In three short days this past weekend we were both overwhelmed with the cutting-edge as well as intrigued by the age-old. Monday was a national holiday celebrating “Umhlanga” so we took the opportunity to set out on a road trip to visit Bulembu, Swaziland, our next volunteer location as well as get a glimpse (more than a glimpse, though, as you’ll see as you read on…) of traditional Swazi culture at the Umhlanga Reed Dance.
We packed up the Pajero (our SUV on loan from the Pons’s) early Saturday morning and set out on what would be a beautiful (and very bumpy) 3.5-hour drive through northern Swaziland on our way to Bulembu. For those of you who do not yet know, Bulembu was an asbestos mining town that shut down (for obvious reasons) in the 90’s and by 2001 had decreased in population from more than 10,000 residents to less than 50. A group of social entrepreneurs with a very big vision bought this ghost town to rejuvenate it to a self-sustaining entity that combines sustainable, innovative enterprises with orphan care for 2,000 of Swaziland’s most vulnerable children.
What should have been a 2-hour drive (according to Google Maps) quickly doubled when we turned off the paved road (no, this is not a Jeff Foxworthy joke) onto “roads” that heavily resembled logging paths. Safe to say, having an SUV made our trip to Bulembu not only more comfortable but also just plain possible! But the drive into the Bulembu valley was well worth it! It is completely surrounded by the tallest mountains in the country and sits in this bowl hidden from most of the outside world. Besides the fact that it sits on a huge asbestos mine, it is difficult to imagine a more idyllic location, let alone a more exciting vision.
After a tour around the town to get our bearings and to hear about the history and future plans, we dropped our luggage at our house and set out in search of cool sights and mountain air. We found an impressive set of waterfalls in what seemed to be a rainforest (not what you usually expect from southern Africa) as well as an incredible indigenous forest. We then started heading back to town only to get sidetracked by another interesting trail that took us to the very nearby border with South Africa. And, being us, we then commenced with making a funny movie about sneaking across the border to the freedom awaiting us in the developed world. It was tacky, but the source of a lot of laughs! From South Africa we got to see the sunset over some incredible mountains prior to heading back to town at 5:30 (remember, it is winter here now). We finished the night off with sitting around a fire in the fireplace laughing at our most recent photos and videos and just hanging out prior to going to bed at our normal 8:30 pm….
Sunday we were graced with another perfect morning for hiking followed by an interesting church service that more resembled what you would find in the West than what you would expect out of Africa. We got a chance to meet with some of the staff about the details of our impending involvement at Bulembu and then we quickly head out for another adventure that involved a last minute jaunt to another country for the sole purpose of buying pizza…. Looking back at it now, I don’t know how we convinced ourselves that this was a bright idea; we left 2 hours before the border gate was to close for a 45-minute drive each way through treacherous mountain roads to Barberton and we didn’t even have a clue where a pizza restaurant would be. Thankfully, we had the luckiest person we know with us (Eric) and we quickly happened on a great pizza restaurant that rushed our order so we could make it back in time. Nonetheless, I don’t think we could have cut it any more closely getting back to Swaziland before the border gates closed: All of the staff at both the Swaziland and SA border gates were amazed that we made it in time (which happened to be within 5 minutes of closing), but we made it and had enough time to find a really cool place for our long-awaited dinner (which happened to be on top of a “mountain” made out of asbestos slag—yet another decision that could have used more foresight).
We finished off a perfect day with barefoot Frisbee, idyllic mountain weather, and unmatched views. Safe to say, it was difficult to leave Monday morning. But leave we must; we droved down through the mountains to Mbabane, the capitol, and on to the Ezulwini valley to experience something that could only take place in Africa: 20,000 bare-chested maidens doing a Swazi cancan in celebration of the Queen Mother. As with everything here, the Reed Dance began on “African time”, which translates to “whenever it is convenient”. Two hours after it was supposed to start we were graced by the presence of the King and Queen Mother as well as the U.S.’s best pal, Robert Mugabe (the president of Zimbabwe), and the leaders of many African countries that happened to be in Swaziland for a trade convention, and we were ready to start! Over the next 1.5 hours, enough almost naked women poured into the stadium to fill the entire field even though they seemed to be packed in like sardines. I can safely say that I will never again have such an innocent mental picture of somersaults….
Well, there was our weekend in a not-so-small nutshell. We are continuing to have a great time with great people here in Swaziland. Be checking for new photos up soon as well as some videos. Thanks again for following along with us as we live and learn in Africa.
- Brad
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