Last full day in South Africa

30 July
Blog done for now. We had fun. We're almost packed and on our way home tomorrow. Ask us in person. Love to all.

Location:Vesperdene Rd,Cape Town,South Africa

Long, wonderful day.

29 July
When you look online at Capetown, you see a list of 6 things to do. 1.Robben Island, done. 2.V and A Waterfront, done. 3.Kirstenbosch, too large to do in too short a time, but we have been seeing much of what is available at the gardens in our touring. 4.Table Mountain cableway, sadly closed for maintenance, but we went up to a vantage point almost as lovely. 5.Constantia Vineyards, drove through today, done. AND we'll be vine yarding all day Sunday as well. And 6.Cape Point, the target for today.
Not bad for 3 days in a city.
We started out early today for our driving tour all the way down to the Cape of Good Hope, the most SouthWestern point of Africa. A lovely drive the whole way, along the western coast of Cape Point and Table Mountain National Park. Stopping at a small fishing village for bathrooms (oops, I mean toilets) and souvenirs. The Cape of Good Hope was rocky and windy and wonderful. We climbed or funiculared up to the top, the lighthouse, and watched a whale for a while. As we left, an ostrich entertained us by crossing the road.... We are easily amused.
The next stop, on the way back up the Eastern coast of the point was Boulder Rock, where the African Penguins hang out. We had some fun watching the penguins, And then passed baboons on the way back to Cape Town proper. A stop by District 6, up to the back side of Lion's Head Mountain (where the helmeted guinea fowl roam) and through the brightly painted houses of the Muslim area before driving back to the hotel for a brief rest before heading back out for dinner. Photos will have to wait as my iPad will have none of it - I have loaded too many pictures already. But, those photos will be good!

Location:Cape Of Good Hope and Cape Point

Robben Island

28 July
A later morning today, a few of us walked down to the "boulangerie" I spotted yesterday on my way back from the supermarket. YUMMY. After a lovely breakfast, we sped down to the waterfront to meet the group at the ferry to Robben Island
We were on the 11:00 ferry and there was some concern that it might not run because the weather was foreboding and the water choppy.





But it ran and we were on it!





It was a challenging boat ride for all of us.
However, we arrived in 14 pieces and got on our bus for the tour of the island.
Photos of the tour are here. Click on this text or the photo.









And then, on the way home....

Location:Cape Town,South Africa

Travel day. All day.

27 July.
4:00 am. Driving, driving, driving, driving....
6:34. Stop, off bus, back on bus, driving, driving, driving....
8:38. Stop, wait for one lane of traffic to let us pass. Coconut biscuits, driving, driving, driving....
9:52 Stop. Hamburgers for breakfast? Anything goes on a road trip....
Driving, driving, driving....
12:37 Stop. Off bus, back on bus. Driving, driving, driving....
2:10 Stop. Off bus, back on bus. Driving, driving, driving....
We are actually making very good time!
3:28 "Table Mountain ahead". Driving, driving, driving....

Pull in to the Capetown Protea Cape Castle Hotel, our last "home away from home" before 4:00!














And we are here!! The view from our balcony. Can you see the water??

Location:On the road to Capetown.

Museum, galleries, Arts Center in Thaba Nchu and UFS lectures

25 and 26 July
We started at the National Museum, basically a Natural History Museum, with a tour of the entire space and then a lecture on the Oral History Project that is in year 5 of 10 documenting the stories of the Batho township outside of Bloemfontein.

UFS = University of the Free State, just FYI.
"SAS Titanic -What went wrong?" with Professor Hussein Solomon, Dept of Political Science. He had very strong opinion about the ANC now and then and shared his views eloquently with us. "When I was about 9, I asked my father what the difference between an optimist and a pessimist was. He answered, 'pessimists have more reliable statistics.'"

"Resistance art or cultural translation" with Prof. Suzanne Human, Dept of History of Art. Shared her views about the idea of "resistance art."

26 July
Sitting back at Mugg and Bean at Mimosa Mall....
This morning we left early for the drive almost back to the Lesotho border to visit the Mmabana Cultural Center. A huge, beautiful complex where local kids can come and work in the arts. Also karate and sports. They often win international competitions. There were 2 beautiful dance studios and what looked like a strong staff of dedicated teaching artists. The kids are able to come to the center whether they can pay or not (monthly fee of R50, approx $7) so long as they come and continue coming consistently.
A very few photos of the museum, gallery and arts center.










