Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Travelling day to today - we said goodbye to Swaziland and hello again to South Africa and St Lucia, the second time for this trip so the sights as we arrived were familiar. Our campsite was the Sugarloaf site right by the estuary and the ocean. Sitting in our tent we could hear the waves crashing on the shore.
Without getting ahead of myself I should say that before leaving the Kingdom of Swaziland we passed through the capital, which for a relatively poor country looked very together and quite modern- it had a good road network serving it( the motorway had Chinese investment). The guides shopped for the next two days; while we visited a craft market and topped up our own supplies. The market was typical African, a little ramshackle but with neat stalls and very reasonable prices - the stall holders were mainly women with the odd young man. The crafts ranged from soapstone and wooden carvings, masks, paintings, ethnic materials and shawls and an eclectic mix of jewellery. We bought a really nice ethnic painting of giraffes within a map of Africa painted on cotton fabric, which we will have framed when we get home. We were told to bargain - but when I was told that the painting was 180 rand - I offered 150 and it was readily accepted. It was well worth £10 - both the lady and I were very happy and that's what its all about!
Ten minutes after being stamped out of Swaziland, with pictures of the King (proud husband to 17 wives), his Mother, the power behind the throne, and the Prime Minister on the Immigration office wall and standing in a long queue, in a modern South African building, to get into South Africa we stopped for lunch - a little later than expected @ 2pm - but in the entrance to another big 5 game reserve.
When we arrived in St Lucia the guides started putting up the tents and preparing supper - they are real Trojans and always smiling. We walked along the boardwalk to the beach - there was a great light - the sun had gone down but the full moon was coming up. John spotted a bush baby running through the trees - first one we have seen without using a spotlight.
Back at camp we were amazed to see the tents were all up and the final camp beds were being erected. The campsite all done we sorted ourselves out while dinner was created. Here endeth another day!
(Today's photo is a picture of a protea taken on yesterday's walk)
- comments