My Penultimate Working Week!

As time is passing by, I’m beginning to sense that my Lesotho experience is getting closer to the end. However in my usual way I’m trying to make the most of it and have had yet another busy week to remember.

At work I have been working closely with the web developer to try and ensure that the content I developed for the website is going up and all in place – it would be nice to have this done before I leave. I’m also trying to tidy up the other bits of work like the communications plan and strategic plan in time for my final day on the 15^th of March.

Last week, on Tuesday I played football at the kick 4 life centre (amazing work they are undertaking up on this project education through sport), and I think it’s safe to say that out 5 a side team which included myself and John (another Welshman on the ILO initiative) as well as my Cameroonian friend Robert a South African and a , was clearly the best.  It was amazing playing on the hill, looking across the valley to the lightning flashes, though I wish I could say the same for my playing – rusty wasn’t the word, decent in the link up play, very poor finishing…never mind  - a knock to the ankle didn’t help matters. After the match I went to a friends house for a tasty curry and watched the Man Utd vs Real Madrid game before heading home for bed.

The rest of the week was fairly quiet and I wasn’t very well, so a half day Thursday and a day off Friday were taken to recharge my batteries which thankfully left me feeling much better. Friday night was the leaving do of a friend Danny, so we gathered at his after food to catch up, the non-drinking policy a part of my recovery and sensible approach, yes I am capable of being sensible when needed….

Then early on Saturday I headed to the highlands of Semonkong ‘the place of smoke’ with John, Vanessa, Stephanie and Fadi, the journey may only be around a 130km, but the roads can be tough going (it’s a good time to go as the Monday is a bank holiday – the King’s birthday!). Thankfully we were in good spirits and enjoying the stunning scenery as we passed through Roma, Ramabanta and then up towards Semonkong. However on one of the many steep bumpy hills there was a huge truck that had lost control and jack-knifed across most of the road, the only passing point was a modest yet fairly narrow part of the road on the outer edge, we all left the 4x4 and Fadi did a great job of getting it around and up the hill.  The many ditches, divets and general parts of the road that had been taken away made the journey funny, bumpy, yet comical – John in particular was having more of a fairground experience in the back than that of a drive. The rewards of the drive were huge, each corner turned opened up a new spectacle, stunning views, cows across the road, suicidal goats chancing it…and pretty much anything you could imagine. I don’t know how people could do this route in winter!!

We finally arrived at Semonkong 2 hours and 45 minutes later. Well worth the effort. We immediately had to sign in and unpack the vehicle in time to sign up for the abseil (training has to undertaken the day before) we were soon perched above the small cliff (30 metres up) and being talked through the safety equipment and procedures.  The local guys were great as we did our 3 separate practice runs, John and then Fadi deciding that the abseil wasn’t for them. For me though it’s a personal challenge on a huge scale, heights are not generally something I cope with very well.

Now when I say abseil, the abseil I signed up for in the world’s largest commercial abseil at 204 metres high down the edge of a waterfall, so pretty epic stuff for a novice like me. The rest of the day was spent chilling and just enjoying the tranquillity of the countryside, whilst Fadi and John when on the Donkey pub crawl around the village.

The pool table at the bar soon became my place of residence at only 2 Rand a game (13.7 Rand to 1 Pound) it was ideal, and overall remaining unbeaten for the entire day and night was a great feeling! He-he. The evening meal was also amazing, a real treat – a steak!! And a good quality one at that, I have been missing food like this. The creamy butternut squash soup that preceded it was also delicious. Heading back to the dorm at the end of the night, tired yet happy was a great feeling.

The early wake up call, at 7:20am, a quick wash and then hit the road, Banana for breakfast in hand. The truck ride to the top of the falls was great, seriously bumpy, blaring Basotho music – fun times! The adrenalin and seriousness of my decision soon kicked in when I saw the height of the falls – adrenalin rush galore. In the group around me I could also sense the trepidation kicking in, joking around and keeping positive I tried to keep the morale high, even more breath taking scenery all around. When we arrived at the point, we put on the safety gear and then relaxed (tried to at least) as the girls all got ready to go first (the friction of the rope as it gets wetter makes it more difficult to go down, so as the girls were lighter it made more sense for them to go first). However it takes each person roughly 10-15 mins to descend, so as everyone stepped off the edge I waited two hours for my turn.

