Date of Entry: November 30th 2016

Date of Writing: April 26th 2017

I leave Bloemfontein early, despite being advised by several richer South Africans that this route is not exactly safe, especially because the minibus station is in a quote “black”  part of town.  Nevertheless I’m set on heading to Lesotho and this is the only way bar a very expensive private taxi, so my new friend who rents apartments in Bloemfontein drives me down to the minibus station by 6 am and leaves me there.  The only bus to the Maseru border usually leaves around 6 o’clock, though today it ended up being more like 7.

As usual with travel all the warnings seem needless and a smile goes a long way as I get to making multiple friends hanging out at the mini bus station until about 730 when the little white minivan finally leaves, packed full of locals and then me.  It’s a very cramped fit, but somehow I end up sleeping for most of the just over two hour ride to the border.

From there I hope out and follow the crowd, everyone eager to point me in the right direction until I get to line.  It’s a fairly brief 10 minute wait to get stamped out of South Africa, and then a quick jaunt across the bridge and another slightly longer wait in line and a stamp in, where I luckily convince the friendly customs worker to stamp in a small crease as my passport is getting dangerously full, to the point where I almost considered not coming here.  I have to get back into and out of South Africa, into and out of Brazil, and transit through the US and back home to Canada before getting my new one at christmas.

Once I have the stamp I walk out of the border building and then am bombarded by people selling sim cards and everything else.  I ask one of them to point me in the direction of a collectivo to the centre of Maseru, Lesotho’s capital city which has only about 253,000 people in it.  I find one and pay about 10 rand for the 20 minute ride in a crowded beaten up car.  The roads are rough but we make it to the crazy hectic crowded market place of Lesotho’s capital.

I climb out with my bags and ask a few people before finally finding an old man who leads me through the chaos of a few blocks of the crazy market place to the collectivo station, a huge dirt square covered in minivans.  He leads me straight to the one bound for Semonkong a small mountain town some 3 to 4 hours away from the capital.

I give the old man a few coins as thanks as he disappears back into the crowd and hand my big bag to one of the van drivers before being herded into the back corner of the van bound for Semonkong.  About 15 minutes later it’s full and we’re off.  There’s also a state bus which leaves twice a day and takes longer but is more comfy, because this one is hard, I cant hold my head straight thanks to the speaker above my ear and I’m glad the driver drives fast. I can’t remember the specific cost but it was less than 50 rand/ or Lesotho dollars which are worth the same and accepted in the same way as the South African rand.

The drive is beautiful, winding through rocky rolling mountainous terrain past lots of tiny little villages which look immensely traditional.  Okay my body is so stiff by the time we get there I can barely move, but still I enjoyed the winding rough ride.  I hop out in the village of Semonkong, which turns out to be a mistake as the minibus goes all the way to Seomonkong Lodge, which is definitely the place to stay here. The main attraction of this tiny town is Maletsuyane falls a huge waterfall and Semonkong lodge runs tours to it, as well as operating the tallest commercial ab-sail in the world down beside it. Sadly I don’t have the guts.

Having disembarked early I follow the signs for the lodge and walk the 15 minutes or so through the town getting lots of friendly waves form the locals.  The people in Lesotho are insanely friendly.

The lodge is great and has beautiful rustic dorms with fireplaces in case you get cold.  And the restaurant is expensive but delicious.  It’s an idyllic property and an incredible place to stay if you’re ever in Lesotho. And in the next entry we’ll get to the waterfall and the pictures.