Road Rage and Border Crossing

 Sunday, March 5, 2023

My Google timeline popped up today and it was pretty neat to see the results for February!  It’s still hard to believe we are in Africa!

We left St. Lucia, headed for Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary Camp.  To get there, we had to travel only 95km (60 miles) but it took half of a day to get there!   The first 23km used to be a nice paved road, but is now half dirt, filled with ruts, cracks and potholes!  It made the Top of the World Highway in Alaska seem as smooth as glass!  

Our wagonmaster said 3 years ago the road was nicely paved, but the logging and mining trucks have come through and damaged the roads, and the companies are not responsible for repairs.   It was quite an adventure maneuvering through the maze of bumps and holes.  There were several RV’s who looked like they were going through a slalom course, darting and turning from one side of the road to the other to try to miss the holes. 

  It took an hour to go those 23km!  It’s too hard to have road rage here—its easier to laugh and take in the experience, and savor the opportunity to share more stories!

Then we reached the border crossing, leaving South Africa and entering Eswatini (previously Swaziland).  The country changed its name in 2018 to avoid confusion with Switzerland and assert its sovereignty from its colonial past.  

The immigration process was quite interesting.  You had to park your vehicle at the first stop with gates and guards.  We had to take our passports and vehicle registration into the building.  Our passports were stamped as we left South Africa.  Then, we drove about 20 yards and parked again, stepping into another building—the entry point for Eswatini.  There was a dispenser for free condoms at the counter—they are trying to do everything they can to reduce aids in the country. (Only one guy from our group took advantage of the free condoms—just kidding!)  We had to pay 100 Rand (about $5) per vehicle.  This is for road maintenance!  Then, our passports were stamped and registration reviewed, and we were cleared to enter Eswatini/Swaziland! 

The roads were much better as we entered the new country.  The countryside looked like a scene that should be on a jigsaw puzzle.   As we went through the towns, we saw plenty of folks on their way to church, most of them dressed in nice white garments.  (Blur is from a dirty windshield!)

We stopped at Swazi Candles, an interesting place with many craft stores and a restaurant.  Everyone shared their pothole stories (not much road rage), as we hurried through breakfast so we could go shopping! 

  Jim watched a guy mold an elephant out of wax with his hands!

We arrived at the campground which is in the center of a wildlife sanctuary.    On the way in we saw a huge termite mound…probably 6 ft tall! 

It is a very different place because the animals are roaming freely.  In the other parks and reserves, there were gates to separate the humans and animals.  We all finally got parked and everyone sat down to relax, and we were amazed at the Warthogs and Nyala that came wandering through.

We have entered into a higher risk malaria area.  Although we have been taking our malaria medication since the start of the trip, others have begun their routine.  We are being very careful by wearing long sleeves and long pants, and also the mosquito bracelets from a brother-in-law (thanks John!)

Swazi dancers entertained us before dinner with dancing and singing in their native style.  At the end, they invited everyone to get up and join them, and almost all of our group did a conga-line type dance around the circle.  But, I didn’t see anyone from our group doing the high kicks!

A South African buffet followed the entertainment, at tables in an open air space, and we could hear sounds of the night while we were eating—it really made you feel like you were in Africa!

We walked back to the campground with flashlights, and you could see the eyes from the Warthogs watching us as we went down the path.  Every day is a new experience.  We could never imagine doing the things we are doing, but these experiences are now treasure