And then an afternoon of lectures:















"Lesotho-Free State relations during the liberation struggle: an ANC exile perspective" with Mr. Leon Sidyiyo, Head of Crime Intelligence, South African Police Services. He was involved in an uprising in solidarity with Soweto (at his school 3 days after) in 1976. A first hand account of what it was like to flee to Lesotho in 1977 as a student, to join the opposition forces as a refugee. After 2 years, he went to Nigeria, for University (studying International Relations) and came back to South Africa in September, 1994.

"The African National Congress (ANC) and political mobilization in the Free State, 1990 - 1994" with Dr. Chitja Twala, Dept of History "Only when the people are united, can they do harm to the Apartheid government...." People in the individual cells did not know who all the other members were so they could not be tortured and forced into giving them away. "If the ANC was unbanned on Feb 2, we thought that by Feb 3 we'd have a black president. We thought that if Mandela was released on Feb 11, then the next day he'd be president." In fact, as we know, it took time for negotiations, it took time for compromises, it took time for elections. They may not have been adequately prepared to manage all of this. Pre 1990, people were screened before they could join the ANC to make sure they were not informants. Post unbanning, anybody can join the ANC, even if they don't understand the past and the history of the organization. The youth leaders of the ANC today were not even born in 1990!

Simplified and paraphrased....















We are actually very interested, even though it may not appear so with our body language.

Location:Bloemfontein, Thaba Nchu

Cats. Big and little.

24 July

Caracals and cheetah and lions oh my. Lots of cats, big and small, friendly and not so friendly. The caracal was playful and the panther was asleep in the sun. Those of us who wanted got to pet the lion cubs and the caracals. The cheetah wanted nothing to do with us.
See for yourself:






Oooh. And movie night. For those if us who wanted... Either Harry Potter or Bang Bang Club. All who attended had a great time!

Location:Bloemfontein

Peaceful and frenetic

23 July
A slow start to the day. Some had a good, long run, some started with yoga... I can say with fair certainty that none of us set alarms. Yet we all ended up at breakfast at around the same time. Perhaps we really are, as Joy said, "one large American amoeba."
Many worked on our curriculum for a few hours, some enjoyed the lazy morning with walks on the grounds of the close to gameless game lodge. But wait, there is a crocodile, a few giraffe and many a bok.
Several of us hopped on the bus to go to the market Noah discovered on his run. As we arrived, they seemed to be packing up, but we managed to sample some local fare, buy a few souvenirs, and generally enjoy wandering around.
Then it was time for our walking tour of Bloemfontein. We were met downtown by a professor of architecture who took us into the old republic building which looked fairly deserted except for the laptop and projector and, conveniently, 15 chairs. He proceeded to give us an excellent briefing of the founding to Bloemfontein to today with slides of the development of the city and different views painted by different artists paired with photos of the times. He then took us on whirlwind tour of the town, literally, we were running to catch up with him and his enthusiasm about Bloemfontein, Brand Street in particular. Some photos from our fast paced walking tour:





A catnap (for me at least) and time to head out to dinner to the Waterfront area (didn't actually see water....) where there were several interesting restaurants to choose from.

Location:Bloemfontein

Museum and school visit

Here are a few pics:


More to come.

Transfer to Kimberley

July 20
Up and out at 6 this morning for the long drive to Kimberley. Not long compared to what we do in about a week to get to Capetown, but long enough. We got here in plenty of time to go to The Big Hole. The Big Hole is exactly what it sounds like, a big hole. It was the site of the first diamond discovery and is the largest man made hole in the world. In fact it is pretty darn large! It is no longer a working mine, as they were afraid the walls were going to cave in, so DeBeers has turned it into a diamond museum complete with a preservation/replication of the town that developed around it. We seemed to be the only visitors, as we walked around, it felt like we were in a south western ghost town. Empty stores filled with paraphernalia of the late 1800's. A saloon like cafe where we had (quite delicious hamburgers) and the "diamond experience" where you go to the viewing platform which affords a great view of the hole which is filled in partly with a pretty green (algae) water and then underground to see where and how the miners operated. There is a secured vault where you see diamonds in the rough and in all different cuts and sizes. And a historical lay out in a large room where you can read all of the history. Also a 12 minute movie that takes you to the 1866 discovery of diamonds in Kimberley.


The Big Hole:
Back on the bus for the short ride to our "Road House" hotel at the Flamingo Casino.

Location:Kimberley, South Africa

Day of Art

21 July
Our definitions of art were expanded as we had the opportunity to experience 2000 year old rock art by the Khoi San people. It was fascinating to see the glacial rock formations and the different styles of the different peoples at the 2 different Rock art sites. The first site, Driekopseiland, had thousands of small etchings in the rocks. Clearly we didn't see them all, but we had a good sampling.

Followed by a visit to Wildebeestkuil, where we learned about the San and the populations of the .... Who had to be re-located from Namibia and were given the land near Kimberley. Here, the volcanic rocks sat on the ground as ready canvas for the "bushmen."
Here is a sampling of the rock art from both sites. You can tell the difference between the 2.








After these 2 ancient sites, we went to the Humphrey's Art Museum for lunch and a fantastic guided tour. Here the work was much more contemporary, in fact there was an amazing room dedicated to South African art of the 70's and 80's. Though none of the work is catalogued, many of us were very taken by many of the artists and hope to receive images from our lovely tour guide via email so we can introduce them to our students.

On the way out of town, towards our next Destination, Bloemfontain, our tire blew! No problem, our new driver, Robbie, was out in no time, on the ground, and had the new tire on in what seemed like minutes. We made it to Bloem by 8 and all had a solid dinner at the Bush Pub at Bains Lodge Game Reserve where the rest of the restaurant were large, burley Afrikaners.

Location:Kimberley (transfer to Bloemfontein)

School visits

18 & 19 July
On both days, we visited schools. Monday's visit was a very small, (under 200 students k-12) private school in Harrismith called the Harriston School. It was the first day back for teachers and students and we were a bit of a surprise to them. Nonetheless, they served us tea and sandwiches in the faculty lounge and were very accommodating and welcoming. We were shown around and invited to stay through a few classes. Though the school was very small, there was a substantial amount of diversity in the student population. As well, the language of instruction was English instead of Afrikaner.

On Tuesday, we drove a little further afield to Thsibollo secondary school. This school is in a much more rural area and has far more students. Almost 700 in just grades 10 - 12. Again, we were welcomed warmly and walked around campus. There were at least 6 sections of each grade and we popped in and out of several classrooms, being introduced and offering to answer any questions posed to us. Any. Not many questions though.

Comparing the resources of Harriston to Tshibollo is almost laughable. Though Tshibollo has a computer lab with many computers and a science lab with tables set up for water and gas connections, it seemed pretty clear that water and gas were not actually accessible. The science teacher talked about teaching chemistry in theory only - in order to demonstrate the boiling point of different liquids, he'd have to have the ability to boil.... Harriston this year has a graduating class of 1. The classes we visited ranged in size from 6 to 15. At Tshibollo, the were easily 45 - 50 kids in a section.

Then think about the fact that all of these kids take the same exact tests in order to graduate....

Photos of the schools, mostly Tshibollo.