Then finally it was upon me, the 7^th person to go off. I can honestly say that I was beyond nervous; however, not doing it wasn’t an option – time to bite the bullet! The sheer expose to that magnitude of height and open space was enormous. The step off the ledge really tough especially as the first 30 metres or so your feet don’t touch the rock you are just sat there suspended in mid air, and then you start to spin, the views are staggering, but the look down to the tiny dots of people at the bottom kind of took away the appreciation, wow this is high up! Mentally I just talked myself through it, slowly, slowly – one foot and one pull of the rope after the other progress was good.  Soon enough I was in the groove, and pulled out my camera for a picture – deep breath, look calm I said to myself. As the abseil continued the enjoyment was there, but the desire to have my feet on terra firma was definitely something I was looking forward to. The spray of the waterfall near the bottom was refreshing, yet makes the rocks all wet and slippery, controlling mainly with the hands to feed the rope through was the only option. I finally land and then the team member at the bottom helps me to the ground to unclip. The walk along the slippery rocks away from the landing spot is almost as tricky as the final part of the descent.  

Finally I make it up to the group and I can relax, have a drink and watch the final two come down. Only seeing them allows you to see the true perspective of the size of the abseil, they are ants barely 1/100^th the size of the drop. So happy I made it!

The ascent up through the valley also delights. It is truly wonderful, some of the most stunning views I have ever seen, like a super mini grand canyon. The hike up is hard as the heat of the midday sun has arrived and its steep narrow paths require intense concentration. We climb steadily and after 30-40 mins we are finally out of the valley, looking down at all its splendour.  We travel back, everyone having completed it in good spirits, yet tired. We arrive back and have food before embarking on a lazy afternoon.  John and Fadi go off to enjoy the pubs on their donkeys – they return in good spirits and full of laughter.

The evening meal this time is a veg soup followed by some tasty lamb chops. We then spend the night relaxed at the bar before retreating to Fadi’s patio – we sit outside, a glass of rum in hand and look up at the milky way and all the stars in the sky wrapped in our blankets– I must have seen at least 7 shooting stars and make plenty of wishes.  A magical evening in good company!

The following day John and Vanessa walk to the waterfall and Steph and Fadi take the horses, I relax a read my book and have a few interesting chats with some visitors.

They all return, we have lunch and hit the road. The journey back is as stunning as the one there, and we make good progress – arriving home I put my feet up and relax.

My final working week ahead!

St David's Day and Malealea

Another working week has come and gone as time seems to be flying. The website is slowly moving forward as we update the current content. My main duties for this week will be to write up a report of the work I have done and prepare a presentation for the board here highlighting key areas of the work that is done and recommendation on how it can be improved.

On Thursday night – the schedule was busy, after work I headed out with some friends to a book swap event at the house of a Dutch couple who have lived here for some years, this rush was then followed by a dash to the Alliance Francaise in town to watch a French film “J’aime regarder les filles” – a comedy and enjoyable enough if you get the chance to see it. We then set off to the “Good Times” bar for a few drinks and a boogie with friends.

I hope you all had a great St Davids Day / Dydd Gwyl Dewi (the National day of Wales).  I think I probably had the most surreal yet absolutely brilliant St Davids Day I will possibly ever have.

Having worked for a few hours in the morning, I headed to Matsieng with my friend Ellie. Polly who is also on the Welsh Government programme is based there and was invited to a local school, St Louis to celebrate St Davids with them – having told them she had friends from Wales, we were all invited – though unsure about what we were letting ourselves in for we set off. The heavy rain and thunder followed us most of the way – but within the hour we had arrived and were stood in the office waiting for proceedings to begin.

Soon enough we were ushered into the main hall – guests of honour at the celebration, the first thing I see is a girl dressed in full Welsh traditional outfit, what!!? Yes very random and certainly not what I was expecting. Though she seemed very happy a great big smile across her face. We then sit down and proceedings are soon underway.

The way they are celebrating St David’s here is by getting the children to showcase dances that represent the tribal groups of Lesotho – dance after dance, some just a dance, whilst other groups backed by choirs and drums, we sit at watch as if some judges on Britain’s got talent – only these kids have serious talent. Fantastic outfits, colours and dance and some of the singing really moving stuff and an absolute pleasure to watch, great stuff! It would be great to see these performances at the International Eisteddfod in Llangollen.

