4x4 adventure with Jim, Dani and Jez

Well, we eventually arrived back in one piece... but that was far from certain at one or two stages!  Now to the beginning of the tale...

On Thursday we rose early to get Jeepy to the garage in Bloem, in preparation for the adventure which would take us over some of the worst roads in Lesotho.  We left Maseru at 5.30 am and got through the border in a flash... great.  The garage provided its usual excellent service and was a most pleasant experience.  Kit and I spent a day shopping in the malls which was actually quite enjoyable.  We got the car back and made it to Bloemfontein airport in time to see Jez coming through into the arrivals hall.  After a coffee and a quick chat, Jim and Dani arrived on another flight from Cape Town.  We then headed back to Maseru.  The border this time was far from pleasant, particularly as a new rule had been put into place requiring passengers to go into a separate queue!  The border was conquered nonetheless and we made our way for a curry.

Day 2 began early with preparations for the big trip ahead.  Jeepy was packed with provisions and clothing for 5 days and we headed out at 9 am.  The weather was overcast but dry.  The drive up the mountain road to Thaba Tseka was pretty.  We stopped for a picnic at a high mountain pass and sheltered from the wind behind the car.  The first challenge of our trip was that the only petrol station in town was shut.  It was a 2 hour drive in the wrong direction to the nearest alternative.  We had to rely on Jeepy’s fuel efficiency... a challenge.  Fortunately we had brought a Jerry can, so we headed off south onto what were new roads for Kit and I.  The road remained remarkably good up to the lodge at Mashai where we stopped for the night.  We were not sure what to expect but the lodge was a pleasant surprise.  The facilities were more than adequate and the setting beautiful.  We sat outside our rooms whilst enjoying goods from the lodge’s bar.  We were joined by a group of local children.  They were so fascinated to look at pictures we were taking of them.  There was a lot of giggling followed by some posing and play fighting for the camera.  Suddenly the children all ran off... an adult had appeared and looked somewhat displeased.  We cooked a curry, the second in two days and had a most enjoyable evening catching up and sharing.

The next day we awoke to clear blue skies which gave the group some added enthusiasm.  The route that day was to take us on some potentially treacherous roads and a notorious mountain pass.  The drive took us through some truly beautiful scenery.  The road was fine until Sehonghong when it took a bit of a nose dive, both in gradient and quality.  With Jeepy in 4WD Low, we crawled round some awkward bends and made it down to the river.  Our information suggested we might need to drive across river beds following a lucky navigator on foot.  Jez had already set himself up for the task.  He and I were somewhat disappointed to find a brand new bridge, others looked quite relieved!  The road then took us over Matebeng Pass, which although bumpy was easily navigated.  Over the pass we looked out over the eastern slopes of the Drakensberg range.  This is where we stopped for our next picnic. 

After lunch we followed the road down and into Sehlabathebe National Park.   The park felt very remote indeed, and the lodge was a 45 minute drive on rough roads into the park.  We were once again not too sure what to expect.  Despite the remoteness, we found the lodge to be very comfortable indeed.  There was no electricity, but there were gas powered fridges, lights and running hot water.  We settled in and headed for our first walk in the park.  A short hike from the lodge and we found ourselves crossing the South African border.  The border fence was down, so we stepped over it (hush hush) and clambered up some rocks to look down on a magnificent view of the valleys and plains of KwaZulu Natal beyond.  It did make me annoyed to think about all the fuss and hours we’ve spent queuing at the border crossing in Maseru and here we just walked over a broken fence without any issues.  I quickly put that thought to the back of my mind and enjoyed the vista.  We made our way back to the lodge to find that we had been joined by a small group some of whom worked for GTZ in Maseru.  We enjoyed a great braai and lovely evening chatting sat outside the lodge.

On the fourth day we rested Jeepy and instead took to horseback.  For some it was the first experience of riding, and went down very well.  We had a 3 hour trek through the park.  The highlight of the trip were the Tsoelikane Falls.  The lads got into swimming trunks and braved the chilly waters of the plunge pool at the base of the falls.  We took a loop back where we saw various wildlife (mainly birds) and some San rock paintings from the 16^th century.  We had lunch at the lodge before the boys decided to tackle a nearby peak, the highest of the “Three Bushmen” at 3026  metres.  It was a challenging hike and after nearly 2 hours of walking up very steep inclines I had to stop and turn back.  Jim and Jez soldiered on and made it to the top.  I struggled down the mountain on my own.  About half way down I noticed thick clouds come rolling over from the South African side.  I just managed to stay in front of them but I couldn’t see the peak anymore and neither could I see Jim and Jez.  I hoped they would be okay... they had the compass, the map and two good heads between them.  As I neared the lodge I could see Kit and Dani with their binoculars looking out for us.  I could only imagine that seeing me on my own would have heightened the anxiety.  Fortunately as I got back to the lodge gates I could just make out Jim and Jez appearing from the clouds.  We all breathed a sigh of relief.  Strangely, there was not a great deal of energy in the group that night, so we retired quite early!!

