Swaziland Here we Come

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Tuesday morning we hitched up the caravan and set off for Swaziland. Andy hadn't towed a caravan for probably about 20 years but he made a good job of it, except of course for the stop signs he missed ('I'll stop twice at the next one'😉 and the speed bumps (STOP!) that snuck up on us when he was admiring the view.

The border crossing was quick and easy – where do they find all those incredibly miserable people – and we were 'asked' if we would like to buy a passport cover for 'widows and orphans'. We wanted to get through the border as quickly as possible so agreed we would take one each, the lady was so shocked she gave us 2 extra free for our 'daughters'.

We eventually arrived at Mlilwane Game Reserve and were pleasantly surprised. The last time we were here was for New Year 14 years ago and there have been a lot of improvements since then. The campsite was new, there were lots of new beehive huts with en-suite bathrooms and there was an extension to the restaurant that looks out over the hippo pool.

Apparently the hippo don't stay there in the summer but the crocs do and we saw a very nice example of one sunbathing on the bank nearby, apparently yesterday he had taken a buck for supper – always yesterday of course!

The campsite was set amidst trees and had a lovely view of the mountains. We had impala, nyala and zebra all walking through the camp. At night we saw a bushbaby in our tree, heard owls and saw bats, it was a lovely place to stay.

We had a horseride in the reserve riding past blesbok, zebra, impala and a crocodile sitting on her nest – mmm. The one hour ride wasn't long enough to cause any serious bruises.

After some very hot weather we had a huge storm on the last night. With the lightning and thunder giving a dramatic show on the mountains opposite us, eventually the rain caught up with us and it forced us inside for the first time. We were a bit worried about getting out the next morning as we were on a dirt track and we thought it might be too muddy for the kombi and caravan. Anyway we packed up early and made out way out, fortunately the roads had drained ok. The drive to Kruger and the border crossings again were smooth, and this time no-one selling passport covers.

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Comments

[Fiona Gilbert]

Sounds as if you are having a really good time. Miserable people are few and far between in India apart from the man in the Post Office of course who sees me coming and knows it's extra work!