Day 3 10/14/10

This morning after breakfast and some souvenir shopping at the Basotho Hat.

  After shopping we left Maseru and headed out to Semonkong.  Along the way we stopped to hike up Mt. Thaba Bosiu which is where Lesotho King Moshoeshoe made his last stand against the Boer settlers.  His army fought until they were forced to surrender.  His body is laid to rest in a cemetery on top of this mountain, Thaba Bosiu means “place of laying down” in Besotho.



The drive though only 60 kilometers took us about 4 hours up winding, steep and for all intents and purposes unpaved dirt roads.  The roads if you can call them that were rocky, and had deep run off ditches and crater like potholes.  It was slow going and like no roller coaster ride I have ever been on.  Will drove most of the way and I took over the last 20 or so kilometers.  I am not sure which pained Will most, his part of the drive along with the rocky bumps and creaking car or my driving.  When we arrived at Semonkong (place of smoke) which is literally the end of the road we were shown to our rondavel.  The staff has a little mascot a small terrier named Jagermeister, helped us not only to our room but with our bags, or so he thought he was helping!  The lodge is along a river so Will and I took some time before dinner to take some pictures.  During dinner the host told us that in July of this year Princes William and Harry stayed here and Prince William actually stayed in our rondavel!  Well it has been a very long day and tomorrow we head out on our pony trek!  Tomorrow night at this time Will and I will be in an actual Besotho village sleeping in a hut!