54.02 Sani Pass: Lesotho and South Africa: Joined at the hip but separated by miles.

An incredible sight, quite a climb.
The hills are alive with...
Another interesting day. In fact, quite spectacular. There is a definite contrast between days on the slopes and those in the city. The day before, we left the Northern Drakensberg for the Southern part, skipping Central. Yellowwood Cottage is owned and operated by two delightful women, Elsa and Derryl. They make us feel like family. Actually, better than that as families don’t always get on too well. It’s a pleasure and privilege to be with them. More about the ladies later. 

From whence we came...
Early days.
Officer? Can you protect me from that woman? She's threatening to 'have my lunch'.
When we visit this region, we always walk up to the Kingdom of Lesotho from the Republic of South Africa—it has a nice ring to it although we don’t do it for sound effects. On previous occasions, we stayed overnight in Lesotho whereas this time, because of Covid restrictions, we returned on the same day. The distance is a bit over 10 miles gaining elevation of just under 3,000 feet. The road joining the two countries is so poor that even 4-wheel drive Jeeps struggle. In fact, most people have never seen such a poor road. It’s even rough to hike upon. There are a few stream crossings that add to the adventure, plus a powerful wind blew into us on the way up adding to the obstacles. The first car we saw was just before we reached the top. On the way down, there were less than half-a-dozen other vehicles seeking to reach their goal. We did not see any hikers or walkers throughout the day which commenced at 7:45am at the post. Various tour companies offer people an adventure of a lifetime by taking them up in a vehicle. Most comments we read indicate the adventure is incredible and a great achievement—sitting in the vehicle. It sounds, as they say, ‘interesting’ but as my Mom used to utter when she looked at our blogs, “It’s not for me.” Mind you at the time, she was only 90 years old.

  Reached the top.
Dawn at Sani Pass, Lesotho (2016) looking down into South Africa.
The long and winding road.

On our way to Elsa and Derryl, we had a tough ride, trying to avoid the many potholes on the roads, but succeeding only 95% of the time. That night, I slept poorly as the memory of my mother sat heavily on my mind. The next day as we set out, I felt a little down. However, as we traveled to the border, the sights surrounding us were spectacular and when low clouds and mist filled the gaps between some of the colossal mountains, my spirits rose. Then something happened that further enhanced the experience. We had set our music recordings to random and at the perfect moment, our dear friend, Brian Murray, began to sing a beautiful rendition of Hamba Kahle, a traditional African greeting of ‘farewell’. From that moment, the day turned into one, as mentioned earlier, of pure adventure, joy and as always, struggle but with purpose and reward (I'll try upload the music).

  Another set of mountains...we are heading to that altitude but left of them.
Water fountain provides refreshment in case of need.
Seems never ending.
The long and winding road part 2 or 3... 
We find it captivating.
Trying for a big finish. The 'Highest Pub in Africa', to the right.
Arrived safely.
Tea in a pub...makes one wonder.

Unknown to me, Jen ordered a taxi for the return.

She rushes down to save the taxi some wear and tear. I'm on the line to the bank raising a personal loan to cover the fee.

Tough (and rude) guy. No. Actually, trying to determine where South Africa ends and Lesotho begins (see text). 

  I'd like a chocolate milkshake...Yes, I intend to get high, Officer.

We arrived at the border post and met the officer in charge of Covid testing. He was a charming fellow and helped begin the hike on a very positive note. Firstly, I had asked another police officer whether where we had parked was appropriate. Most kindly, he asked me to move it back somewhat to make room for other visitors. When we returned some 6.5 hours later which included an hour for lunch, rest and a delightful conversation with John, a waiter, in Lesotho, our car was still the only vehicle in the lot but for three motorbike enthusiasts and their ‘wheels’. We had a brief discussion with them before departing, two Germans and an Englishman. They decided to turn around, wise fellows. On the way down, an English woman, Anne, resident in the country, engaged us in a quick but fascinating conversation. She had stopped the car to take some pictures—not of Jenni but the landscapes—go figure!

