LAST WEEKEND: From Matt’s previous blog you may have gathered that I survived a little adventure of my own the weekend before last when Jeepy decided to conk out far from anywhere and with little in the way of roadside assistance. It probably serves me right for leaving a poorly Matt back in Maseru. Luckily I wasn’t alone and many people did stop to enquire about what the problem was and offer help. The local children even offered me some donkeys and cows as an exchange...I was pretty tempted that’s for sure! But I politely declined (knowing that Matt would never forgive me) and after 3 hours and a new battery (and empty wallet) Jeepy was back on the road and we made it to Tsehlanyane national park. This park reserve is about 3 hours North of Maseru and is a lush wilderness where you can hike, pony trek or just have a BBQ and enjoy the surroundings. It was beautiful, but only the briefest of visits so we will definitely be going back to explore it some more.
THIS WEEKEND: Having been in Maseru for 2 weekends on the trot Matt had itchy feet to get away into the mountains again. We decided to head back to Malealea for some rest and relaxation and a bit of hiking. Helen joined us and we set off on Saturday afternoon. On Friday night it had rained a lot in the city so we were dubious about the weather for the weekend but we needn’t have worried as it was glorious sunshine and rich blue skies from start to finish...perfect!
We arrived at the lodge and discovered it was slightly busier than our last visit 6 weeks ago when we had been some of the only guests. It is such a spacious, relaxed place that it doesn’t really matter if it’s busy or not as everyone is off doing their own thing (hiking, pony trekking) and only come together in the evening for a communal dinner.
After a late afternoon stroll we had a pretty intensive hour of activity at the table tennis table...phew. This was followed by a much needed cool beer overlooking the blue mountains. After dinner we had several fun hours of cards and beer and chat accompanied by some rather interesting songs round the camp fire. Luckily our hut was far away from the main area so the singing did not disturb sleeping!
On Sunday, we donned our walking boots and headed out through Malealea village and down sandstone outcrops to the river at the valley bottom. Weeping willows and lovely hollowed out rocks made perfect resting stops along the way. There are so many routes to take and beautiful views that there is plenty more exploring to be done.
Besides the fun stuff, on the work front I received some good news on Friday via Matt’s consultant that the Ministry of Health had approved my application to volunteer at the hospital so I should be able to start after Easter. As well as working on the ENT ward at the hospital, myself and the other audiologist plan to travel to different districts to run screening clinics and train local staff. Sounds challenging but a good idea considering there is no longer any other outreach service in place. Watch this space.
This week we are off to Pretoria on Thursday afternoon to spend Easter with Greg and Elonah. Top of the list whilst there is a haircut for Matt...before he gets too attached to his mullet! On Easter Sunday we collect Jess and Kate from Jo’Burg airport for a 10 day trip travelling around Lesotho, the Drakensburgs and Kwazulu-Natal. Exciting! More blogging after that....
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