Swaziland

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Swaziland is a 6 hour drive North West of Durban, the border is a totally different experience to Lesotho. There are no shacks in site, just monstrous new buidlings and lots of officials and police. Hawkins manages to annoy three of them, so I worry we may not be allowed in. First he decides to stop 500m from the junction so a police man tells him it's an offence to park in the middle of the road, they don't know that Hawkins has some weird phobia of stopping close to cars, traffic lights, junctions... Next he pulls up next to another police man, and uses his multi tasking skills to close the window in his face rather than open it wider, this has already been a problem at all toll booths where he can't open the window and drive, it usually involved locking and unlocking the doors a few times, opening my window and occasionally putting the windscreen wipers on! Once Hawkins opens the window, he greets the police man in his overly cheery camp manner, this annoys him even more, he's not sure if Hawkins is trying to pull him or is making fun of him. Finally we make it through the border to then be pulled over for a car check, after many walks around the van they finally find something to fine us for, one of the side light bulbs has gone. 40Rand 😞

Swaziland has good tarmac roads and we travel up from the South to Malkerns Valley. Michelle has recommended a restaurant so we find a hostel which lets us sleep in the car park for only 50rand, then go out for dinner. Once again the sat nav takes us down a dodgy road so we find an alternative route to avoid destroying the van completely this time.
This town is known for its crafts and we go crazy in a place mat shop, sounds insane but the quality was really good for very reasonable prices, also styled in a western manner. Usually many crafts are well made but of a style that you would never want in your house, however skillful.
Hlana Park is just over an hour's drive to the East, we arrive in time for an afternoon game drive. Not what I expected from previous park and safari trips, the whole place is caged in, and the lions are in a smaller enclosed area, more like a large zoo... We still don't manage to see any lions, but we do see an elephant and some birds including an African Hoopoe. The best viewing is back at reception where we stop for a burger, there is a lake behind the electric fences which is home to many hippos and attracts about 10 white rhinos. Amazing sights while having a late lunch.
The hostel claims to have a shabeen, illegal drinking establishment, but it's a quiet night so we watch the Holland Uruguay game in a local pub. When we return the police are in the car park, we assume they are doing a random check, but it turns out they are in the shabeen where they have been watching the football!!
Leaving Swaziland, at the crack of dawn the next day, is much smoother, I drive the van and ban Hawkins from talking to any officials, we have no problems at all and no fines, phew!

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