do however have to point out that the drinks still weren't expensive despite the mark up as it was only 11rand (£0.87) for a can of beer!
The weather started to close in and it was apparent that it was soon going to rain so rather than going to hunt out my hippos I decided to head back to the hostel as it was a 20minute walk away. The rain did come and the afternoon was spent relaxing in the hostel and talking to two Dutch lads that had just arrived. That evening only four of us ordered dinner and since the hostel had obviously anticipated more they decided to overload our plates. So much so that we got the pork chop, pap, tomato and vegetable sauce and spinach on one plate and the salad and beetroot accompaniment on a separate plate!
Monday morning and Steve and I jumped onto the hostel shuttle bus that took us down to the
local market and from there we decided to walk back via House on Fire to use the internet. I'm not sure if I would have walked if I had truly realised how far it was!! Internet used and postcards bought we walked back to the hostel.
That afternoon I was determined I was going to hunt out the hippos so after lunch Steve and I headed out to the hippo pool. Thankfully I was rewarded with a sighting of a family of hippos. We walked around the lake to get closer to the hippos and thankfully they were still there and the baby hippo was in a playful mood. I was so happy to stand there and watch them and I can now leave Africa happy and Mum doesn't need to worry that I won't be home for Christmas!
By way of an explanation about my fascination of hippos to non-family members reading this. I have had something of an obsession with them since I was about 4. Basically we went on a family day trip to Chester Zoo with Nana and Papa and at the end of the day Tim and I got given 50p each by
Papa. Tim bought a plastic snake and when asked what I was going to get I replied that I was saving to buy a baby hippo - having seen one earlier in the day. In the car home I also turned to my Mum and informed her that we would need to build a pond for when I got my baby hippo. All I can say is that if I can get away with it I will be smuggling a baby hippo home in my bag so Mum and Dad best get a builder in to dig a bigger pond!!
Back to my travels following my digression and once again the weather started to close in so we had to make a quick march back to the hostel and as soon as we arrived the heavens opened. That afternoon the cards came out and Steve and I started to play shithead (he had a few different rules but the basics were the same). We were soon joined by a Dutch couple and a guy from Belgium. Each time someone joined us we all had to agree on the rules. After dinner we had a few more games before I
retired to the dorm to back and get an early night as it was an early start to get the Baz Bus to St Lucia.
Tuesday rolled around and three of us were dropped of at the House on Fire albeit I was the only one going south the others were heading east back to Jo'berg. I actually ended up having the bus entirely to myself till we hit Bushlands where we picked up two girls. I was soon dropped off in St Lucia and my next round of adventures began....
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