Maliba lodgde at Tsehlanyane National Park

We had an amazing weekend at the Maliba (pronounced Madeeba) lodge at the Tsehlanyane National Park in Lesotho. My Dad dubbed it "Almost Heaven." I could not agree more.
After an early morning and afternoon spent in my classroom, we hit the road and headed North/East of Maseru, for about 2 1/2 hours. The trip up was easy, and the scenery on a Lesotho road trip is always fabulous. The peach trees have just begun to bloom, adding splashes of pink everywhere. At first I thought these tree were something similar to cherry blossoms, but it turns out that they are peach trees, and will grow delicious peaches on them as well.




Besides the breathtaking natural scenery, I love to people watch from out the window, and since we were driving up on a Friday evening, everyone was out and about.
The mountains got higher and the roads got more bumpy and winding as we approached Tsehlanyane. We arrived at dusk, so we could not fully appreciate the incredible mountains surrounding us.

Maliba is a brand new 5 star resort in Lesotho. It officially opens in two weeks, but the Lesotho Minister of Tourism invited members of the diplomatic corp up this past weekend for a special rate. We were very happy to be "guinea pigs" as she referred to us, at such a lovely place!

Beautiful view from the deck at the lodge
Our chalet

The lodge is run by a wonderful couple, Floyd and Joanne, from Zimbabwe. They really made the lodge feel like we were staying there as their close friends.

I won't describe the lodge in too much detail, I will let the pictures talk instead. There is a small river that runs through the mountains, and creates several waterfalls and natural pools. The constant sound of the water was so striking. My Mom and I felt like we were at the beach, you could hear the water coming down the mountain all day and night, even from our chalet.

I cannot make a post without describing the FOOD! It was absolutely fantastic. It's a good thing that this lodge is in the mountains, because we were able to hike off all of the yummy meals we had. I had Lesotho trout, ostrich, lamb, sausage, apple crisp, chicken curry, chocolate meringues with amarula sauce, delicious homemade soups, etcetera, etcetera!


The highlight of the trip was our horse trek. We rode horses deep into the mountains to an impressive 3 cascade waterfall- which took us FIVE hours! We rode horses from the local village, and had a great guide that lead us up, down, and almost sideways on the mountains! I have not been on a horse since I was about 9 years old, and boy was it fun. It was so peaceful- and exciting. We kept getting higher and higher, and closer to the edge of the cliffs. Our horses were literally inches away from the edge of the cliff- with thousands of feet below us. At one point I could not even look to the side, that's how close to the edge we were! It was definitely a thrill- much better than a roller coaster! After we reached our destination- the waterfalls, we spent some time resting and enjoying the view. There was a good portion of the trek that we had to walk back down; it was too steep to ride downhill, if the horses slipped that would be the end of the both of us! Riding the horses deep into the mountains was such an awe inspiring experience. I wish I could better describe the rush and contentment you get from the experience.

To sum up the trip, we ate wonderful food, took in breathtaking scenery, and wore ourselves out with horse trekking and hiking galore.

Rest stop
Can you believe we took horses up that teeny tiny STEEP path!?

Dad is not as sure footed as Basotho horses!

Now can you see why we call Maliba "Almost Heaven?"


NOTE: I took so many beautiful pictures on this trip and I have been trying to add them to the blog. However when I try to upload them the server times out most of the times. I will try to add more pictures to the post as much as possible!

1st Week in Lesotho

Greetings! I'm sorry it has taken so long for me to update; I know I promised many of you that I would update Sunday night, but I have been so incredibly busy. Tonight I finally have a moment to relax! I am no longer jet lagged, but struggled with it for a few days. I was extremely tired all throughout the day, but when it was time to sleep my body wouldn't let me, and I would toss and turn in bed all night.

So, I have been in Lesotho for exactly one week. My first week in Lesotho has been busy and exciting, and I am transitioning well.
My flight last Thursday went well, and I had the good fortune of having two seats to myself on the plane! The flight was surprisingly only half full, so it made things much more comfortable and peaceful. Once we landed at the Joburg airport I had to race the clock to catch my next flight. It took a while to disembark the plane, followed by long lines for customs, and delays in baggage. After I got my suitcases I hired a porter, and he and I ran (literally) across the airport so I could check in for my next flight, which was boarding in 15 minutes. Hiring a porter is the way to go if you are crunched for time. Thanks to him I didn't have to wait in the long queue (line) to check my bags and get my boarding pass. We skipped the line and off I went. Yes, I am a line cutter! But it was so worth it, since I made my connecting flight.
I arrived one hour later in Bloemfontein South Africa, and was sooo happy to see my parents waiting for me! (And I have to mention, my Mom greeted me in Wilson tradition- tears!) I don't think I've ever had anyone that happy and relieved to see me before! (Note- I will now expect a greeting with tears of joy upon all of my arrivals in the future :) ).