Location:Harrismith and Qwaqwa

An interesting correspondence

Noah sent and received this email from a friend. It addresses some of the questions that have arisen during our visits. We thought it might be interesting for those of you at home too:
Hi Mark and Shari. I e-mailed my friend who is a (newly hired) professor of African Studies and who has spent considerable time living in and writing about Lesotho. I thought perhaps you could print out a copy of his responses to share with the group. Thanks, Noah
What is the impact of China on Lesotho? China: It already plays a very large role in Lesotho. They just built (or are still building?) a new Parliament building in Maseru, built the state library/archives on Kingsway and run all the textile mills that are in Maseru and Maputsoe (in the north, by Leribe). Will the mills stay past the expiration of preferential access to the American markets? Hard to say. There are a few South African businessmen moving in to take over an odd small factory or two to take advantage of cheaper labor and fewer strong unions in Lesotho versus SA, but I'm not sure that is sustainable either. There are also lots of Chinese traders out in rural Lesotho running stores. The best store near St. Rods, for instance, is known locally as "China shop" because it is run by Chinese owners who live next to it. Basotho don't particularly have high opinions of the Chinese, but they aren't going anywhere. Like in much of Africa, they are there to make money, and don't put a lot into the local communities (but then again, neither did the British during colonial times). There are lots of high-level contacts between the governments, but I would not be so quick to condemn the Chinese in Lesotho as new colonialists, or anything. Before "China shop" was "China shop," it was a locally-owned and run shop that sold mostly beer and soap. We had to shop elsewhere in 2002 when I was at St. Rods, so they do bring a wider variety of consumer goods to rural Lesotho, which certainly helps improve quality of life. It is a bit like Walmart in rural America--from the cities it looks bad, but according to my mother who grew up in rural Georgia in the 1960s, the access to so many new, cheap products allowed poor people to improve their quality of life. So, complicated question, no easy answer.
Can Lesotho long remain a viable nation-state? Lesotho as a nation-state: long-term I think some sort of federal solution will come to pass between SA and Lesotho. Mostly for South African security reasons (not really defense, but because Jo'burg relies so heavily on water imported from Lesotho). I just don't see the SA government being able to risk having such a poor, somewhat unstable government in charge of such a crucial resource. I would love to say that concerns for the extreme poverty and inequality is driving this, but it isn't. SA doesn't really care about the poverty in Lesotho (and, probably rightfully since you have now seen the townships and shantytowns of SA that they are more directly responsible for), but there is a strong push from inside Lesotho by its own citizens (educated and uneducated...most of the university grads would prefer better paying jobs in SA, and unskilled labor would have some opportunity across the border) for some sort of arrangement whereby people could have dual residency or just work rights across the border. Some sort of accord was signed in 2007, but has never been implemented. Perhaps it will happen, but the political class in Lesotho makes our Congress look positively saintly.
What can be done to destigmatize HIV? HIV: Another complicated question. On the surface, there is a lot of knowledge about HIV/AIDS out there. You saw the billboards, the campaigns, the t-shirts that everyone has. There is still, however, a lot of stigmatization of people with the disease and, frankly, denial about the problem in terms of people's social circles. What I mean is that everyone can mouth the slogans and say what a problem it is, how you get the disease, how you protect yourself from it, etc (ie the campaigns are "successful" when measured by simplistic metrics that can been seen). However, people routinely do not get tested out of a fear of ostracization, or just straight denial--can't happen to me, or I wonder why my very healthy 25-year old nephew just died. The issue is that AIDS is not a visible disease in any way, really. It is hard to put a face on it. The BBC series of interviews with people from teh clinic at St. Rods really helped me understand the reactions to it: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7697831.stm

Location:Harrismith

A lazy day

Nothing to report today, July 17. We stayed close, we caught up on some emails, we worked on curriculum, we blogged, and we basked in the warmth of the sun when the sun was out.
Most of the crew out tonight watching the Japan vs USA women's final world cup match in Germany at a Native American themed restaurant in The Free State in South Africa. How's that for globalization?

Location:Harrismith, South Africa

Sacred Sites and more sacred sites

July 15
A long drive took us to a site where many pilgrims of many backgrounds (Basotho, Zulu...) come to seek the ancestors. We saw people walking through in both directions and stopped at a central area where people stop to rest and perform ceremonies. We participated in a ceremony led by a female "sangoma" traditional medicine man. It was a melange of faiths and practices, she read from the Old Testament, and they prayed to the ancestors and to Jesus. We all threw flat cakes into the fire as well as different seasonings, all as a sacrifice to the ancestors. People from all walks of life come from far and wide to seek these healing rituals and many pay hefty fees for the animals they must sacrifice and the ceremonies in which they partake for the appeasement of their ancestors. There were different shelters built into the landscape, many of which were well hidden. We also walked past a well decorated fertility house and many "shrines" to different branches of Christianity and non Christian practices.

