Anyway, so we set out very bright and early Saturday morning in an attempt to beat the boarder rush and set ourselves up for a lot of time in Clarens. The boarder beating didn't go so well since it's a holiday weekend and a lot of people were headed out. What was worse was that the drive-through tent to check in to South Africa wasn't open yet, so everyone had to get out and go to the standing que. We aren't quite sure why it takes so much longer to get through the boarder here than other places we've been. Given: we only spent about 30 minutes at the boarder this time, which is comparable to times when we've crossed from the U.S. to Canada. However, when you go from the U.S. to Canada they actually ask you questions and investigate your car. Going into South Africa you are literally waiting for a stamp, which they give you after spending about 30 seconds with your passport. We aren't quite sure of the point. Also, one is required to check out of Lesotho and then check in to South Africa and vice versa every time. As if something spectacular is going to happen in the 50 feet between the two immigration stations...Once we had finished at the boarder, we headed east toward Clarens and arrived around 10:00AM. We had breakfast at one of the multiple, quaint little cafes there and then wandered the town a bit to check out the art shops and specialty tourist shops. Here's a picture of the main drag:
After wandering for several hours, we were feeling the itch, so we opted to head out to the national park that we heard was just 17 kilometers away. We had no idea what to expect, but we figured that we'd give it a try and turn around if there wasn't much to see. Were we ever delighted when this met us at the entrance to Goldengate National Park:
We spent time driving through the park on the main road (me taking tons of pictures, and Jay trying to help the car handle the steep uphill climbs) until we arrived at the Basotho village they have set up as a tourist attraction at the far end. We'd read that the village was staged (the Coke sign at the entrance was a dead give away!), and we're set to go to a real Basotho village next weekend, so we weren't disappointed when there was a wedding being held and tourist activities were basically suspended for the day.
On our way back we decided to stop and get out for a while, but then it started to rain, so we got back in the car and did the driving loops that are laid out for sight seers. The views were amazing! Plus we saw lots of exciting wildlife! Here are pics to prove it! We saw monkeys:
On our way back we decided to stop and get out for a while, but then it started to rain, so we got back in the car and did the driving loops that are laid out for sight seers. The views were amazing! Plus we saw lots of exciting wildlife! Here are pics to prove it! We saw monkeys:
Zebras:
White-tailed wildebeests:
Springboks:
And cranes:
We also saw other types of birds, but they were far too fast for us to capture on film! Many of the birds have amazing coloring, and they really catch your eye when they flutter past. All-in-all, it was an impressive array of wildlife!
Having hung out in the park for several hours and not having any sense of what sorts of hiking was available or how long the trails were (the check-in station was not quite as tourist-friendly as it could have been, but we also didn't get charged to go in, so we weren't that upset!), we decided to head back home.
On our way back we noticed that there was a lot of smoke coming from an area close to the road not too far up ahead, and when we arrived at the area it turned out that there was a large fire burning right near a medium-sized town! While there seemed to be some people hanging around a house that was very, very close to the fire, the road was not blocked and there were pedestrians walking right past! We were shocked! Jay drove quickly while I thought of what we would do if our car caught fire as we drove...it was bonkers! Here's a picture:
Having hung out in the park for several hours and not having any sense of what sorts of hiking was available or how long the trails were (the check-in station was not quite as tourist-friendly as it could have been, but we also didn't get charged to go in, so we weren't that upset!), we decided to head back home.
On our way back we noticed that there was a lot of smoke coming from an area close to the road not too far up ahead, and when we arrived at the area it turned out that there was a large fire burning right near a medium-sized town! While there seemed to be some people hanging around a house that was very, very close to the fire, the road was not blocked and there were pedestrians walking right past! We were shocked! Jay drove quickly while I thought of what we would do if our car caught fire as we drove...it was bonkers! Here's a picture:
The fence posts are about 5 feet from the road, and this was just one part of the fire, which stretched for a good 3-4 miles. The best we could tell, it must have been set by lightening (it was a stormy day), and this must happen every once in a while since people didn't seem very concerned. It reminded me why we need to keep bugging the woman who helps us with household needs to replace the fire extinguisher in our kitchen (which expired in 1989)...
Also on our way back, we got stopped by South African policemen who were upset that our license plates weren't attached. Funny that they should have time to stop people whose license plates aren't attached when there's a large fire burning not far away!! We explained that we have no way to drill holes in the plates to get them attached, but that we intended to ask the maintenance guys at school to help us. They asked Jay for his driver's license and laughed at the weight and height numbers (they think in metric here, so a number over 100 is a real shocker). They asked us several times where we were from (they were baffled when we said that we were living in Maseru), and then sent us on our way with a warning. We were surprised that we didn't have to pay them a bribe, since that is the norm in this area, but we were glad that the meeting was very uneventful. We're quite certain that our skin color, nationality, and job descriptions went a long way right in that moment...
So that's the story of yesterday! We're glad to have a few more days off (school's back on Tuesday), and we're excited to be going to Morija for Sesotho culture and language weekend on Friday. We'll let you know how it goes! Until then...
Also on our way back, we got stopped by South African policemen who were upset that our license plates weren't attached. Funny that they should have time to stop people whose license plates aren't attached when there's a large fire burning not far away!! We explained that we have no way to drill holes in the plates to get them attached, but that we intended to ask the maintenance guys at school to help us. They asked Jay for his driver's license and laughed at the weight and height numbers (they think in metric here, so a number over 100 is a real shocker). They asked us several times where we were from (they were baffled when we said that we were living in Maseru), and then sent us on our way with a warning. We were surprised that we didn't have to pay them a bribe, since that is the norm in this area, but we were glad that the meeting was very uneventful. We're quite certain that our skin color, nationality, and job descriptions went a long way right in that moment...
So that's the story of yesterday! We're glad to have a few more days off (school's back on Tuesday), and we're excited to be going to Morija for Sesotho culture and language weekend on Friday. We'll let you know how it goes! Until then...