We had planned to get up for dawn on the 5^th day of our adventure.  Unfortunately the clouds that had come in the previous afternoon had yet to lift.  We were all disappointed to have to go back to bed and have a lie in until 7.30!!  We had a leisurely morning packing up and made our way out of the park and on to our next destination, Matatiele in South Africa.  The border crossing at Ramatseliso’s Gate was easy... not as easy as the park though.  We drove down, out of the clouds and into South Africa.  The change in the surroundings was very apparent.  The vegetation was lush, there was a lot more in the way of buildings and fewer wandering livestock.  There was a little anxiety about petrol, but we made it with a quarter of a tank to spare.  We had a quick look around town, filled up on essentials... crisps and beer, before we went to our B&B.  This was luxury... we had electricity and even a TV.  Jez had missed the Springboks v. England rugby match whilst we were cut off from the world.  He found a re-run at 10pm and was a happy man!  We decided to spend the afternoon in, playing cards and relaxing.  We ventured into town to find somewhere to eat.  It was a struggle, and we ended up in KFC!!  Jim had vowed never to eat at KFC again, but on this 4x4 adventure, rules had to be broken!  More cards followed dinner but to Jez’s horror, the TV room was locked when he went at 10pm.  It was another relatively early night then.

The final day of the trip was blessed by blue skies and sunshine again.  We had a lovely breakfast, packed the car and headed off on a long drive back to Maseru.  We drove through some very beautiful countryside west of Matatiele towards Ongeluks Nek border crossing.  The last part of the journey was through a park, but there wasn’t a great deal of wildlife.  We came to the control where we were met by a very diligent South African official.  She checked all our passports, made us all fill in forms, checked my driving licence and inspected Jeepy.  It was all done in great spirit though.  When she finished, she even offered for us to wash Jeepy with their water!  She did however warn us that the road ahead to the actual border was very bad.  She wasn’t joking... the “road” wound its way up the mountainside and into Lesotho.  As we came over the crest onto the plains of south eastern Lesotho one of the first things we saw was a herds boy and his sheep... we were very much back in Lesotho!  The road took us to the lake where we’d previously had a picnic with Dr Richard on our way to Qacha’s Nek on a previous trip.  That was before the rains.  Now it looked so much greener and there was a great deal of animal life in and around it.  It was a little too early for lunch after our cooked breakfast so we headed off further into the mountains. 
Spirits were running high as we drove on towards Mount Moorosi.  I had decided to take us on a new route, rather than the one we had taken in the winter.  It was very quiet with no traffic.  The children on the roadside looked on in more amazement than usual.  I put it down to the remoteness we found ourselves.  The road was bad, and with every 500 metres got worse.  There were numerous small landslides which made things quite tough.  We soldiered on despite this.  We then came onto a big challenge... there was a huge dip in the road, caused by water erosion.  We all got out to have a look, it seemed feasible, so I got back in and slowly and carefully let Jeepy creep down the track.  The car then slipped off the intended path and tilted extremely precariously.  There was a moment of extreme anguish all-round, but somehow Jeepy remained upright and I managed to guide her further down the road until she was level again.  There was a big sigh of relief.  The next challenge was a water feature on a hairpin bend.  This looked easy in comparison, so I just drove round the bend, through the water only to for Jeepy to hit rock at the bottom of the water.  She managed to crawl out of a big ditch that the water had hidden.  It seemed as though she had come out of this unscathed.  We all got back into the car and continued on through several hairpins.  There were some even more bewildered people looking on.  One stopped us and tried to explain something about a big rock further up ahead.  “Big rock”... would it be a match for Jeepy?!  Well it was!! We drove on round a further bend and were confronted by a big rock fall.  We got out to confirm that the road was indeed impassable.  This meant only one thing... we had to go back and practice more 4x4’ing.  There was a mixture of dread, anxiety and excitement in the car.  With great teamwork, effort and amazing engineering we made it back up the obstacles with far less risk than on the way down.  We were all learning... especially me!  It had now been 2 ½ hours since we had decided to postpone lunch and as the adrenaline levels settled, hunger appeared.  We stopped by a little stream and enjoyed our last picnic.  I also took the opportunity to investigate an ominous clunking noise that had appeared around Jeepy’s nearside front wheel.  Everything seemed in order but the noise was not right.  Jeepy would need a second trip to the garage in a week... but at least we were all still alive and could get home.  The afternoons drive back to Maseru was long but uneventful.  The road was even good enough for the odd nap.  When we got back, there was take away pizza, planning on the internet and some reviewing of photos.  Then 5 very exhausted but satisfied adventurers went to bed.

This morning I went back to work after saying my goodbyes.  Kit took Jim, Dani and Jez to the airport after breakfast and started on a week’s worth of handwash!  Only ten days now till the next adventure... Cape Town and the wedding!!!

Nicky swings by Lesotho

After 2 weeks of safari-ing in South Africa we collected Nicky in tropical Durban and dragged her back to Lesotho via the Sani Pass (the first time ascending the pass for Matt and Jeepy). It was a short visit to Durban, just time to visit the lovely botanical gardens and watch the many colourful wedding parties who go to have their pictures taken there. We headed out of Durban to settle in for the night in the Drakensburgs ready for an early ascent of the Sani Pass. This will go down in history as the place Matt cooked and ate his first veggie BBQ! The clouds and rain that were threatening luckily had cleared when we woke and the journey up the Pass was as spectacular as ever. After a yummy breakfast at the top and some watching of the very cute and rare ‘ice rats’ that live up there we set off on the 9 hour drive back to Maseru. We were lucky enough to come across a large number of the elusive Bearded Vultures, indigenous to Lesotho and apparently under threat with only 50 breeding pairs left. They were huge, about the size of a toddler when sat on the ground and then with a 3m wing-span when in the air – awesome!