16 July
Today's drive was a bit shorter than yesterday. Through Golden Gate Park one more time with a bathroom stop in Clarens. We arrived at the gate to Motouleng shortly after. A walk through the grassy area, over the rocky river and we were at an entrance to a massive cave (really an overhang, but large!)
We were toured around by 2 different people. The first, another medicine man who showed us the places of ancestors, where people bathe in the mud for healing, and where an individual might light candles and then go into a dark recess of the cave for alone time with the ancestors. Again, the were many shelters built into the space, some covered, some with roofs of thatch. We were then taken around by the called caretaker of the cave - meaning, that 7 years ago, he was called to administer the space for the ancestors and the pilgrims who arrive. Over the last 7 years, he has built all the shelters and he is proud and protective of his work. Some of it was quite beautiful.
The following photos are from both days of Sacredness:








On the way back on Saturday, we stopped at a reproduction of a traditional Basotho village. It was interesting in that the shelters changed with the years - for example, the earliest one was created to look like one from several hundred years ago and the last one we toured was built with more modern materials and a nod to tradition in the painted walls, but with modern pots, pans, bedding etc inside. We were able to see, in an hour, the changes that have taken place over centuries of outside influences.
A few photos from that visit:

Location:Somewhere far from Harrismith

Back in South Africa

July 14
Up and out and good bye Roma, good bye Lesotho. We had planned on taking the scenic route out of the country, but had to change plans and take the most direct route out of dodge.
The drive was still beautiful, the border crossing uneventful (thankfully) and we stopped in the lovely town of Clarens for lunch and some gallery hopping. Clarens was, to say the least, a far cry from anything we had seen in Lesotho!
To quote Elizabeth, we were "driving, driving, driving - herdsmen, driving, driving, driving - some sheep and a shepherd boy, driving, driving, driving - some hills, a mountain, some more sheep and cows. Driving, driving, driving - border. Driving, driving, driving - Santa Fe like Artists' Colony."
Striking to say the least.

From bus windows, this is what we saw:

Location:Free State, Harrismith

Last day teaching and community centering...

13 July
A great, full day.
The children were already singing their morning routine we we arrived. They finished, welcomed us and marched, literally marched to their classrooms. My group had 7th grade today and I personally was a little wary because they had been a bit of trouble on the first day. However, they were lovely. We had modified our plan quite a lot from our experience the first day which definitely was a success. I am sure it didn't hurt that the principal sat in the back of the classroom for the entire 3 hours!
Lunch back at the trading post and then back to the community centers.
On our end of town, the fields were full of track and field elements (and what looked like obstacle courses) with a crowd of kids waiting for Noah and Melissa as we dropped them off. Then we rounded other corner holding our breath, wondering if the number of kids had once again grown exponentially from the day before. but no. Today there were a manageable amount of kids... when we arrived.
Elizabeth and I got to work pulling out a canvas and getting it ready to bring outside - thinking we could have 3 crews today. One drawing outside, one inside working on the wall and one outside working on a canvas mural. but it worked out that were able to maintain just 2. Quite a relief actually. We shared paint and the kids outside did a spectacular companion piece on a canvas while we finished up inside the building on the walls. Our helpers were great, volunteers and smaller people. They were so willing and eager and fun and full of giggles! Here are the finished walls!






And below is the awesome canvas the kids outside finished in one session to go with the walls:









I'm hoping to get some shots and comments of some other activities to post here as well, since I barely left the building during the 3 days. Even though they are not yet represented here, the were tons of great activities going on for the past 3 days, at both centers!
But wait, there's mire. I mean more. Did I mean mire? Perhaps a Freudian slip. Complications with our bus driver have arisen and he won't be able to continue driving us past next weekend. This is disappointing as we have all enjoyed his stories and good humor and lack of patience for dumb American pastimes...
Another lovely bonfire, this time with s'mores! Some time to pack up and to prepare to leave Lesotho completely. Bus leaves 9 am sharp. Sharp.
Photos from the school and Bana Pele

Location:Roma, Lesotho

The King. Among other things.

