Sunday 1st October 2017
Sani Pass to Maseru
Maseru Lesotho to Bethlehem South Africa

After a cold night in the rondavel (each had a small, ineffective wood burner), we headed towards Mokhotlong. The road was excellent, appeared to be new and we noticed Chinese road making machinery beside the road. We climbed through scrubby mountains to 3,250 mts with steep gradients (1:6, 1:8). No habitation at all. 

Once we descended there were rondavels clinging to the mountainside. Lots of washing handing out to dry. Once we left Mokhotlong the roads deteriorated badly and it was 4WD only. Noticeable were the outdoor toilets belonging to each rondavel glinting in the sunshine. They were all the same, appeared to be new with white stink poles sticking up.

                                                 A typical local shop in Lesotho

There were lots of small groups of sheep, lambs and donkeys. Shepherds in this inhospitable terrain were rugged up in thick dark coloured blankets and many wore woollen balaclavas. The shepherds had mobile phones though! For identification purposes, some sheep feeding by the roadside had small pieces of yellow plastic bags tied to the wool on their necks.

We came across small groups of three or four young boys (about 8 or 10 years old) filling potholes with small stones. It was if they were driven there each day and then collected later as there were no villages in sight. 

There wasn't much traffic on this terrible gravel road (who would be mad enough to travel on it unless necessary) but we had to keep going to Thaba Tseka where the road looked much better on the map (couldn't rely on the GPS as she had us driving where there weren't any roads). 

Throughout this area there were terraced hills which had been ploughed ready for the next crops.

We came across a group of youths moving as one up the side of a hill. They all had on what appeared to be skin hides on their backs. They looked like a swarm of locusts moving in formation. We have no idea what it was about but was an amazing sight.

The tarmac road from Thaba was much better with lots of hairpin bends. Many vehicles on the road have no number plates whatsoever...unregistered??

We passed two bullocks on the road dragging  a small load which was placed on vehicle tyres. Nothing goes to waste!

Planning to stay the night near Maseru close to the South African border we put in the hotel GPS co-ordinates listed on our booking. They were definitely wrong as we soon found ourselves in a queue at the border. It was pouring rain and such was the disorderly four lane queue  that we couldn't turn around so decided to keep going.

It took us an hour to get out of Lesotho and faced yet another immigration shambles on the South African side. Standing in the rain with locals pushing in it was time to take matters into our own hands and shove our passports in. Surprisingly the immigration officer stopped arguing with a group of locals, stamped our passports and we were on our way.

We decided to halt for the night at Bethlehem which would put us closer to tomorrow's destination at Ladysmith.