During the week, whilst Matt worked, Nicky and I set off to the Malealea lodge for 2 nights. It was a very stormy few days, lots of rain with spectacular thunder and lightning. Despite the storms we managed to fit in 2 lovely pony treks to the Pitseng Canyon and to the bush paintings. The lodge as always was super relaxing, so relaxing in fact we barely made it beyond 9pm both nights! Cards and chatting can be pretty exhausting!

We used the excuse of dropping Nicky off at the airport to spend another lovely weekend in Pretoria with Greg and Elonah. We visited the zoo and had a delicious meal out as well as the boys taking a trip to 4x4 Megaworld. How much fun can you fit in a weekend?!

Charlie and Pete come to town

 The in-laws had only gone 48 hours when our next guests arrived.  Charlie and Pete showed up at our flat on Wednesday afternoon having already spent several days in Kwa-Zulu Natal.  Although Peter and Sheila brought the first drizzles with them, Charlie and Pete brought the thunder storms!  We had a lovely first evening catching up on what the past 4 months had brought each other.  Our chat was interrupted regularly by cracking thunder and spectacular forks of lightning.

The following morning I woke early and darted off to do some work before we headed up into the mountains for lunch.  The staff and patients in particular were very surprised to see a doctor in clinic at 7:20 in the morning!  I made a good dent in the queue and headed back home for our 9:30 departure to Katse Dam.  The drive was almost as spectacular as the first time we had done it.  The clouds in the sky somehow gave a better perspective on the landscape.  Despite a number of photo stops we managed to get to the dam for a bite to eat before the 2pm tour.  The tour was informative and entertaining... dam fine in fact!  Afterwards we checked into the lodge overlooking the reservoir, wandered around the botanical gardens before settling ourselves on the veranda with a beer for the spectacular sunset.

The following morning we prepared ourselves some breakfast and set off on a long drive through Thaba Tseka and on to Semonkong.  A large portion of the drive was a new for Kit and I.  It was a most unusual experience with glorious blue skies intermingled with fabulous cloud formations and then even snow!  The snow made it on to the news as it is a little unusual for mid-October.  We managed to find an almost idyllic spot for our picnic.  All the boxes were ticked: not too far from the road, a river running past with overhanging weeping willows and some sunshine.  The only problem was the enormous amount of litter.  In every direction there were cans, bottles and polystyrene containers.   This is a real problem in Lesotho and a great shame.  Anyway... we managed to enjoy lunch and completed our journey to Semonkong without incident.

We arrived at the lodge in the afternoon.  It is rapidly becoming our favourite spot in Lesotho and once again our visit didn’t disappoint.  We settled in our rooms and headed to the bar for a game of pool, a drink or two, followed by dinner.  We had a chat and played some pool with two Frenchman who were travelling around the world on their motorbikes!!  They had some amazing tales!

The morning on Saturday brought some clearer skies.  After breakfast we prepared for the main event of the weekend... a 204 metre abseil down besides the Maletsunyane falls.  It is the highest single drop abseil in the world!  The practice session was held just behind the lodge on a 25 metre cliff.  All four of us managed one decent, but then there were only 2.  Don’t worry... Kit and Charlie are still both alive and well... but they simply decided abseiling just isn’t for them!  We drove round to the falls after the practice session which allowed for a little bit of off roading in Jeepy!  In the afternoon the clouds returned so we had a cosy time in front of the fire playing cards.

Sunday morning the weather was again glorious; there was no wind and only a few wispy clouds in the sky.  Pete and I headed off with the crew for our abseil after breakfast.  There was a drive, then a short hike to the top.  We chatted whilst the equipment was set up.  The mood was jovial but then they were ready.  I’ll admit a few butterflies did appear, but I was ready to enjoy this experience.  Pete decided I would go first, so I was attached to my rope and stepped back to the cliff edge.  I leant back on the harness and asked myself... should I look down?  Well, why not hey?  The view down to the bottom of the falls was exhilarating.  I could see one of the instructors as a small dot on the gorge bottom.  I quickly got in to the swing of things and was able to take time to look around as I descended.  Then out of nowhere wind appeared.  The waterfall was blown over me for the bottom third of my journey down and I ended up soaked through to my underpants.  It didn’t take a great deal off the experience, which was superb.  I was safely at the bottom and in the sun, so I stripped off some layers and lay my clothes out to dry.  I now had the opportunity to watch Pete’s descent, which was unfortunately also a rather moist one!  After we dried out we had an hour’s hike back up and out of the gorge.  We stopped to admire the views... and catch our breath!

On our return to the lodge we caught up with the ladies whilst enjoying lunch in the sunshine.  They had travelled on horseback to the top of the gorge to witness their husbands avoiding plummeting to their deaths!  Their morning had been eventful in other ways too... they had had to grovel to the village chief as their horses had roamed off and grazed on lands they shouldn’t have, they also witnessed a man being chased and whipped by 5 men on horseback.  He had been caught committing a crime and was being taken to the police.  After lunch we did the last leg of our journey back to Maseru arriving in time for dinner.  We had take away pizzas and reflected on the weekend whilst we looked through our photos.  On Monday we had to say goodbyes as Charlie and Pete headed off down the garden route (where they might bump into Peter and Sheila).

Audiology moves on a small step

Besides enjoying travelling around Lesotho with our friends and family, we have still been busy at work (well, Matt perhaps more so than me) so I thought I’d give a little update on the audiology front.  As of 3 weeks ago (and thanks to a generous donation) we were able to purchase the equipment to take impressions of patient’s ears who require hearing aids. Although seemingly a small thing this will save patient’s one journey to South Africa. It is surprising what you take for granted as the most basic of requirements having worked in the NHS.

In terms of how the service is developing within the ENT department, I was pleased to return to work after mum and dad’s trip to find that my two colleagues had taken great efforts to sort the audiology room out and carry on the service. This is the ultimate aim as the service needs to continue after I leave and so far it looks promising. Having arrived to a demotivated team they seem to be a little bit more hopeful in what the service can offer. It is actually not a bad thing that over the next few months I will be taking some leave as it means I will slowly be stepping back from the work and letting the team take over.  There are still things that need to happen and I am anxious that we are running out of time.

The patients I am seeing are as varied as ever and I am still enjoying the challenge.  Over the last few weeks I have seen a 78 year old village chief, a 2 year old orphan who was being adopted that very afternoon by a Canadian couple, a boy who had been convulsing for 24 hours (I quickly referred that case on!) and a man with a serious head injury (hit over the head by a stick in a drunken brawl).  Tuesday mornings are by far the busiest for me and yesterday was no exception. One minute I was taking impressions, counselling a non-english speaking patient about how to use her hearing aid with no translator, testing an ex-miner who was claiming for noise-induced hearing loss as well as seeing patients referred from the ENT clinic.  Keeps you on your toes as you have no idea who will come through the door next. 

The Bricknells' 40th Wedding Anniversary Tour

After a small influx of visitors Matt and I are now getting back into the swing of work and have finally got round to updating the blog.

Mum and Dad arrived in South Africa on the 1^st October at the start of their 3 week holiday. They spent 10 days with us in Lesotho and are now lapping up the sun (hopefully) on the Cape and perhaps enjoying the odd glass of wine?! It was so good to see them here after a month of not knowing whether they were going to be able to make it or not.

After a day of rest and acclimatisation to African life we headed into the mountains for the Ruby anniversary celebrations. We had tried to keep the destination a surprise but when there are only a handful of lodges in the country it can be pretty easy to guess sometimes. We had booked a night at the only 5 star lodge in Lesotho which is in the Ts’ehlanyane National Park (where Jeepy had broken down back in March). We arrived to a warm welcome and 3 course lunch on the deck over-looking the mountains. This was the perfect pre-cursor to a lazy afternoon spent in our thatched chalets soaking up every inch of the luxurious and beautiful surroundings. After the sunset, with glad rags on we headed back to the main lodge for a celebratory dinner and drinks. After a great evening of catching up, mum and dad enjoyed the surprise of returning to their room which had been filled with lit candles (I think dad tried to pretend he has done it!).

The next morning, dad, Matt and I went for a hike. There had unfortunately been a bush fire that spread uncontrollably the weekend before and had totally desecrated the surrounding vegetation. The lodge was luckily untouched but only by sheer luck. As we tramped back after our 3 hour walk we heard a crackling coming from the lodge area and could see in the distance another blaze very close to our chalets. Matt then pointed out that the main lodge thatch was alight, only to discover it was the roof of our apartment. Mum was in the neighbouring one so we were all a bit frightened. Unfortunately at that point we were negotiating our way down a tricky bit of scree slope so we sent Matt (the quick one) on ahead. He ran off (I think more worried about Jeepy than his mother-in-Law!). When dad and I arrived, mum was safe and our roof was being hosed down. All that excitement certainly gave us a thirst for a well-earned beer.

During the week, whilst Matt had to work I took mum and dad to Ramabanta for 2 nights. We were the only visitors and lapped up the relaxing atmosphere, beautiful gardens and stunning scenery. In fact we were all so relaxed we barely made it to 9pm on either night. The sign of a good holiday I think. There was some lovely hiking (dad and I) and leisurely sketching (mum and I) before we had to head back to Maseru to collect Matt and begin our next adventure – the Sani Pass.

Friday was spent driving carefully over mountain passes until we reached Mokhotlong where we stayed for the night at the local hotel. After an early start the next day we set out for the Sani Pass. 3 hours of unpaved road led us to the highest pub in Africa where we enjoyed the views over the Sani Pass as well as a gale force wind! A beer and lunch gave us the confidence to tackle the pass and we enjoyed the 1 hour descent to the South African border where we were greeted by baboons and buck. That night we stayed at a Dairy farm 2 hours from the Sani Pass. The farm was vast and the house very beautiful. We were treated to a 3 course South African meal. The next morning we were invited on a tour of the farm...in the Bakkie. Matt, dad and I jumped at the chance to ride free in the back and were warned to hold on tight. It was a hair-raising drive - we grounded the vehicle beside a dam and a tractor had to pull us free and then we flew across fields at a 45 degree angle with the back flipping out. I haven’t seen dad look so scared before!

Having been a bit shaken up by the Bakkie trip we tenderly journeyed back to Maseru via the Golden Gate National Park for our last night together. A brilliant 10 days and I was sad when I dropped them off in Bloemfontein but great to think they had another 2 whole weeks of holiday ahead of them.

the visitors start to arrive

The weeks at work have settled into a new and more pleasant routine.  The days are still busy, but no longer as intense.  I still feel I am having a positive impact.  I also finished the first draft of a guide for the general practitioner in Lesotho.   If it gets published and distributed it should improve the care for patients with general medical problems and should also have a positive impact on our clinics.  This is however, Lesotho, and change doesn’t happen quickly so I am not going to hold my breath!

Kit’s work continues in the ENT department where she is in phase 2 of the plan to develop the service. Soon they will be able to remove one of the trips into South Africa currently required by patients needing hearing aids as they will be able to do part of the process in the department. Phase 3 (manufacturing earmoulds on-site) is on-going. Organisations have been contacted for assistance but nothing has been forthcoming....yet. It is important to remain positive.    

Last weekend we entertained the Welsh medical students who had been in Lesotho for 7 weeks.  We had sun-downers at the Lesotho Sun Hotel followed by their scrumptious buffet on the Friday evening.  With bellies still full the following morning we managed to clamber up Thaba Bosiu, which is the mountain fortress of King Moshoeshoe I.  We had last been up in March when Greg and Elonah last visited.  It was much drier, but also a little cooler which was most welcome.  We dropped the students off at the airport on Sunday and prepared ourselves for the week.

This weekend we had our first visitor from the UK for 6 months.  My uncle Bob came together with Greg and Elonah.  It was a public holiday on Friday so they were able to make it to us by lunch time giving us a long weekend to enjoy together.  Kit and I had been granted an audience with the Queen of Lesotho on Friday morning.  Unfortunately our appointment was delayed from 10 to 11 and then 4 pm.  As our guests had arrived at lunchtime we had to turn her majesty down!! 

After a short afternoon at work, we managed to get onto the road by 4pm for a weekend in Malealea.  The highlight of the trip was undoubtedly our pony trek on the Saturday.  It was the first time for Bob to be on a horse, and last time I was on one I fell off, so we thought we should take it easy!  We rode, with our guides, to a nearby waterfall.  The route took us down into a valley, then back up and round to the top of the waterfall.  On the flat there was a lot of banter between us, the horses interacted with each other and it was quite a giggle.  When we started to go downhill it fell strangely silent!  The steep rocky “paths” we took we a little intimidating, but the horses were impressively surefooted.  I sometimes wondered whether they had suction pads on their hoofs.  I occasionally looked round to see a rather worried look on Bob’s face!  We eventually made it to the top of the waterfall where we all elegantly dismounted.  We then had to walk down to the base of the falls with legs that didn’t feel as though they belonged to us.  There were a few slips but no major incidents.  Once at the bottom we were able to kick off shoes and wet feet, some of us went the whole hog and actually got into swimmers and stood under the falls.  It was a most refreshing experience!!  After the picnic lunch it was time for the trip back.
When we heard that we would be taking a different route back, there was a sigh of relief.  For the first 20 minutes our horses trotted along the top of the gorge and everyone was happy, but then the path suddenly turned downhill.  The most hair raising bit of the trip followed with a 150 metre descent in 15 minutes.  The horses took it in their stride, which is more than can be said for their riders.  After this, the worst was over and the frivolity returned to the group.  As we approached the lodge there was even a bit of cantering!  When we arrived we all posed for a photo after which we gladly returned the horses to their owners.  There was a mixed sense of relief and achievement as we supped our cool drinks in the afternoon sun and reflected.  We all ached in the most unusual places, and some of us still do!  Eventually the weekend came to an end, it was so good to have seen them and to have caught up with news and relaxed together.  We said our goodbyes and waved as Bob, Greg and Elonah went off to join the rest of South Africa at the Lesotho border.

We now have a week to prepare for the next arrivals on Friday... Kit’s parents, Peter and Sheila.  Kit and I are very excited about their trip particularly as it was a little uncertain whether they would make it for a while.  They are with us for 10 days before they continue their trip through South Africa to Cape Town.  We have a few trips planned, but the underpant-staining pony treks may have to be kept on hold.

The other very exciting news is that 235 days after starting work and after two interviews, visits to 5 ministries, and the filling in of countless forms I was finally paid on Friday.  The party is really going to get started now!!!!

Changes at work and good times away

Things have changed quite a bit in the last week, driven mainly by an improvement in my mood!  I found myself getting increasingly frustrated at work which culminated a week ago in me leaving the ward half way through a ward round!  There were numerous things frustrating me, but essentially I found myself doing too much on the frontline and therefore coming into direct contact with the inefficiencies of the system far too frequently.  I decided that something had to change.   I had a constructive discussion with the head of department after which we agreed that I would do a ward round twice a week and be available at other times but be not on the ward.  I have worked the new schedule this past week, and Kit can testify that I am feeling a great deal better!  I am still busy.  I am currently running the TB clinic three mornings a week as the usual doctor is on leave, prior to going there I go to the medical clinic for 1 ½ hours and see 40-odd patients, and in the afternoons I do a ward round on the TB ward.  I have also started doing the occasional bronchoscopy which has been enjoyable.

Last weekend (after the Friday when it all came to a head) Kit and I did some exploring near Maseru.  We went up for a relaxing time at our favourite sunset spot on the Friday evening, followed by a meal out.  On Saturday we walked on the Qeme Plateau.  This involved a 20 minute drive south of Maseru, an hour’s hike up onto the plateau and then 3 hours walking on top of it.  We managed to see about a third of it to give you a sense of scale.  We had a lovely time, getting out, doing some exercise and all so near the city.

This week has been very sociable.  We have had evenings out with various friends almost every night of the week.  We’ve had a braai, movie nights, dinner out, and sundowners at the Lesotho Sun.  Friday was Eid, which meant more socialising.  We had lunch at our neighbour’s, Dr Rahman, who is a Bangladeshi radiologist.  In the evening we were invited to another Bangladeshi colleague’s place.  On finishing there we were spotted by yet another Bangladeshi colleague, who invited us in to his as well.  All our hosts were very hospitable and we enjoyed ourselves a great deal... perhaps a little too much.  It was so hard to resist all the great food including the “mishti” (Bangladeshi sweets)!

After all the eating, we decided to have an active weekend away!  We went to the Ts’ehlanyane National Park which is about 2 hours north of Maseru.  We took a detour to the Maluti Adventists Hospital where three medical students from Cardiff (Neil, Hannah and Louise) are spending some of their elective.  We picked them up for a weekend of hiking, braaiing and general frivolity!

The park was new to me, but Kit had been there in the rain earlier in the year.  This was the trip that was marred by Jeepy’s battery failing whilst I was at home with man flu!  No problems with our health or Jeepy this time.  Needless to say there was also no rain.  We have had one slight spatter in the week, but no meaningful rain since April or May.  I digress... the drive to the park was pretty as we drove next to a very dry Ts’ehlanyane river.  The landscape is all different shades of red and brown but there were hints of green, and plenty of pink peach blossom.  On arriving we headed to the Maliba Lodge for a drink.  This is an amazing lodge nestled in the mountainside, and is the only 5 star lodge in Lesotho.  After drinks we went on a short (2 hour) hike for lunch at a rock pool.  We returned to the park gate to find our accommodation was ready (there had been a hiccup with the booking).  We were in rooms sharing bathrooms and kitchen with a large group of Basotho teenagers who were on an education weekend.  I was a little concerned as there was no sound proofing to the rooms!  Once we settled in when went up onto the hillside for sunset and a braai.  

There was another large group of Basotho there who had been partying since lunchtime.  It was quite a sight and sound for that matter!  Although they were very entertaining, it was fortunately not that long before they left the five of us with our fire and the starlit sky.  We returned to our rooms after the braai to find very excitable teenagers running around... this didn’t bode well.  Unfortunately my night’s sleep was limited to 2.30 until 6 am due to the racket. 

Despite the lack of sleep we managed to set off early after breakfast for another hike.  This time we split up.  Neil and I left the girls on the trail whilst we headed to the top of a “nearby” peak.  It was a most exhausting yet exhilarating experience!  We scrambled up the mountainside to a ridge at over 2500 metres.  The walk up was physically tiring, but the walk down was mentally so.  We had to find our way through high grass with uneasy footing and then thicket causing cuts to our arms and legs.  Eventually we made it back down to find the girls sipping hot chocolates at the five star lodge!  It had been 4 hours since we’d left them.  They had apparently also had a taxing walk, but I have yet to see the cuts on Kit’s legs!!!

We are now preparing ourselves for another week at work.  Kit and Jeepy are heading to Bloemfontein early tomorrow as she needs new breaks... Jeepy that is!  We thought it would be wise to replace them before our visitors come.  We’re expecting our first guests of the spring (Greg, Elonah and Bob) in two weeks time.

That’s all from the Mountain Kingdom for now... more news when we have some.

Our first trip south

I notice that Kit has already shared the fact that I caved and purchased a GPS when we were in Pretoria last!  I was always against the idea of one, as I thought it took the fun out of exploring somewhere new.  That may still be the case, but when we arrived in Pretoria at night last week, I was very happy to have a GPS device to guide us through unchartered areas of the city.  Since then we have put our new TomTom to good use as Kit and I went on a trip south for the first time.  Since we arrived in Lesotho there have been road works on the main road south and this has put us off travelling in that direction.  The time had come, however, to take our first step into these new lands.  Two doctors who had worked with me at the QEII Hospital had been moved, one to Mohale’s Hoek and the other to Qacha’s Nek.  I had promised to visit them for some time, so plans were made.

With the assistance of TomTom we set off last Friday afternoon and successfully found a detour around the last of the road works.  We managed to get to Mohale’s Hoek within 2 hours and in time for dinner with Dr Richard and his colleagues from the district hospital.  Kit and I were given a tour around the hospital, I even gave an opinion on one of the patients.  I was most impressed with the set up.  The building was sound, the wards clean and not overcrowded.  Although QEII has more in the way of equipment to do tests, there was something very appealing about the working environment in the hospital.  I’m not sure what life would be like outside of work though.  After dinner and the tour, Kit and I headed to bed in preparation for our long drive on Saturday.

We picked Dr Richard up after breakfast and headed off further south.  Our destination was Qacha’s Nek (“Q” is pronounced with a click) a town in the far south-west of Lesotho, which until recent years was only accessible by plane, on horseback or with a long detour via South Africa.  The road was long and windy as we drove over mountains, then along the Senqu (or Orange) River, and over more mountains.  We filled up at the last garage selling unleaded petrol and continued on.  The drive was quite beautiful, with scenery unique to this part of Lesotho.  We could easily have been driving through Arizona given the numerous cacti along the roadside.  We took a detour up into the mountains to a lake (Letseng-la-Letsie) for a picnic lunch.  During the drive to the lake, we did not see single other car, and during our picnic we did not see another person.  It was a remote and beautiful spot.  We may have to go back in the spring or summer, when I hear there are some unique flowers in bloom.

We arrived in Qacha’s Nek late in the afternoon.  Our first stop was the district hospital where my other ex-colleague, Dr Patrick, works.  Even though it was Saturday he was busy on the wards as he was going to be on his own in the week.  One doctor for the whole district!  The hospital had a similar feel to the one in Mohale’s Hoek, a well maintained building with warm wards and with some empty beds.  We spent some time catching up with Dr Patrick before calling it a night.  On the Sunday, we made a trip to Lesotho’s only snake park before we headed back to Maseru.  We left at 11am and eventually got back to Maseru at 6pm, a journey which by plane, we found out, takes little more than 30 minutes!

This last week at work has been quite tough.  I have continued to look after the male medical ward, the TB ward, go to the TB clinic as well as the general medical clinics despite my colleague being at a workshops all week.  I did have the help of two new doctors from the DRC (Congo) but at this stage they feel more of a hindrance than a help.  I tried my best to teach as I went along, but the pressure and volume of work prevented me from achieving a great deal.  By Thursday I got myself quite wound up by it all and was really looking forward to the break of the weekend.

And it has been a great break.  Kit and I celebrated 5 years of married life on Friday by going out for a meal; actually we went out for lunch as well as dinner, how decadent!  I had a truly fabulous time reminiscing and planning for the future.  On Saturday, we had planned a hike on a nearby plateau but due to some of the excesses of the night before, we didn’t get out of the house until after lunch.  We went on a drive just to the east of the city in search of the Metolong Dam, only to uncover that it is yet to built!  We carried on along the road and back round in a loop to Maseru.  It proved to be a great little jaunt out, and a potential for an afternoon for some of our visitors.  Today we have played tennis (I won!!), tried to fix the dripping tap in the bathroom (my nemesis) and have caught up with some correspondence.

The weather is definitely warming up.  I have managed to wear flip-flops during the day, but still need the slippers at night... so weird!  We are expecting a quiet few weeks, with no plans to travel out of Maseru until our first visitors of the spring arrive at the end of next month.  I’m looking forward to it already!

Matt's Birthday Weekend - Celebration & Surprises in Pretoria

Last Friday we set off on a road trip to Pretoria. We were giving a lift to our neighbour Dr Soe who was off to visit his son, and our friend Chris who was heading up North for a job interview. We travelled a new route to Jo’Burg using Dr Soe’s SatNav. Vast expanses of farm land with the occasional settlement dotted the way. It was a hot afternoon and made hotter by the fires that burnt on the verges next to the road – I think it is to get rid of pests and to clear the ground quickly but when everything is so dry the fires spread fast. We stopped for petrol and a late lunch with the only food on offer being a fat cake filled with minced beef! A fat cake is a deep-fried doughnut batter and is a traditional food over here. This was my first taste of this slimming delicacy and was pleasantly surprised although I am sure my arteries couldn’t take them too often!

We arrived at night and were thankful for the SatNav as we negotiated our way to Greg and Elonah’s NEW house! It was great to see it and to hear about all their exciting renovation plans. We had a cosy night catching up and watching a film before heading to our bed, which they had only purchased that evening. Next morning was their house warming breakfast and it was a scorcher of a day. Everyone headed out to their front garden enjoying pancakes, coffee and chats. It was great to meet so many of their friends who we will be seeing again at their wedding in Cape Town in December.

After a fabulous morning the afternoon took a little turn when Elonah’s sister came down stairs reporting that the two bathrooms were starting to flood. 4 hours later after a cast-iron bath was removed, an emergency plumber called-out and some frantic mopping, things settled down. A burst pipe has meant that reverb plans are to now start with the bathrooms! Such a shame.

After showers (back at Elonahs) we headed off for the second (and more pleasant) surprise of the day – Matt’s birthday meal. We were taken to a Lebanese restaurant where we sat on a rug and ate amazing meze, drank lots of red wine and Matt enjoyed the odd belly dance or two! Happy times!

Our week back at work has been fairly uneventful. Matt has finally signed his work contract this morning and he should be paid at the end of next month. Yippeeee! The weather is warming up and patients are attending hospital again in large numbers. I am still trying to work out how and who can assist with the next step in setting up a sustainable hearing aid service. My first round of emails to hearing aid companies has not led to anything yet. But I have some other thoughts so will try to remain optimistic. Matt and I are finding that we go through phases of being very driven and motivated to get things moving and then when results are minimal and the system is so resistant to change we hit a slump. We seem to be taking it in turns so at least when one of us is feeling frustrated the other one can push you on and vice versa. Matt’s days are certainly fuller than mine and the strain of working in the system is showing itself more and more. But all in all, despite the challenges, the experience is invaluable.

We are off this afternoon to explore the South of Lesotho – new territory for us! Very excited. If possible I think Matt is even more excited about this road trip because not only is it with his beloved Jeepy but he will be using his brand new TomTom GPS device which was purchased last weekend after Matt discovered travelling with a SatNav makes for a happier marriage!! More news soon.

Bridge weekend

I know you have all been patiently waiting to hear all about the inaugural Maseru Bridge Club weekend away!  Well here it goes... on Friday afternoon we all met at our place, that is to say Kathy, Hesse, Sthe (Hesse’s girlfriend) Kit and I.  We loaded up Jeepy with a remarkable amount of luggage for a weekend away and headed off into the “traffic” of Maseru.  We had to make a quick dash back home for a handbag but spirits remained high.  There was chatter, singing along to our recently acquired compilation CDs and general amusement.  Traffic was acceptable and we made reasonable time.  Just under one and half hours south east of Maseru we turned off the main road (gravel and quite bumpy) onto a side road (gravel and super bumpy) but shortly after arrived at the gates to our lodge at Ha Ramabanta.  We arrived just in time to drop our stuff off in our rooms before heading in for supper.  By this time it was dark, but we had packed torches for the walk to the main building.  Our hosts were charming, the cook very enthusiastic (perhaps a little too), and dinner was lovely.  We opened wine and relaxed.  As soon as dinner was over, we took over the bar, re-arranged the furniture and sat down for our first session of bridge.  Fortunately there were only two other guests staying, a pair of bikers, who headed off to bed relatively early.  The bridge was great, and the wine flowed very nicely indeed.  Before we knew it, Kathy and I were up over 2000 points, everyone else had gone to bed and the lights went out.  None of this stopped us, we lit candles and carried on.  Perhaps it was the light, or perhaps the wine, but errors seemed to enter the game, with 5th suits appearing everywhere.  Eventually we decided to call it a night... a super night.

We woke up to a glorious morning.  There was a touch of mist in the air, very little in the way of cloud and a truly spectacular view.  We had obviously seen nothing the night before as we’d arrived after dark.  We sipped our teas, said hello to the lodge dogs and took it all in.  When all were up we sat down for breakfast and chatted about the previous evening’s play.  Hesse and Kit didn’t feel too sore, and vowed to carry on together and try and claw back the points deficit over the rest of the weekend.  After breakfast we had a lovely hike around the lodge, with more brilliant views.  We made it back for lunch, a short rest and then settled down for more bridge.  We set up a table in the ground overlooking the valley and Maluti mountain range beyond.  A most unusual but beautiful setting for a game.  We played all afternoon, moved inside when the sun set, stopped for dinner, and carried on after.  Once again bridge carried on beyond the 10 o’clock power cut and was illuminated by candlelight.  The second days play was a much closer affair and enjoyed by all.  There also appeared to be less wine consumed, so the errors were fewer!!

We had another stroll after breakfast on Sunday morning.  This time stayed we were accompanied by two of the lodge’s dogs.  We walked through the valley, beside a river, then over it and then through it.  We had come to a dead end and rather than turn back we took off our shoes and waded through ice cold water.  Sensibly Sthe insisted she be carried across by her man, which he dutifully did!  When we got back, we freshened up and sat down for our final bridge session.  We camped out even closer to the edge of the lodge’s grounds, overlooking the river and valley below.  It was the first time this winter I actually felt hot... lush!  The bridge was serious, Hesse and Kit, got some great cards and used them well.  When the time came to stop and head back to Maseru we all knew it would be close.  I did the sums and Hesse and Kit managed to come out 200 points ahead.  Amazingly close for a whole weekend of playing!!  On the way home we talked about the next weekend away and all hope it will be soon!!!

A week of surprises

Last Friday, having settled on having a quiet weekend in Maseru we decided to head to Clarens and the Golden Gate Highlands Park in the South African Free State for a bit more exploring and potentially some hiking. The weekend was glorious weather – sunny bright blue skies and not too cold. Since the world cup has finished the jams at the border crossings seems to have eased which makes trips like this a bit easier. Clarens itself is a bit of a unique place. A central grass square lined on all sides with cafes, deli’s, antique shops and art galleries. People are walking around and sitting at the roadsides drinking a beer or having a cup of tea (not really seen this in any other place in SA). It sits amid a range of hills so the scenery is lovely but it did feel more like a village you would find in the Canadian Rockies rather than in Africa. On the Saturday we relaxed and explored Clarens itself and then on Sunday we put on our hiking gear and headed to the nearby Golden Gate Highlands Park which is at the beginning of the Drakensburg Mountain range. Impressive though it was, the scale and beauty of Lesotho has certainly spoiled us and we felt a little uninspired and ended up driving through the park and out the other side to see what else we could find. At least we looked the part sitting in the Jeep wearing out outdoor wear!

We decided to enter back into Lesotho via a new border crossing which was a bit like a mini ‘sani-pass’. The dirt track then led us alongside the Caledon River (the river that marks the border between Lesotho and South Africa). At points you could easily have one foot in each country. Our 2 hour journey led us through the mountains and through village after village. The grass had turned a rusty red in the winter and most of the streams had dried up. It was beautiful and new territory for us. We ended up picking up some hitch-hikers along the way, a couple of young footballers who were off to play their weekly game of soccer on the only flat football pitch for miles around. They said it takes them 2 hours to walk there and 2 back – that’s dedication! They were lovely guys and obviously enjoyed the experience of going by Jeep as they waved and hooted at their friends. We then picked up a miner who had come home to see his family for ‘month’s end’ and was starting the long journey back to North of Jo’Burg to the Gold mines for his next month of work. He had a hacking cough and I could tell Matt was just itching to get his doctor’s hat on and investigate this miner’s lung, but instead we let the guy rest and enjoy the journey.

After a lovely weekend the working week has been varied. Matt had his meeting with the Public Service Commission, after which they decide whether to give him an employment contract and pay him. An interesting way round to do things considering Matt has been working here for 6 months already. But at least it has happened. The ENT department had some excitement yesterday morning as we closed the waiting room so that a bullet could be extracted from a patient’s neck! It took a while as the bullet kept moving but the patient was up and about after so all went well. I saw my oldest patient and youngest patients so far yesterday, a lady of 76 years and a 11 month old baby. Certainly keeps you on your toes.

We had a surprise guest staying this week with us in the flat. Yesterday morning I opened the boiler cupboard to find a bemused pigeon staring back at me. I was late for work so decided to free him when I came home for lunch. The pigeon obviously had other ideas – when I got home it was downstairs settled in a blanket on the sofa with playing cards out on the table and the radio on the floor. Perhaps it had been doing this all week and I only just caught him in the act!

Today, we are off for a....drum roll....Bridge weekend! We are heading to Ramabanta lodge which is 1 half hours from Maseru for a weekend of Bridge and walking with Hesse and Kathy. Matt is super-excited as it is combining both a trip in Jeepy and 2 whole days of Bridge, his idea of perfection I think.