12 July, 2011
Today we had to cut class short with the kids at Liphakoeng Primary School because we had an 11:00 appointment in Maseru with King Letsie lll, son of King Moshoeshoe lll. We all gave the kids an opportunity to tell us what they would ask the king if they had the opportunity. Some of the questions were very thoughtful. Some just for fun... (but we all now know that the King IS a fan of football!)
We hurried to the waiting bus at 9:45 and made it to the palace in plenty of time to get situated, re-situate, and wait. He was prompt (which according to many is rare) and lovely. Very amiable, good humored, and graciously open to our questions, with some questions of his own for us. He shared some tea and cakes with us and then we parted to head back to Roma for an afternoon at the community centers.
Photo of us with the King will go here.
Today, at Bana Pele, the volunteers were supremely organized and helpful. For the mural, even though we arrived an hour later than we had hoped to, we got the insides of the silhouettes painted and they look great. I hope others will add comments about their community center experiences....
After dinner, we heard from Kat Lissard, who overlapped with us here at the Trading Post. She is a former Fulbright teacher here in Lesotho and is now working with students here, (and in NY, and in VT) using theater to educate all sorts of communities about HIV.


















This last photo is a link as well

Location:Roma and Maseru

The kids! 11 July.

Liphakoeng Primary School and the Community Centers.
Thabo's talk at night about politics and the current state of Lesotho.









Here are the beginning stages of the mural Elizabeth and I executed with the kids at Bana Pele. Click here or on the photo for more images.




She had the bulk of the kids outside drawing pictures of what community means to them. Then they came inside (only a third at a time) to trace their friends on this first day. I never made it outside that day to take pictures of the 70 plus drawers....
I am hoping others will also post about their experiences teaching and at the centers, since I can only speak to my specific day.

Location:Roma

The Blanket Festival and Artistic fun

July 10. (also a birthday celebration and an anniversary)



Let the pictures from the day tell the story.

Location:Maseru and Roma

Teacher Training College and the Bus Stop Market

July 8th.
For our final full day in Maseru, we experienced what I considered a day of feeling like a spectacle. First, we visited the Lesotho College of Education. We met with a group of Administrators of the college and they filled us in on their mission and the difficulties they have as the only teacher training school in the nation. It was only very recently that Lesotho instituted free, compulsory primary education (standards 1-7). This has led to an increase in need for trained teachers, as approximately 88% of primary students are now enrolled. They graduate around 800 teachers a year, but there is still an issue of some teachers (primarily in the highlands) not being properly trained. We found many similarities when discussing the issues they face in education. There are issues with funding, with cultural differences between the highland and lowland students, and national assessments that aren't always culturally relevant. We then had tea with them and were told that we were going to be led to an art room.

Instead , as we walked outside, we saw a large gathering of people. As we turned the corner, we were led on to a stage in front of the entire student body of the teacher school. As Saul said, it felt a little like being a rockstar. They were excited to greet us, and performed a variety of traditional dances for us and for the crowd. They wanted to show us their culture and how important it was to them. It was loud and energetic, and exciting. After the performance, many rushed to meet us. To meet and see so many people dedicated to education was heartening to me.






Our guide, Lineo, then led us to the bus market in Maseru. She wanted us to see an average shopping experience for Maseru residents. There is a mall and many other stores in Maseru, but the stalls in the market were quite busy. It seems that one could find just about anything in the market. I said in the beginning that it felt like a day of being a spectacle, and this continued in the bus market. It's not every day that a large group of Americans wander through that market, so we were greeted with many curious looks and a lot of kind greetings. Overall, we've found Lesotho to be full of many friendly folks who are excited to meet us and curious about why we are here. We travel to Roma tomorrow, where we will get to experience a new community and get to work with students.

Written by Kristin


Some photos from the Bus Stop Market

Location:Maseru

Day 12. 7/7.

Morija Museum and archives with Steven Gill.
Maeder House with Patrick Rorke
Rothe Village with Lineo and Patrick B

Few photos from today

Location:Morija, Lesotho

Thaba Bosiu, Hill of Destiny, Mountain at Night. July 6

Some photos from our stop in town and our climb up to Thaba Bosiu

From Saul:
If you know the history of southern Africa, you would recognize the name Moshoeshoe (pronounced Mo' shway shway). As the founder of country of Lesotho he established his people on a fort-like plateau called Thaba Bosiu. We approached the cliffs of Thaba Bosiu at 10:30 in the morning but our guide had planned for us to do something prior to climbing the plateau. We were to have a behind-the-scenes look at traditional work done at home by Basotho women, which included broom making, pottery making, and the art of resurfacing the exterior walls of Basotho homes. It was very sweet of these Sotho women to have let us into their home to witness a small fragment of their lifestyle and tradition.
Once we jumped back into the bus, we drove to the base of Thaba Bosiu. The climb was a nice workout. At the top, we saw remnants of the first Basotho settlers and we stopped at Moshoeshoe's grave.
The last stop of the day was the King's palace (home of the current king). It was interesting to see the mix of historical and modern architecture and the development of the royal archives building.

