woke up to rain on the roof, but the gross weather wouldn't stopus from exploring swaziland. it was my one day of not driving, so a bit disappointed couldn't really get many great pictures thanks to rain and fog, but what can you do? made our way to swazi trails, as it was just up the road from our lodge, and browsed the shops while we waited for our guide to arrive. his name completely escapes me, which is unfortunate, but eventually he arrived and away we went. rather than taking ourselves around, i decided to book a full day drive so wecould not only see the sights, but alsolearn about swaziland from a local's perspective. it's almost always more informative and interesting than what you can read from a book.
our first stop was ngwenya glass factory. it was actually pretty neat, and though we didn't get to see anything being crafted as it was a sunday, the souvenir shop was open haha. the concept was a good one - everything they make is made from recycled glass. picked up a couple items and browsed some of the other shops. next up was a stop at ngwenya mine, now abandoned, home to the one of the oldest known mines in the world (lion cavern - dating to 40,000 BC whaaaat) as well as some of the oldest rocks in the world. they primarily mined iron ore as well as hematite, which people once used for makeup. the views were outstanding, though partially obstructed by the foggy weather.
onward to sibebe rock. made of granite, it's the largest exposed granite dome in the world, and 2nd largest rock in the world (ayers rock in oz has it beat). people can climb it on good days and look over the valley. we skipped that, obviously. along the drive, passed by several palaces and learned a little about the kings of swaziland. traditionally, he has several wives but also keeps a girlfriend to stay with so the wives don't get jealous of one another. HA. the current king has 40 wives and has fathered over 200 children. he's a busy guy. i couldn't help but ask about all the billboards along the highway promoting monogamy; i guess in swazi culture polygamy is expected, but as it becomes more exposed to the west, some of these ways are changing. our guide said his father had 3 wives, and he has 20 some odd siblings. he said all the siblings get along, but the wives don't talk to each other out of jealousy. interesting culture..
next up was mdzimpa mountain, one of the sacred mountains b/c its where the kings and queen mothers are buried. another interesting fact: the next king is not named until the current king dies. then the king's council looks among the candidates, and usually it is the most educated wife whose son is chosen, but not always. reason? to prevent jealousy and people from poisoning one another haha. drove by parliament and eludzidzini, where the queen mother lives. she actually rules with her son, which prevents the king's wives from becoming jealous of one another. noticing a theme?? the king also choses his prime minister and his cabinet, but the rest of parliament is elected, and the king has the final say. there are no political parties in swaziland, which means things actually get done in government (ha) but it's not all sunshine - there's a 25% unemployment rate and lots of illegal immigration from mozambique. guess every country has it's share of problems.
we made a stop for lunch, and got a couple pots of tea b/c it was so cold. we were literally shivering. got a pita with grilled veggies. then walked around the shops, including the swazi candle factory. didn't get anything though, but made our way to the mantenga swazi cultural village. b/c it was still raining and so cold, they didn't perform outside but instead inside the restaurant. i felt so sorry for them, but i guess they are used to it. it was interesting to watch, they even pulled me up to dance at one point haha. gave them a R20 tip, which wasn't much at all, but all we had. then we got a tour of the village, and all the huts and areas were explained. each wife had 3 huts to herself; there was a men's only and women's only area; a medicine man hut; a grandparents hut. i think that's all. it was interesting, plus the little monkeys jumping around and warming themselves on the huts were adorable.
back to the car and the craft center. said our goodbyes and thanks to our tour guide and browsed the shops a bit more. definitely been spending way too much money this trip, but whatever. i'll deal with that later. back to our room to warm up and rest before dinner at the lodge's restaurant again. got a grilled ham and cheese sandwich as wasn't particularly hungry. missed G a lot this day, don't think he'd really enjoy all the touristy stuff but still just wanted to be able to talk to him. it's been so long! not sure where the relationship will go, but determined not to make the same mistakes i made in the past and have to live with the regret. lessons have been learned, and that is a good thing.
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