Weekend in Swazi

Okay...I admit I'm back in the States now, but have a few more posts that I had meaning to put up but didn't have a connection or enough time before...so I'll just pretend like I'm still blogging from the bush....

My last weekend in Africa, a few of us decided to take a road trip from Johannesburg to Swaziland. We all had friends living in the capital, Mbabane, and it was just a 3.5 hr drive on good roads, so was a pretty easy trip to do, and glad we did because Swazi has definitely a very different feel from what I became used to in Mozambique and from what you'd typically think of Africa. Mostly the reason for this is because it's mountainous and generally a lot cooler--in fact it was downright freezing when we were there. It's a monarchy, and has some interesting customs associated with the king and royal family. It also has an astounding 40%+ HIV/AIDS infection rate...one of the highest in the world.

We only had two full days there--the first evening we went to a brai (African barbecue) and then to one of the only big music/night clubs around, House on Fire. It's a really cool place with multiple levels, sections and great live entertainment. The night we were there they had a Brazilian samba/dance band and one of the top DJs in southern Africa, DJ Fresh, so practically all the nightlife seekers in Swazi and even some from South Africa come out that night to check it out. A sidenote--every patron had to buy two packs of condoms to gain admission. Although Swaziland has a big AIDS problem, there is a pretty good effort to raise awareness and address the issue, which hasn't always been the case for other countries in the region.

The next day, we did a bit of touristy stuff--had a traditional Swazi lunch at Matenga falls...












...and checked out a cheesy but entertaining tribal song & dance routine, including a rendition of The Lion Sleeps Tonight, I kid you not:



Before we knew it, time to drive back to Joburg--the Swazi road trip crew from left to right...Tiffany (American TechnoServe Joburg-based volunteer), Sbonelo (friend living and working in Joburg; schooled in Swaziland and New Mexico through an Int'l Baccalaureate program), Me, Eneza (friend living and working in Tanzania; also schooled in IB programs w/ Sbo), Brian (American TNS Mbabane-based volunteer consultant), Tiffany again, Me again: