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:

Ponta d'Ouro

Back to back road trips. Weekend after Inhambane, went down to the very southeastern tip of Mozambique to a place called Ponta d'Ouro. Five of us volunteer consultants from the Maputo Technoserve office plus one from the Joburg office rented a couple cars and did the 3.5 - 4.5 hour drive last Friday to meet four additional people coming from the Swaziland office. We had hoped to get real 4x4s because the road to Ponta gets really sandy closer to the town, but all they had were these Mitsubishi Pajero Juniors. Emphasis on Juniors. They did technically have 4 wheel drive, but their engines and clearance were closer to that of a golf cart than an F-150 I think it's fair to say. Not surprisingly we got stuck in the sand a number of times, having to get passersby to help push and one time to tow us out. Soon we realized the key to driving in sand is to just keep moving or else your tires sink in. This pretty much worked, but basically meant we had to drive at high speed often over 2 feet high bumps and swells in the road. Have to say, though, once I got used to it, it was pretty fun. I felt like a rally car driver. My passengers probably had a slightly less fun experience.

Once we got there, I think we all felt the beach and surroundings of Ponta lived up to the billing. Great beaches, good diving and dolphins about in the water, beautiful roadside scenery coming into and leaving town. It's typically a popular holiday destination for South Africans because it's so near the border, but when we were there it was thankfully not too overrun. We also rented a 10-person house for our group, definitely the way to do it.

Alright...last post for a while. Headed back up to Pemba and the Quirimbas to see my client again and to start getting a little more concrete on the development plan for his concession. This time around, I'm hoping to visit the historic Ibo Island, which is next door to Quirimba. Full report in a week or so...