Lions, crags and Swaziland....oh my

Trip Start Jul 31, 2010

Trip End Sep 06, 2010

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Where I stayed

a Cabin we were lucky to find

(Lobamba hotels)

Flag of Swaziland Malkerns, Swaziland
Friday, August 6, 2010

Thursday, we rented our car which ended up being a huge hassle. The hostel where we were staying was supposed to be helping us out with getting a car when he told us the night before (at 9pm) he couldn't get it (even though he had had 3 days to order it)! So he ended up taking us to the airport to rent a car where of course no one had any automatics. Finally one company had a car in a nearby location so we had to taxi it out there, but when we got they apparently had double booked the car. What a nightmare! It was the worst customer service ever. The women who dealt with us kept acting like it was our fault that her company messed up....because we didn't have a cell phone and she couldn't warn us, because we didn't drive manual, etc. Finally she resolved it, but it did take a good chunk of our day away.

Afterward we went to a place called Lion Park for a self-drive Safari. Honestly, though this park wasn't all that much different from Lion Country Safari in West Palm Beach or the Safari Park at 6 Flags (the lions were separated here too)

Lions

. Here we saw Lions, Zebras, Bontebok, Giraffes, Leopards, Hyenas and more. We even got to play with baby lion cubs and got up close and personal with a giraffe. Since we were there towards the later part of the day the cubs were more boisterous and testy. One attempted to bite Cass (he did latch on but did not apply much pressure) on the thigh and another gnawed at his shoe. I had one try to nip my ankle - thank goodness he only got my pants! After that we got out of there! I didn't want to be that tourist that got attacked by a lion on my vacation.

The next day we woke up to frost (brrrr!) and headed for Swaziland which is very mountainous. There were so many crags that I always wonder where they come from. In Swaziland you can feel that it is even more relaxed then South Africa. People were much friendlier. Sadly, there is an aids epidemic here and it is predicted that the population will decrease in size by 50% in the next 20 years. Swaziland is a land-locked country and has its own currency. You would think that entering and leaving would be a piece of cake but border control was pretty tight. In Swaziland we saw the main city, Manzini, and then went on to Mandalela's Homestead (in Malkerns) where we watched the making of crafts and hand made art, had some spectacular views and explored the local cultural center. It was refreshing to be in the country. Driving has been fairly easy except for the roadwork

Giraffe

. Cassiel had no problems adjusting to driving on the left hand side of the road. Drivers are friendly and courteous. For example, if you want to pass in a single lane many drivers will ride the shoulder to let you pass (even the big truckers!) and if you let someone pass they thank you almost every time by flashing their lights. Oh and if you are a kind driver you flash your headlights once to say you're welcome. Also if there is police ahead or animals in the road they flash you to let you know to proceed with caution. We came across tons of animals in the road (half of Swaziland and South Africa don't believe in fences). We've had some long days driving especially since we've gotten lost once or twice, but fortunately that will slow down a bit and we can enjoy more sights -- just had to get further away from the north.

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