Blogs from Swaziland, Africa - page 9

We split the day between Kruger in the morning and Swaziland in the afternoon. Myths abound regarding Swaziland, so I will place information on here that I think is the best characterization of how things are. There is just not much happening in Swaziland. It is a mountainous country, at least in the west end. The country's real claim to fame is that at LEAST 30% of the population has HIV. "At least" because that is the percentage of the sample of the million population that has been identified as such but it is likely the number is much higher. The African Experience Ah yes, people walking on the highway, people wearing random items of clothing, but nothing beats the African bureaucrat. We got our taste, without issue, at the Kingdom of Swaziland's Jeppe's Reef border ... read more

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 ... read more

With Mbabane offering nothing in the way of information or things to do, I decamp to the nearby Ezulwini Valley. The valley is home to the Swazi royal family and features a mountain that apparently inspired the "Sheba's Breasts" in Rider Haggard's "King Solomon's Mines". A further nod to Rider Haggard is in the fact that one of the nearby restaurants is called Quatermain's. My days in Ezulwini see a climate shift from cold and cloudy to sunny and absolutely roasting - the latter is apparently more seasonal. Having heard about a hostel with a swimming pool in Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, I head there for a few days (blogged separately). Within 24 hours of returning, it's cold and grey again. The $1000+ I spent on safaris in East Africa sadly didn't qualify me for a black ... read more

Crossing from Mozambique to Swaziland is textbook, an efficient but dull sequence of good roads, empty border checkpoints, then even better roads. Though I'm dropped at Manzini and have to take another minibus to reach Mbabane, Swaziland's capital, it's barely midday when I arrive. Mbabane is like being back in England, and I can't imagine just how it ended up being twinned with Fort Worth in Texas. It's cold, dull and misty, and there is a shop just like WH Smith's from where I purchase a copy of the Economist, and could even have had Q if I was so inclined. King Pie sells me a couple of steak and kidney pies and the sounds of English are everywhere. I'm cautious about this sudden familiarity - it feels uncomfortably as though I've gone forward in time ... read more

I have finally made it to Swaziland!! Yesterday proved to be amazingly relaxing mainly due to the fact I woke up with a horrible cold and found the thought of sightseeing to be too much like hard work. I had a lie in and a leisurley breakfast and then asked in reception about my Swaziland trip. I was told there was no further news but maybe my pitiful sniffles did the trick as the second time I asked I was told everything had been organised. I spent most of the day shuffling around my room and the public lounge. I did walk to the supermarket for food but it was an uneventful trip as I now know the way and know not to trust the little green man! For the rest of the day I lounged ... read more