We are then whisked off for food – the teachers have all made dishes – stunning and delicious, the pumpkin, chicken and variety of traditional dishes, something to really savour. (Thanks for sorting this Polly!!) a unique experience and insight into Basotho culture.

We then head up to the Royal Archives where Polly works, a beautiful setting on top of the hill opposite the Royal Palace. The rondavel huts on the hill used to represent a home for each wife of the King; today’s modern King (who studied at both Bristol and Cambridge Uni) only has one wife so these have become part of history, the building nearby is Lesotho’s first Post Office, still fully functional. We’re are greeted by Polly’s colleague and begin a short tour, before we are interrupted – the King has arrived with a friend and bodyguards and to look at the progress the project is making. Time to make haste, we need to get to Malealea lodge before it gets too late, as we wait the cold chill and rain remind me of Wales – this is the first time I have felt cold since I arrived.

The journey to Malealea ends up being quite the adventure, and we laugh at the craziness of it all.

Finally we begin to climb up to the gates of paradise as you get closer to the lodge and village – the scenery is stunning, beautiful hills and valleys stretch for as far as the eye can see. It’s great to escape the city.

We arrive, grab our bags and head for our accommodation – drop the bags, then head for a deserved beer! Iechyd da!! The silence and relaxed nature of the lodge is fantastic. We then head to the kitchen area to cook our food.

Saturday morning and we’re up at a reasonable hour after a good night’s sleep, Polly and El head off to get their horses for the trek, however my back is pretty sore so I decide to trek it – a 5 hour trip to see some ancient cave drawings and then to the waterfall. My guide is 18 years old and called Tseipo, he lives locally in the village and has lived here his entire life. We set off down the valley and I ask him about life here – he tells me he lives with his sister, his mother works in South Africa and sends money home and hid father passed away some years ago…the reality of life in a remote village in Lesotho.

We have a good rapport, and he’s happy to walk fast so good news for me. We stop at the first village and he explains the system of chiefs that exists in the area and how it all works. We then continue further down towards the river and follow it towards the ravine. We arrive ahead of the horses and wait for them before we scramble down towards the paintings – some as new as 400 years ago, others deemed to be between 5-8,000 years old…Polly provides excellent insight into the paintings and how the compare with others she’s seen worldwide, meanwhile El’s geological knowledge gives an insight into the landscape features. After scrambling back and forth to the various caves we head back up and set off on the next adventure – to the waterfall. On foot we follow the river, crossing back and forth, jumping from rock to rock – it reminds me of crossing rivers in Snowdonia, though the 30+ degrees heat doesn’t! J

After a couple of hours we arrive at the waterfall, no sing of anyone else but us. We stop for lunch and sit in silence, with only the noise of the waterfall – a great place to sit, think and relax. I go for a paddle, then eat my lunch, and finally the girls arrive. I wait for them as they paddle as their arrival has prompted the arrival of a very small crowd of young men. They are soon out of the water and I turn back with Tseipo, heading down river.  We race along the river bed, until I’m in the water that is, a thoroughly soaked foot and laughter for my efforts. We then share a snack bar as the heat is energy sapping.

Another hour passes as we turn up the ridge towards the lodge, we are there and I tip Tseipo, thanking him for his patience. My friends have also arrived at the Lodge, a good bunch – we head for a nice refreshing beer at the bar. We relax and order dinner, as it begins to get later a choir sing on the lawn of the lodge, followed by a local ‘funky’ band using handmade instruments – the ambience is great and we sit back and enjoy. Soon enough it’s time for food, the t-bone steak and potatoes and pumpkin are pretty tasty. The chocolate cake and hot custard afterwards also hit the spot.

We then head to the communal kitchen lounge area with our rum and coke and pass the night away in good company playing charades! Great fun – my friend, Reinko’s interpretation of ‘Tinkerbell’ was a highlight.

The morning brings with it a slightly sore head, but not too bad, the amazing views and a dip in the swimming pool are great tonic for this. A nice lazy day, playing Frisbee, relaxing poolside, drinks and music….all is well apart from the fact that I forget to cover my feet in sun cream and end up toasting them – not for the first time in my life, d’oh!!

As the day draws to and end we finally pay up and leave, head up the dirt track and back to Maseru, a short stop at the gates of paradise with the sun going down caps it all off perfectly. Good company, good adventures, fun times and a relax!