Sanguine Tenacious Tidings

Hiking in the Mountains

Final segment of our excursion in Lesotho
Thank goodness we were rescued in the middle of the night, we got a little sleep, change of clothes and breakfast.
Semonkong to Underberg
After breakfast, we either hike to or take a 4x4 drive to the Maletsunyane Falls. The weather determines whether we drive or hike. Depart the Lesotho Highlands via passes that enter South Africa at Qacha’s Nek. We snake our way through the last remote villages of Lesotho. We cross the Senqu river again – which we first saw on Day 1 and then follow it along the Senqu River valleys toward the border town of Qachas Nek. Once back in South Africa we travel through to the small town of Matatiele. From Matatiele we skirt alongside the Drakensberg mountains and return to Underberg along scenic back roads, returning usually around 15:00-16:00. (3-4 pm)

https://www.wri.org/resources/data-sets/orange-senqu-river-basin-study

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qacha%27s_Nek

https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALeKk03fpZXvXPAt1bLoAtEYuOVVcs7zRQ:159572385...

Discuss what you've seen today. Impress us with your observation skills.

So, today I learned a lot of odd facts. Some apply to what we saw specifically today and others apply to news in Lesotho.

One of the news items is important to our travel because the weather over southern Africa is turning cold. I thought how unusually our weather here at home is because August has always been a very warm month. Not so this year. Last night We hit 40 degrees toward the early morning hours. In that frame of mind I found a local weather report for Lesotho and discovered that if the rate of moisture in the air continues Lesotho and parts of other countries this far south in Africa could experience snowfall by morning. Temperatures could drop below zero degrees.

The Orange Senqu River Basin extends over 4 different countries; Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, and south Africa. The main river in the basin is called Senqu in Lesotho. This reference indicated that the river may have other names where is traverses other countries. (I did not take the time to find the other names, if you know you can enlighten me).

Drakensburg Mountains greatest elevation is within Lesotho borders. Drakens burg means dragon mountain. It is famous for the fact that it has hiking trails for all different abilities of hikers. The mountain is known for different types of animals. Depending on where you are in the mountain you can find giant antelope, mountain reed buck, grey Rhebuck, orilii jackal, Genet, civet, baboons, and vervet monkeys.

There are a lot of different very nice places to stay that attract tourists. I was kind of surprised to find the amount of nice horses and trail rides offered here. (at this point I should say, horses have a really good instinct for staying alive. From what I saw in several different YouTube videos, it's a good thing because of the type of trails into the mountains these animals are using. If you are riding one and give it a choice it will chose the best footing and keep the rider safe.)

Matatiele is in South Africa. My curiosity led me to wonder if there are any border clashes so I looked into a local news website and found that as recent as August 18, 2020 there was an incident where two Lesotho soldiers pursued cattle thieves across the border into South Africa. Shots were exchanged between The Lesotho police and the South Africa Defense force. The two Lesotho law enforcers have been arrested and are seeking bail but so far do not even have legal representation.

There is presently a lot of infighting among political rivals within the country. A Prime Minister is being forced to resign because his present wife paid to have his former wife killed in 2017. I stopped reading the news in Lesotho when it began to sound to much like home.

I have to say I enjoyed researching all about the dams, rivers, mountains, and living creatures and people of this nation. The schools and education systems show a lot of care is being extended to ordinary citizens of this nation and in years to come it will pay off in educated people who care to preserve a way of life for the people of this nation.

There are campgrounds in Lesotho for those who want to experience a more wild look at the country.