How I love Swaziland. As soon as the plane landed in Johannesburg, I knew it wouldn't be that many hours before I would cross the borders into the serene and gorgeous place that is Swaziland.
A two hour drive to London, a few hours wait around and a near 12 hour flight to South Africa was wearing enough - now the 3 1/2 hour or so drive into the North Eastern quadrant of South Africa, virtually to the borders of Mozambique. To say I was tired was an understatement, I'd had just 20 minutes or so sleep on the plane. My mind was buzzing so much I'd watched four films back to back as I couldn't sleep, but I felt so weary. I just yearned for a bed, a razor and a shower
.On the way in through South Africa, I was the customary workmen sitting in the back of an open 4X4, that was commonplace. It made me smile to see these chaps in an open 4X4 clinging for dear life to the rivets on the back windscreen!
Just being on the road reminds you of the immense gap in wealth between folks in the west and elsewhere.
The shanty towns and shacks you see are all for real, it still makes me wonder at how folks with so little seem to live life to the full without a care in the world. We really could learn a huge lesson from them. When I hear folks whinging back home, their 'plight' is so hollow when you see just how little some of these people have.
It wasn't too long before we got to the borders. Immigration in Swaziland was a laid back, low key affair, smiles from the officials on the desks and the promise of a bed at the end of it. The weather was incredibly oppresive - somewhere near 100 degrees farenheit (about 38 C) I would think. Some of the locals were walking around with foil topped umbrellas to shield the heat.
The electricity continually crashes, as does the internet connection, so I'll keep ths brief.
Keep your eye on he blog page, I promise I'll keep it updated.
Pal.
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