Week 55: Lesotho

 For week two of my sister’s adventure we got a car and headed down to Lesotho for some hiking and breath taking scenery, and we were not disappointed. Lesotho is a land-locked country surrounded by South Africa and known as the Mountain Kingdom. It took us roughly 8 hours to get there which was the perfect amount of time for a well rounded sing along as well as plenty of fun car treats. Due to well-marked roads in South Africa the driving went off without a hitch until we arrived in the capital of Lesotho and only roughly knew the name of the B&B we were staying at. An hour and half later after combing the streets of Lesotho, making friends with passersby in the hopes of using them for their directional savvy, we arrived at our destination. This method of travel made us all the more excited for the little things such as a roof over our heads as well as a much better understanding of Maseru, then I dare say some locals have. We had definitely entered the Mountain Kingdom and wholly enjoyed the electric blankets and hot showers.

Then it was on to Malealea Lodge, which is only 60k from the capital but pleasantly tucked away off gravel roads, through “The Gates of Paradise”, and nestled into a picturesque valley. The Malealea community has a Peace Corps Volunteer and I have been in PC long enough to know that their life is far from idyllic, but simply being a traveler at Malealea I was enamored with the place. We spent our time hiking, pony trekking, reading, and watching the peacocks (okay mostly just watching the peacocks, but they were so fun to watch). On our last day at Malealea we woke up to snow!  Since I was not the one driving nor going back to a country where it snows, this was the best possible send off.