Sunday 19 September 2010

A walk in the parks

26th & 27th August – Days 330-331 – Mantenga and Malolotja Natural Reserves, Swaziland

Our first trek out was to Mantenga Natural Reserve in the Ezulwini Valley. We weren't really sure at all what was there aside from a waterfall but it was great to be out in the countryside where we could walk without having to yell over minibuses. Getting there was pretty easy – we got a lift into town with a passing Iranian doctor who lamented the current state of his country for most of the ride (« It used to be beautiful but now this Khomeini business... Gahhh... ») and then a minibus down into the valley. It was a lovely warm day which would have been great otherwise if not for the fact that I'd decided to wear jeans that morning and I was rapidly broiling inside them. We picked up a drink from the Pick N Pay (free advertisement for this ubiquitous supermarket, yet again!) and wandered off into the bushes.

Generic nature reserve picture #8759395.

The scenery from the earth road was nice with mountains on both sides (as one would expect in a valley, I suppose), we were surrounded by the sound of birdsong and the trickling of a small river to the left of us and then, somewhat bizarrely, we turned a corner to be greeted by a large, fluttering Finnish flag. We were so surprised that we went to poke inside and it turned out that it was an art gallery/cafe/honorary Finnish consulate, which I was not particularly expecting to find in the middle of the bushes down a small road in the Ezulwini Valley. We had a freshly squeezed juice from the cafe and a korvapuusti cinnamon roll for M («It tasted just like home! »), and took some obligatory pictures in front of the Finnish flag before going on our way, wondering what we'd encounter around the next corner.

Ta-dah!

Rather than Nelson Mandela or Godzilla or any other surprising find, it was the gate of the Natural Reserve where we paid our 50 rand and trotted off towards the waterfall. It wasn't Victoria Falls and we couldn't get anywhere near it without some sort of canoe (which we stupidly hadn't brought along with us) but it was almost therapeutic to sit there for a bit, forgetting that we are in the 21st Century. Just us, and the sights and sounds of nature. Nothing more. « Excuse me » came a voice from just behind us. « But have you seen an SD memory card? ». Resisting the urge to go back at the guy with something like « Thanks for bringing us back into the 21st Century with your modern technology, asshole », we apologised and said no, and then decided that it may be time to get back to Mbabane. We decided that we were on a roll, and that we'd get going to Malolotja Natural Reserve the next day for more nature and wandering around. The plan was to get up reasonably early and get a bus towards Pigg's Peak.

Not quite Vic Falls but nice all the same.

Surprisingly, we got up reasonably early and got a bus towards Pigg's Peak. Getting dropped off at the gates, we walked in and, once again had a nice and warm day wandering around trying to spot animals and birds and so on but not really succeeding. We were told at the entrance that there was a waterfall (and given a map as well, just in case we couldn't find it) but after walking around 6km we couldn't see or hear any water. It was getting late and we turned back, scaling up to a plateau to have a look down at the dramatic scenery unfolding beneath us. It was quintessential Africa, I thought, and so immediately I expected someone to shatter my illusion in the same style as the memory card boys from yesterday. This duly happened as a minibus pulled up and discharged its cargo of a bunch of birdwatchers from Torquay in the Southwest of England. Lovely. We had a short chat with them and walked back the same way we'd come.

Happy hiker. Until he runs out of breath.

Malolotja rolling hills.

There was no time to waste – we had a big concert to go to.

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