Blyde River Canyon and Swaziland

"Goeie dag" South Africa! It has been a breath of fresh air from our two week Egyptian experience. The weather is nice, prices are labeled, and the rules of the road are actually obeyed, minus the cows of course. After clearing customs we picked up our rental car, a VW Citi Golf, and we were off after Jason found the driver’s side, which of course was on the right. It was a little bit of a challenge shifting with the left hand but we got a hold of it pretty quickly and drove on the left side… most of the time. We named our trusty steed, Pumba, as it seemed appropriate for the short, stubby, and soon to be stinky Volkswagen. The village of Sabie was our base for three nights exploring the Panorama Route, Blyde River Canyon, and a day of Kloofing (a.k.a. canyoning). The main vantage points of the Panorama Route and the canyon are the Three Rondavels, God’s Window, and Bourke’s Luck Potholes.

We met two fellow travelers, Iris and Steven, at Sabie Backpackers that were up for a day of Kloofing. Basically, Kloofing is similar to canyoning, where you climb, swim, and jump your way through a canyon towards the 68 meter Mac Mac Waterfall. As we chose to visit South Africa in the early Spring, the water was a bit frigid; however, after hiking our way into the canyon the cold water was refreshing. We spent about four hours hiking through the river; Jenny even managed to swim under Mac Mac Waterfall, thanks to a hard head! Nikita (the owner’s dog) even accompanied us through our journey. She is a special dog; we compare her to the squirrel from Ice Age; however, change the nut to a stick. After the day of Kloofing we celebrated around the braai (BBQ) with beer and wurst . After our stay in Sabie we headed south to the small country of Swaziland for a day with the other two we met at the hostel.

Iris had volunteered with All Out Africa in Swaziland the year before and offered to show us around the town. There are many volunteer organizations (http://youngheroes.org.sz) as this country, unfortunately, has the highest AIDS population in the world, with an estimated 40 – 50% infected! While South Africa is believed to be 1 in 4 people. Walking around the town you can spot many posters and signs warning about AIDS and safe sex. Swaziland, compared to South Africa, is much more rural where you still see some grass huts and women bathing in the river. It was a neat cultural experience as the country was preparing for the Reed Dance. The Reed Dance was described to us as the American Idol of Swaziland, where women perform on stage for the King. The King has the option to choose one of them to become his next wife (we think he’s up to 13 or so wives)! As we already had our accommodations booked for Kruger National Park, we didn’t get to stick around for the actual Reed Dance. Rather, we saw some of the children parading through the streets with the Reeds singing and even a few people dressed in traditional tribal garments. We wish we had more time to explore the beautiful scenery and culture of Swaziland, but for now we are off to find some lions!