Lesotho

I bet most of you have never heard of the country Lesotho (or officially, Kingdom of Lesotho).  Neither have I.  I usually see the name included on guidebooks for South Africa, plus Swaziland.  These are 2 autonomous countries that are within the borders of South Africa.  It has a population of around 2 million and (according to our guide) the 10th poorest country in the world.  90% of the population are said to be Christians (45% Protestants and 45% Catholics).  Its economy is mainly dependent on water, diamond and some agriculture.  It provides a lot of the water and electricity to the Johannesburg area in South Africa.

We entered Lesotho through the northeastern border with South Africa in the Drakensberg mountain area.  The capital, Maseru, is in the northwestern part of the country.  As we walk around the area, you can see that it is a very poor country.  There is almost no modern buildings, no electricity and very few cars.  Since the country is at a high elevation, it remains cool most of the year.  The residents wrap blankets around themselves instead of wearing jackets.  Because it's the raining season, the entire area is very green and beautiful.

Entering Lesotho at this SA border crossing

No school on Saturday.  This kid is hanging around the school.

A very bare classroom

Most families live in rondavels 

Beautiful country, while we hiked up the mountain

One of the few kids asking for part of our lunch.

A shaman telling us his life story

Pap is a mash corn and spinach

Another beautiful view of the country

Our guide explaining about Lesotho

Sheep on the mountain

More rondavels or houses

Flowers everywhere

Mountain peak where we hiked to

Meeting with some of the village elders - drinking home-made beer and dancing