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  Pigg's Peak Swaziland, Swaziland
Wednesday, November 24, 2010

The sun is now rising at 4:30am so in order to watch the sunrise we had to meet our rifled guides at 4:15am this morning.  Although it was warm it was raining and there was lightening so we thought the odds of us actually going on the walk were slim but we managed to get ourselves to the meeting spot anyway- half asleep.

The guides loaded us into a truck (6 of us plus two of them) to drive to a spot and then walk from that point.  They said if there was any lightening then we would not do it because the rifles would be lightening rods (certainly made sense to me).  We had actually heard on the radio that day that something like 5,000 people had been struck by lightening this year alone- apparently everyone is carring rifles in the rain???

So we headed to the first spot but is was raining too hard so we then set off for another spot, got out of the truck and listened to the instructions:
- the guides are both in front with the rifles so they can shoot anything that charges us
- no talking
- walk single file and keep up with the group
- if you want to stop for a photo click your fingers or slap your leg- no yelling
- if something happens do exactly what the guide says- hit the ground, go behind a tree, cry, bless yourself, etc.
- never run

With this very encouraging set of instructions we then headed off on our walk.  The first thing that was pointed out to us was rhino markings and lion prints- ok we cannot see you but we know you are out there somewhere.  We then started seeing our first game- baboons, impalas and galloping rhinos.  Now why were they galloping the guides asked us.  Well apparently they could smell us and all animals fear the smell of humans.  When you approach them in the car they do not smell you or identify you- just the car- which is why you can get so close.  When you are walking they either run or see you as a threat and attack.  The good news is that our walk was very interesting but nothing attacked us.

After a quick breakfast and pack-up we headed out for more game driving and again saw lots of animals.  We have gotten pretty good at spotting and anticipating things- elephant dung on road, trees knocked over and branches all over the road (they are very messy gardeners), then suddenly we see an elephant behind a tree.  Other animals are much harder to spot like the cats and little animals like the yellow mongoose that we saw poking his head out of a log.  We have also started spotting birds- for the most part we have no clue what they are but they are fun to spot anyway.

After a full day of game driving we left Kruger Park and headed for Swaziland.  The border crossings are actually quite a pain.  You have to go through customs of the country you are leaving, get back in your car, drive through and then re-do everything for the country you are entering so it all takes awhile.  After many new stamps on our passport we entered the Kingdom of Swaziland- the only country in Africa with an active ruling monarchy.  This is the country famous for polygamy (the last king had 122 wives) and the one with the highest HIV infection rate in the world (30%).  Apparently the new life expectancy rate is 31.  On the radio and all around are lots of billboards encouraging condom use and safe sex so hopefully things will start turning around soon. 

Swaziland is definitely much poorer than South Africa and you can see this from the homes and number of children tending the cows/goats on the highways.  The scenery is beautiful though wih very lush forests and jungle everywhere. 

We arrived at our lodge (down a dirt road to what seemed like nowhere) and because it was not too busy we were upgraded to the master cottage (very nice).  The lodge is located right in a rain forest with a waterfall as the focal point- a truly beautiful place (thanks again Lonely Planet).  We had a terrific dinner in their restaurant and then headed to bed early (as usual) to prepare for an early morning walk around the falls the next morning.

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