Lesotho (Leh-sue-too)

This is probably going to be a long blog, but that's because these past 3 days were 3 of the most thrilling days I've had here in Africa.

Thursday morning I woke up at 5:30am, got my stuff ready, and headed to the kitchen to pack my lunch and join the group. The group consisted of 11 students and our two leaders Dave and Trish. Reagan drove us for two hours to a lodge where we ate breakfast and got picked up by the two guys that were driving us up Sani Pass. Sani Pass is the rode from Kwazulu-Natal (a South African providence) to Lesotho (a country in the middle of South Africa). All 11 students jumped on the back of the huge Land Rover that we were driving in and we sat excitedly knowing that an adventure was ahead.

We had been warned that the road up Sani Pass is bumpy and long because Sani Pass leads to the mountain that is the highest point in the southern part of Africa. The higher we got, the colder the air felt and the more beautiful the mountains looked. Greg, our driver, told us that all these mountains were under the ocean at some point in history, but they are now 10,000 feet above sea level.

After a long and bumpy road in which my arms worked hard to keep me from falling out of the truck, we finally crossed the border into Lesotho. Right before the border post, Greg asked us if we would like to get dirty. He told us there was a water puddle up ahead and a mud puddle after the water puddle. He could either drive slowly, or drive fast and let all the water and mud splash up on us. After a small discussion we decided T.I.A., let's get dirty! We braced ourselves and covered our backpacks, but it was in vain because there wasn't a spot on the truck that wasn't hit with water and mud. The puddles were huge and it was like we were on Splash Mountain in Disneyland because mud and water flew up in the air and completely soaked us. Some people were wearing white t-shirts and they ended up completely brown.

As soon as we got there we saw the horses we were going to ride. It felt like that moment in the movie Avatar when each avatar has to pick their animal and the animal has to pick them. We looked at the horses and approached them to see which one would be our horse for the day. There was a horse with only one eye that no one really wanted, but Lauren was compassionate enough to trust it and chose it. I chose a brown horse with a saddle that looked like it would be easy to grip if I was losing my balance.

These horses were a lot smaller than the ones we rode a couple of Sundays ago so they were easier to grip and the fall was shorter if you happened to slip off. When everyone finally had a horse we headed out with one guide in the front and one in the back; both of them riding bareback.

First impressions are always important because they can determine how you act towards the rest of the situation. This was my first impression: I hate horses! When we got on the trail and came across an open meadow some horses took off trotting. Everyone was nervous so we forgot to hold the reins tight enough and the horses wouldn't stop. My horse followed Becca's horse, who followed Melissa's horse, and Melissa's horse threw her off the saddle. Emily's saddle came undone because it wasn't tied right and she feel off and then Trish, who has been riding horses all her life, also fell off because her reins were broken. I wanted to turn back and refuse to keep riding, but something told me I had to just keep going.

After settling down, fixing all the gear, and refreshing our minds on how to control horses, we set off again. We set off at a slow pace and we made some small talk so that we wouldn't be so nervous. Luckily some of the people on the trip are hilarious, especially Kohei, and it helped distract me from the fact that we were climbing up rough terrain on horses that had a mind of their own.

We crossed over rivers and mountains passing herds of sheep and cows, each step becoming easier as we bonded with the horses and with each other. We climbed higher and higher every step and we tried hard to lean forward so we could help the horses carry our weight. After 3 hours, we stopped to eat lunch and to find a good bush to use the Loo (South African term for restroom). Carissa brought an extra apple because she wanted to feed the horse, but I think those horses were too wild to eat anything that wasn't straight from the ground.

Pictures just can't capture the beauty of the mountains we were in and words cannot describe how great it felt to ride in the middle of nowhere and just get lost in the wilderness for a day.

After 4 hours of riding we got to a point where we could see the top of the mountain that's the highest peak in the southern part of Africa, but the issue of time stopped us from going further. We stopped to rest and met some of the local people. They were dressed in nothing but blankets and boots. They had beanies covering their face with just a small opening for their eyes and mouth. We spoke a couple words with them, but we had to head back before sunset so we got back on the horses and headed down the mountain.

