Today was our planned excursion to Sani Pass. We met the guide and a friendly Belgian couple at 9AM by an old Land Rover 4x4.
The Sani Pass is the only way to enter Lesotho from the mountains. It is a treacherous driving pass, with no tarred roads, only thin extremely rocky dirt roads. Sometimes they were just rock roads. Needless to say, our little Veetoo 2WD VW Polo could not possibly make it up the steep path. In fact, if we even managed to reach the lower lying South African border post, the police would have refused to let our car pass any further as it is considered strictly prohibited for safety reasons.
Speaking of which, we learned a few of the charming names of the turns along the path, including Gray's Bend (referring to an old guide named Gray who always got stuck on that turn), the Devil's Elbow (a particularly viscous hairpin turn), Suicide Bend (no explanation needed), and Mercedes Bend (because you could see the remains of a Mercedes Benz van that had driven off the edge of the cliff).
Speaking of which, we learned a few of the charming names of the turns along the path, including Gray's Bend (referring to an old guide named Gray who always got stuck on that turn), the Devil's Elbow (a particularly viscous hairpin turn), Suicide Bend (no explanation needed), and Mercedes Bend (because you could see the remains of a Mercedes Benz van that had driven off the edge of the cliff).
But the pass offers some wonderful experiences, including an introduction to the local Basotho people and their traditions, superb views on top of the mountain range known as "The Roof Of Africa", a view of the highest African point south of Kilamajaro (nearly 3,500 meters), and an opportunity to enjoy a beverage at the Highest Pub In Africa (which is its name, but is also fact).
Our guide was an English-speaking South African from Cape Town named Mathieu who had moved to Sani Lodge five years ago to escape the big city life. His insight into the Basotho people and current South African issues were very interesting, and made the vehicle's continuous assault on our bodies during the bumpy ride much easier to bear.
In this region it is said that "only fools and foreigners predict the weather". This is the place that sees the majority of South African rainfall, but it is possible to experience all four seasons in one day. No one could tell us if today would be a good day to go to the pass, and we were quite concerned because heavy clouds and fog would prevent us from seeing the stunning mountain landscapes. True to the region's old adage, it was a little cloudy when we left, clear sunny skies when we ascended the mountains, it rained ferociously for 10 minutes as we ate our lunch in the jeep, it was sunny again directly afterwards, it HAILED small chunks of ice while we visited a Basotho home, and it was only a bit cloudy when we descended!
Visiting the Basotho home was quite special. We entered a mother's rondavel (asking permission first by saying "Roko?") where two of her kids also joined us. There we learned a bit about the businesses she had built inside her home for the consumption of the local shepherds and occasional tourists. We all tried a sip of one of her homemade beers. It was a thick white pasty color and tasted of very strong yeast. It was actually quite nasty, but apparently it is popular in Lesotho. We also tried bread that she baked in her cow dung oven. Yes, that's right, a cow dung oven. There is cow dung on the ground that acts like hot coals under a big metal pot where the bread is kept warm, and then a cover which has additional cow dung coals on top of it. Surprisingly, the bread from this oven was incredible, and we all bought a piece after trying a few bites.
A few facts about the Basotho (Bah-soo-thoo) people that we learned during our trip:
Marriage:
- A Basotho man must pay 25 cows for a wife, although it can be negotiable based on how the girl's father regards the man, and "payment plans" are also used e.g. "5 cows every three years for 15 years". This is in comparison to only 9-12 cows in South Africa.
- Basotho men marry only one woman, rather than multiple women such as in South Africa.
- Traditionally speaking, Basotho men prefer large women - the larger the better - as this is considered to be a sign of wealth. Thin women are assumed to be hard-working and therefore poor, whereas a big woman is assumed to be sitting around and eating and therefore has no need to work. Western values have started to change these preferences in recent generations.
- Basotho marriages were traditionally arranged at young ages, but nowadays they can pick their spouse.
Life:
- Almost all boys are raised to become shepherds, and all men have at least some animals. A young boy must shepherd his father's (or another man's) animals in order to earn the offspring from those animals and start his own collection. Animals are considered money, and if you have lots of animals in Lesotho, you are considered quite rich.
Marriage:
- A Basotho man must pay 25 cows for a wife, although it can be negotiable based on how the girl's father regards the man, and "payment plans" are also used e.g. "5 cows every three years for 15 years". This is in comparison to only 9-12 cows in South Africa.
- Basotho men marry only one woman, rather than multiple women such as in South Africa.
- Traditionally speaking, Basotho men prefer large women - the larger the better - as this is considered to be a sign of wealth. Thin women are assumed to be hard-working and therefore poor, whereas a big woman is assumed to be sitting around and eating and therefore has no need to work. Western values have started to change these preferences in recent generations.
- Basotho marriages were traditionally arranged at young ages, but nowadays they can pick their spouse.
Life:
- Almost all boys are raised to become shepherds, and all men have at least some animals. A young boy must shepherd his father's (or another man's) animals in order to earn the offspring from those animals and start his own collection. Animals are considered money, and if you have lots of animals in Lesotho, you are considered quite rich.
- Whereas men are the masters of the animals and most outdoor activities, the women are the keepers of the home. As a sign of respect, a husband must ask his wife for permission before entering the home, and if the women says no, he must comply.
- Men build the traditional rondavel homes in Lesotho (still the most common type of house) out of grass, cow dung, sand, and stones. Despite their simple appearance, they are actually quite advanced and well-adapted to this harsh environment. There are no windows to avoid loss of heat, and there is only a small door that faces the sunrise (to allow heat to enter). The walls are made of stone and cemented with cow dung and sand, making it remarkably well-insulated. The base of the floors are made of stones, and covered with cow dung, with a large stone near the middle for the cow dung oven. This way, the oven actually acts as a central heater for the flooring, as all the stones beneath the floor become heated. The houses are also all circular in shape so that wind can pass around them easily.