Location:Thaba Bosiu, Lesotho

Textiles and the US Embassy. July 5

The Chinese owned textile factory, producing jeans etc for Gloria Vanderbilt and other companies.









Our brief visit at the US Embassy in Lesotho. Unfortunately, the Ambassador was not feeling well but we met with 2 other embassy personnel who were very informative and welcoming.
Photo coming...

Location:Maseru, Lesotho

Maseru Surprise. 4th of July

Until we got to Lancers (a hotel, meeting place) and met up with Lineo (pronounced Dineo) we were not sure what our plans were for the day. We knew there were several things we might do, but none were set in stone. So, all of us, dressed in our finest business casual, waited patiently to see what might unfold.
First, a visit to the National Curriculum Development Center where we met the National Desks of Social Studies and Arts. They talked to us about the changes they are making to national curriculum in terms of integrating all subjects in primary school. They lamented that the arts are mostly passed over because A. teacher training is lacking in the arts and B. the arts are not tested, so many schools don't see the need to teach them. This also happened with history for a number of years, and now the politicians are worried that there will be no one to take their places.... And now history is back on the board.

After this visit, which was chilly, but informative, we went to a small weaving factory comprised of 8 women in a collective who showed us their process from refining the wool to the huge tables of finished products. Many of which came back on the bus with us!

The next stop was the Lesotho Highlands Water Development Project. A joint venture with South Africa in which dams are being built to supply water to arid areas of development in South Africa. A brief briefing there and we were off again to wander King's Way for a bit and we found soccer balls and a pump to leave here with Roland and Frida, the German volunteers at the small center Brigitte has founded.

A very few photos from today

Location:Maseru, Lesotho

The big hike. 3 July

Today the group hiked to the top of the plateau in Morija.

Location:Morija, Lesotho

Just a note

We are back in South Africa, and have access to wireless, but only when at the local coffee shop... So the uploading and posting of the last 2 weeks may take more time than anticipated. Keep watching, something new should appear periodically.

Location:Harrismith

Day 1 Lesotho. 2 July, 2011

Absolutely stunning day today. The sun was shining enough that we even shed layers! We were led by Kethoei on a hike up to the dinosaur (the "Lesothosaurus") footprints with breathtaking views every time you turn your head. We were joined on this hike by Troy and Teresa from British Columbia and their 3 children - Zoe and Liam, who leapt up rocks as surefooted at mountain goats, and Billie, who they adopted yesterday from a nearby orphanage. And of course, Museli and Karl, the dogs.
Followed by an excellent lunch at the guesthouse.
Then the pony trek... Understand that the pony trek was supposed to have happened for half of us at 10 while the am hikers were hiking, then we were going to flip. Now know that only 3 of the 7 ponies showed up by 10:25... So we all decided to hike first, and trek after lunch.
Lunch ended, still not all of the ponies had happened by. Africa time. :)
All was well, 6 of us trekked on our trusty (if slightly miniature) steeds and the others walked towards the village and visited a house where they make beer. Then we flipped and the riders villaged while the villagers rode. So all was fine at the end.
THEN, the village kids showed up to give us a show of traditional dance and song. They were wonderful, they looked to be really enjoying themselves!
Another great meal and some work time and hang out time until bed.

Some images from the busy day:

Location:Morija

Travel Day-Friday, 1 July

Loaded the bus at 7:45 this morning and off we went. It is now 5:40 and we are about 18k from our destination, the Morija Guest House. The sun is setting as we make our way up, up, up the road.
We stopped at a mall in Bethlehem for lunch and noticed a marked increase in the Afrikaner population, and a shift in language.
Beautiful mountainous vistas, round thatched houses, sheep, cows and shepherds wrapped in traditional Basotho blankets....
Also, lots and lots of people, chaotic border crossings and a few moments when we thought Owen, our wonderful bus driver would be thrown in jail for want of a receipt for his driver license.
All of the photos from today were taken through the bus window.
Here are some of them

Location:Now in Lesotho!