Up the sacred mountain....

What a day it has been. I was awake early with the sun streaming into my room and I couldn't go back to sleep. I was hoping it would be a nice day to climb the mountain which is one of the most important sites in Lesotho, the place where Basutoland first started. The tribes were attached by the Boersema and the zulus and retreated up a mountain which had only 3 ways up. They guarded the  entrances carefully and the zulus and the boers gave up and said, stay up there then. There king moshoeshoe prounounced mush sway sway made the laws of the land including putting an end to cannibalism. This was mid 19th century when the people still wore animal skin cloth and carried spears....amazing when you think how relatively civilised we were at that time. The mountain is not a difficult climb and in fact I was amazed to find a new pathway had been constructed complete with handrail all the way up....the younger members of the party along with Bryan went up the short way....straight up but steve, Anita and me along with the two little ones took the easier route, slightly linger but less dramatic, it was hot but there was a good breeze and some cloud cover. Just as well as Nell had forgotten to apply sun cream and tonight she resembled a lobster!  On top we walked to see the qiloane mountain which is )3 shape of a Basotho hat and is in in fact the mountain the hat is crafted after, also the royal cemetery where all members of the Royal family are buried. Including their many wives....and the old dwellings that still remain from the. Dry early days when the Basotho people lived up there.   We looked down on Sentebale where we had been yesterday. Having walked quite a way and seen some beautiful butterflies and a few lizards, I was actually overtaken by one, we began our descent and had a picnic at the little picnic area at the bottom, complete with long drop toilets, the first ones we have come across n this visit.

Mercy, Bryan and Anita's biological youngest stayed with us and the rest of the family left as we went into the cultural village where there is now a very informative museum about the history of Lesotho as well as many different rondevals ...the round houses...which you can go in and enjoy. Having seen everything and having a quick drink as well as meeting some Irish students who were also visiting, we set off home and dropped mercy home, saying our goodbyes. I hope we won't see the Geurink family in Lesotho again, because they really want to get home but have to wait for paperwork for their adopted children but I feel sure we will meet again on one side of the pond for other. They are actually only about a five hour drive from where emma has moved to so that is very convenient. We did a bit of last minute shopping and then came home and packed and did a bit of a sort out. We decided on fish and chips for supper to save washing up and went into town to Jimmys killer fish and chip ship. There we had hake and chips in varying portion sizes and Fred had prawns and chips. It wasn't what you would call fast food but we had a pleasant time sitting outside waiting for it and watching the sun set. As we were leaving beautiful Gate one of the maintenance men jumped in our driveway for a lift so we took him Home first over one of the high roads which enabled us to get some beautiful sunset pictures. Supper over we headed home o key to find that the security guard had disappeared and we couldn't get in. We waited five minutes and sounded th horn and the emergency siren but nothing. Funnily enough I could get wifi at the gate and I started getting messages from the American volunteers to say they had no power could they come to us so I was able to message them back to say we were stuck outside. Eventually they came to rescue us with the spare key, there are only two Gate buzzers, the security guard has one and fortunately  there is a spare one kept in one of the children's houses . The security company really is pretty hopeless, that's the second time that has happened.

Anyway as it turned out, one of the Americans, the Dutch volunteer and the other English volunteer all came to our house for the rest of the evening and we had fun playing games and chatting together. It was a good way to spend our last evening.

 It is incredibly hot tonight and once again the fan is on. Nell is moaning about her sunburn, I am feeling smug because I remembered to apply sun cream, and we are leaving tomorrow at bout 9. I have no idea if I will have wifi tomorrow night so if I don't publish a blog, don't panic . We are driving up through Lesotho to a little town called Clarens not far over the northern border. We have a little B and B booked and form there we will drive on Monday up to Johannesburg. I will be sad to leave tomorrow, I always am but I will see Bryan in England in 2 weeks time, so that makes it easier.

I will definitely complete my blogs soon, so don't give up yet.

This time next week I will have spent the day in Dorset And will have celebrated a friend's. Irthdy party and this will all seem a long way off. Friends are telling me it is getting warmer in England so that is encouraging.

Your prayers for safe travel tomorrow and Monday are appreciated.

See you soon.

Love

Jenny x