- Although practically completely free to build (since all the materials are readily available and land is allocated to Lesotho citizens for 99 years at no charge), these rondavel huts can take up to a year to build, often depending on the abundance of the materials in the area. But one thing they say about Lesotho is that, contrary to the Western World, "there are very few watches, but lots of time".
- Many travelers see the Basotho people and feel bad for them, thinking they are quite poor, but Mathieu made a point to tell us that this is not poverty, it is simply their way of life, and their way of life is simple.
Folklore:
- Many Basotho people believe in a short malicious troll (can't remember the actual name, but it starts with a T... Sounded something like "Trafka") that comes to your home and kills you in your sleep. In order to prevent the troll from killing them, Basotho people raise their beds onto bricks, so that the troll can safely pass underneath. Apparently, if you claimed to have one of these trolls in your backpack and threatened to open it, even those who claim not to believe in the troll would run away, out of pure fear for the possibility that it could be true. Scientific explanation for this old legend is that when you sleep too close to the floor in a rondavel, the carbon monoxide created by the central heating oven/fireplace will descend into the hut and silently kill the sleeper. By raising the beds off the ground, they avoid this from happening. That doesn't explain the claims of Basotho people being bitten by the troll, but that might just be insects and small rodents that could reach low-lying sleepers. Or - these trolls may actually exist - who knows.
- Our guide also told us that JRR Tolkein, author of The Hobbit and Lord Of The Rings, was born in South Africa, and while the recent movies were made in New Zealand, the backdrop of the original books were actually inspired by South Africa. It is also said that he visited this area at some point, and apparently tribal Besotho were very short in stature in those days, averaging four feet. This is perhaps where he got his inspiration for hobbits. Also, Mathieu claimed that JRR Tolkein actually uses the name Underberg somewhere in his book, which is the nearby town where we had dinner yesterday. It is also said that Tolkein met a hobbit in Cape Town, but then again Cape Town was well known for magic mushrooms, so who knows what he really saw.
After our day learning about Lesotho and the Basotho people, we headed off towards the north to begin our trip through the Drakensberg and through the rest of Lesotho. 40 minutes into our drive Sami realized his camera must have fallen out of his jacket in the crazy ride in the 4x4! We called the lodge and they fortunately found it right away, so we headed back to the Sani Lodge and opted to stay there another night rather than drive into late hours and darkness.
- Men build the traditional rondavel homes in Lesotho (still the most common type of house) out of grass, cow dung, sand, and stones. Despite their simple appearance, they are actually quite advanced and well-adapted to this harsh environment. There are no windows to avoid loss of heat, and there is only a small door that faces the sunrise (to allow heat to enter). The walls are made of stone and cemented with cow dung and sand, making it remarkably well-insulated. The base of the floors are made of stones, and covered with cow dung, with a large stone near the middle for the cow dung oven. This way, the oven actually acts as a central heater for the flooring, as all the stones beneath the floor become heated. The houses are also all circular in shape so that wind can pass around them easily.
- Although practically completely free to build (since all the materials are readily available and land is allocated to Lesotho citizens for 99 years at no charge), these rondavel huts can take up to a year to build, often depending on the abundance of the materials in the area. But one thing they say about Lesotho is that, contrary to the Western World, "there are very few watches, but lots of time".
- Many travelers see the Basotho people and feel bad for them, thinking they are quite poor, but Mathieu made a point to tell us that this is not poverty, it is simply their way of life, and their way of life is simple.
Folklore:
- Many Basotho people believe in a short malicious troll (can't remember the actual name, but it starts with a T... Sounded something like "Trafka") that comes to your home and kills you in your sleep. In order to prevent the troll from killing them, Basotho people raise their beds onto bricks, so that the troll can safely pass underneath. Apparently, if you claimed to have one of these trolls in your backpack and threatened to open it, even those who claim not to believe in the troll would run away, out of pure fear for the possibility that it could be true. Scientific explanation for this old legend is that when you sleep too close to the floor in a rondavel, the carbon monoxide created by the central heating oven/fireplace will descend into the hut and silently kill the sleeper. By raising the beds off the ground, they avoid this from happening. That doesn't explain the claims of Basotho people being bitten by the troll, but that might just be insects and small rodents that could reach low-lying sleepers. Or - these trolls may actually exist - who knows.
- Our guide also told us that JRR Tolkein, author of The Hobbit and Lord Of The Rings, was born in South Africa, and while the recent movies were made in New Zealand, the backdrop of the original books were actually inspired by South Africa. It is also said that he visited this area at some point, and apparently tribal Besotho were very short in stature in those days, averaging four feet. This is perhaps where he got his inspiration for hobbits. Also, Mathieu claimed that JRR Tolkein actually uses the name Underberg somewhere in his book, which is the nearby town where we had dinner yesterday. It is also said that Tolkein met a hobbit in Cape Town, but then again Cape Town was well known for magic mushrooms, so who knows what he really saw.
After our day learning about Lesotho and the Basotho people, we headed off towards the north to begin our trip through the Drakensberg and through the rest of Lesotho. 40 minutes into our drive Sami realized his camera must have fallen out of his jacket in the crazy ride in the 4x4! We called the lodge and they fortunately found it right away, so we headed back to the Sani Lodge and opted to stay there another night rather than drive into late hours and darkness.
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