Swaziland

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I drove to Swaziland with Meke and Irena.....Meke almost drove through the border without stopping before a uniformed man with a gun halted "stop!". Passing through the border was simple and we drove very slowly (they take speeding in Swaziland very seriously) to Matsapha where we stayed at The Swaziland Backpackers (highly recommend this place!!). There were a great many other travelers staying there so I was able to swap stories and tips on traveling.

The following day Meke, Irene and I (along with a wacky Irish dude) went quadding (4-wheel motorcycle riding) up in the hills surrounding Matsapha. We stopped to visit a few families and took swim at a waterfall. I even had a wicked accident when I inadvertantly crashed into Irene's quad and I flipped over my quad's handlebars. No injuries luckily.

I spent another day shooting the rapids of the Usuthu River. The rafts were two-person boats and I was paired with a young girl from Boston. We manged to make it through all of the rapids except the last series which was class 5. Our raft immediately flipped on the first rapid of the series and I had to hold onto my partner as she began to cry and scream. One pair of English students on the trip did not want to try the series so I climbed up the rocks and tried it again with a young English student as my partner. Once again I fell from the raft as he made it all the way through. Unfortunately I did not get a copy of the photos from the rafting trip.

A group of people from the backpackers went out dancing one night at a local outdoor club named Muubu Falls. We of course were the only white people and the locals loved it. Many of the local men immediately tried to rub, grab and hold onto the women in our group...but the girls did a good job of fending them off. In all, the night was filled with dancing, laughing and good music.

Back at the backpackers, I finally made an attempt to learn Poi (traditional Maori dance prop from New Zealand). I was able to get past the first two movements before I headed off to Mozambique. It is hard to explain what poi is so I offer this link for those who want to know: http://www.homeofpoi.com/articles/History_of_Poi_NewZealand.php

My last day in Swaziland, a few of us visited a few local shops. One of the shops was a candle manufacturer (Swazi-Candles) where they make wonderfully colorful candles in the shapes of safari animals. At another they made large paintings using wax and dyes on special fabrics.

As Meke and Irene are heading back to South Africa, I am off to Mozambique with Judith, a tall Dutch woman (over 6 feet tall). Our first stop will be Maputo.

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Photos

Quad-ing Around
Irene, Meke and I rented quad bikes to tour around the mountains of Swaziland.

Goo-Goo for Googles
This boy was fascinated by my googles. He ran off with them and kept them on for the entire hour we visited his family.

Home Cookin'
The house we visited has the mother making us some local poridge.

Mother with Children
We stopped at another home for some lunch and a mother with two children were relaxing on a mat.

Puddle of Mud
I race my quad bike through a puddle in the road.

Children at Play
Our last stop of the quad adventure was a Medicine Man's house. Here his kids play in their yard.

Local Kids
As we drove on the dirt roads, we passed a group of children sitting on the side of the road.

Muubu Falls Dancing
My friend Lettie shakes it up on the dance floor.

Candle Making
I visited a candle making shop in Swaziland and here a guy is making a hippo candle.

Swazi-Art
At this shop the lady is making a large painting using waxes and multi-layed cloths. I purchased the large piece behind her.