As we climbed down we tried to lean back to help the horses carry our weight again. Riding a horse down a rocky mountain is more thrilling than any roller coaster because sometimes they would jump down a rock or they would trip and pass by really narrow trails. My horse didn't like staying on the trail, but it was smart in finding steady ground so I let it wander a bit. We were a lot more comfortable riding by then, so we let our horses trot more and picked up speed. At one point we came across an open space where there weren't too many rocks and we really picked up the pace. At first I didn't realize what was happening and why we were bouncing in a different way. I placed my feet on the stirrups and pushed up slightly so I could press my thighs against the horse to keep my balance and I held on to the reins tightly while holding on to the saddle at the same time. Then it clicked and I realized I was galloping. It was such a liberating feeling to just gallop through the fields and we all looked so free as we spread out and just let our horses run.

Seven hours after pretty much everyone had fallen off their horse, we passed by the same open meadow galloping and screaming out with joy. I was sad when the ride was over and I was thinking about how much I love horses now.

We got back just before dark and we stood over the cliff for a bit watching the thunderstorm going on in the valley below us. That night we had dinner at the highest pub in Africa. There was a warm fire going and a living room area were we all sat and talked about our day. I closed my eyes for a bit listening to all the tourists and locals interact and softly singing along as Greg played a U2 song on his guitar. It was s soothing way to end the day.

After dinner we crossed through the village and reached the chalets where we were spending the night. There was no electricity, but there were plenty of candles and we went to bed ready for for a good night's sleep.

The next morning we walked over to the pub again for breakfast and we visited the village with a tour guide that told us about their culture and lifestyle. A kind woman welcomed us into her home and showed us how they cook with fire that they start using cow dung and shrubs because there are no trees that high up in the mountain. Some local women also danced and sang for us and we played with the children for a bit. We spoke a coupled words that we learned, but we mostly communicated through signals.

Around noon we headed down the mountain in the back of the truck again, but it looked like it was going to rain so we took out sleeping bags to use as a fort. There was so much fog that we could only see 5 feet ahead of us and 5 feet behind us. The road was bumpy once again, but it was more painful this time because I had two purple bruises on the insides of my thighs from the saddle and everyone was sore all over from riding horses for so long.

The truck ride was interesting and I really could not fully describe how fun it was unless I took up pages of writing. Basically we were all bouncing uncontrollably because it started raining and we were too busy trying to keep the sleeping bags over our heads to hold on. I sat towards the back and just laughed as I watched people fall on top of each other and almost fly out of the truck. There was a point where everyone was in like a doggy pile and I laughed uncontrollably for 5 minutes as I watched Eli fall over Alyssa and then Alyssa trying to get him off, but every bump made him just fall on top of her again. All the while Emily was squished between Kohei and Jake, who was stuck on top of Lauren's legs and Becca, Carissa, and Melissa were all being pressed against the front of the truck. Since I was too busy laughing to be able to grip the edge of the truck well I ended up somehow falling on top of Eli and Alyssa and then, I still can't even figure out how, I ended up in the front of the truck instead of the back with my foot caught on the spare tire and one of my legs twisted around Eli's . Sometime in between the chaos people got pictures and recorded a video, so maybe I'll be able to see this and try to figure it out more, but it was just hilarious.

After that the day went fairly normal and we went to bed early. Today in the morning we went zip lining. We got on a helmet and harness and rode a truck to the top of a mountain full of trees. There were 8 different lines throughout the mountain and forest that we hooked ourselves on to and then slid down. We went across trees, down the mountainside, and across waterfalls. I felt like Tarzan flying through the trees. At one point we had to drop down. The harness was strapped in a way that made us feel like we were sitting when we zip lined so when we dropped down it felt like sitting on air and then falling for a couple seconds until the rope slowed us down.

The day ended with the most awesome movie in life: The Lion King. It was a great way to end a thrilling weekend. I know I wrote a lot, but this blog can't even begin to capture how awesome these days felt and how amazing this experience was and I still left a lot of things out. I can't believe I get to live in South Africa for bit and do all of this. It's truly a blessing.