  We wanted to sleep at the top, in Lesotho, as mentioned, but it meant paying in advance for accommodation which was rather expensive but not guaranteed. The problem was that should we fail the Covid test offered at the border, we would forfeit our full payment plus incur test costs. The risk was too high. Hence, our idea to walk up to the Lesotho immigration booth, have lunch, rest and return. This would mean we would forfeit our usual visit to the highest pub in Africa. Not ideal but we really wanted and needed the challenge, not the beer. As an aside, 6 years ago we met a Scottish fellow on a trail in Hogsback, Eastern Province (some 8 or more hours from where we now stood). We suggested he visit Sani Pass. A week later, we were sitting in the pub and Michael walked in and joined us at the table.

  The setup is as follows: The border post in South Africa leads to the beginning of the road to Lesotho, at 2,874 meters altitude (9,500 feet). The 5 miles after the post but before Lesotho is apparently still South Africa. We produced our passports, had them stamped but asked why we needed that to occur as we were not entering Lesotho. Effectively, we would pass the border post, leave the country officially but still be in South Africa. At the top, because we did not test for Covid, would not enter Lesotho. So, we would leave South Africa, still be in South Africa, our passports would show our exodus from the country but not arriving in another country. I suggested that we had finally discovered the concept of “No man’s land”. He laughed but replied we would still be in South Africa. Then why would we need passports? On our return from South Africa, because although our passports showed clearly our exit, we would have to complete arrival forms and if successful, would gain entry into South Africa although we had never left. We had a good laugh. One of the wonderful aspects of Africans, generally, is that they smile and laugh easily. We had a good time. The officer took our temperatures before we could proceed. Had we failed that test, we wondered what would have been the outcome. Would they have sent us back to Leso…I mean, South Africa?

  By the way, the hike was tough, especially because of the additional wind factor, the steep climb on rough terrain and because it just is. However, the views, the sights are stunning. Because of the heavy rainfall this season, the covering is lush and the streams and waterfalls are flowing boldly. However, the real beauty is the mountains themselves surrounding the region. In typical Drakensberg fashion, they are regal, have distinct coloring, overhangs making for cave dwelling plus patterns that remind us of other places visited within the country.

  When we reached the summit, the top of the pass, we looked for a place to seat ourselves for lunch and rest. To our right, short of the border post, sits the Highest Pub in Africa plus accommodation. I took one look at it, decided ‘a troop wat nie a kans vat nie is nie a troop nie’, and headed to the right.

  One of my thoughts was that if we were able to reach the top, arguably we were in good health and without a virus. Because of previous visits, I knew somewhere in the vicinity was a rough entrance we could climb to enter the restaurant, reception and pub. Jen followed closely, said nothing but smiled. I wanted to ask for her opinion but her silence amounted to assent. We looked to the border post but were partly obscured for the most part. Anyway, our second rationalization was that we would not be entering the country because we had stopped two hundred yards short of the post. For the record, the pub is in that country. Apparently, they moved it since our last trip.

  We seated ourselves, had a couple of teas, then coffee and decided to partake in some lunch rather than the brunch we were carrying. They served food that we would find comfortable. While waiting and then eating, we engaged in conversation with young John who turned out to be a little over a third of our ages but admitted he’d never attempted the walk. Many of the conversations with locals are both informative and high-spirited. They teach us much.

  We left Lesotho although we never really entered it officially, with appetites sated, souls feeling uplifted after the struggle and sweat with the views further complementing the experience. We realize we could be classified in some circles as ‘naughty’ but sometimes a person has to do what he/she needs to do. As a sacrifice, we forwent Cokes. (South Africa itself only requires a certificate of vaccination for entry). Before departure, sitting in the pub, we filled in our entry cards for South Africa although we had not left the country officially. In the end, we had been out the country for an hour or so but nobody but ourselves knew that. Jen and I agreed not to report that issue to anyone. 

 That night, we did not sleep particularly well. We were feeling too hyped following an incredible experience and also struggled to determine where we were. To be fair, the latter dilemma is a frequent issue in our lives.

Cheers,

Jenni and Jeffrey

Thank you to Elsa and Derryl (Yellowwood Cottages B&B) for a wonderful stay, a tasty dinner and an entertaining evening, joined by Sharon and Aldo. We last got together some six years before: Another memorable part of our adventure. Heck, good people make a difference.