Hiking day trip
On Sunday afternoon my Mom, Dad & I went on a historical hiking trip to Thaba Bosiu. It was nice to get some exercise, enjoy beautiful scenery, AND get a history lesson! Thaba Bosiu is a sandstone plateau, that was used by King Moshoeshoe in the 1800s to protect his nation from invaders. It is often called the birthplace of the Basotho nation. While climbing up the mountain, our Masotho tour guide told me the history of all of the attacks that occurred here. All but one of the Kings, along with other royalty, are buried at the top. There are also ruins of houses built in the 1800s. It was fascinating and beautiful!

At the edge of the cliff!

These are actually flowering aloe plants

First week of school- for faculty
On Monday I started work. We started the day off with a staff meeting, and I got to meet my fellow teachers and assistants. The first day of school will be Monday, August 25th. Everyone is so nice, and I love the environment of the school. We have 9 teachers, as well as several assistant teachers, a librarian, nurse, office administrators, guards, a driver, maintenance men, and cleaning/playground supervision women. Our Director at the school is great! Off the top of my head, our ethnicities in the faculty include: American, Australian,Ugandan, Zimbabwean, Indian, Danish, and Basotho. There are three other American teachers, and the Director is American as well.

The school is housed in a gated compound, and the campus consists of separate houses for the buildings. It really is like teaching in one room school houses! We have little round picnic tables sprinkled around campus with thatched roof umbrellas, and stone pathways connecting the houses. It is the beginning of spring here in Lesotho, and the gardeners are busy planting flowers around campus.

On Tuesday we had an all day HIV/AIDS training seminar. It was very interesting. I thought I knew a lot about AIDS already, but I learned so much, and gained new perspectives. Living in an area so deeply affected by this epidemic really makes it so much more relevant and significant.

My classroom is finally decorated and ready for Monday! Man was it a lot of work. I spent the first day arranging all of the furniture in the classroom. The teacher before me taught in the same room for ten years, and she left all of her teaching materials in the classroom. She left a TON of great materials, but sorting through everything took forever! There was no rhyme or reason to things, and loads of boxes, folders, and full shelves everywhere. I had to throw away a ton of old things we could not use, but in the end it was worth it since there were many great finds. Just sorting and organizing took two solid days.

Having my Mom here is a GODSEND! She has been such a help, and is great at sorting and purging things. I wouldn't have been able to get through everything and decorate without her. I have certainly put her to work! I can't wait for her to help out in the classroom once my kids are there as well :).

Busy organizing my classroom (pre-decorations)

Bits and Pieces
On Sunday night we got to see a partial lunar eclipse in the African sky. The sky here is breathtaking, the stars are so clear, you can reach out and touch them. We are in the city too, so I cannot imagine how they look out in the country here in Lesotho. I put my new camera's zoom lens to work, and got some nice pictures.




Last night we went to a nice farewell party held for the Chinese Ambassador. I met him several times during my last visit, and he and his wife are so kind. I was disappointed to hear that they are leaving, I know many people in Lesotho will miss him.

At Ambassador Qiu Bohua's farewell party

I will take more photos of the school next week. Tomorrow my Mom, Dad & I are going on a weekend trip to visit a new lodge at the Tsehlanyane national park in Lesotho. I cannot wait! This weekend in the mountains will be full of R&R. I cannot wait to sleep, relax, catch up on reading, and of course plan my lessons for next week!

Well, I think I have bombarded you with enough details! I have plenty more to say, but I don't want to make your eyes too sore! Plus it is bedtime for me, I have an 8am staff meeting tomorrow. I will update after our trip to Tsehlanyane.

I miss you all and hope all is well! God Bless.

An African sunset to say goodnight...
Love,
Colleen

Moving to the Motherland...TOMORROW!

Eeek! Time has been flying by! I can't believe that I'm moving tomorrow. I have been running around like a headless chicken the past two weeks taking care of business. Doctors appointments galore, errands, etc. I have been spending the past few days packing, organizing, and visiting with friends and family.
Meghan and Steve came over and made dinner last night (yum), and Ryan and Martyna came home from Poland yesterday, so we had a nice little sibling get together. Of course Meghan and I had a tearful goodbye (thanks for the blubbering gene, Mom!) It was even harder than a typical goodbye since she has a little Mini Megs in her! I'm sad that I will be so far away, but such is life. It's crazy that the next time I will see her she will have a little baby girl and I'll be an Aunt! I can't wait!

I am dreading the long flight. Since the car accident I get so sore, stiff, and deal with a lot of pain in my neck and back on a daily basis. The trip will take me about 20 hours...yuck. My doctor and physical therapist instructed me to get up and walk every hour, do my special exercises, use my neck and back pillow, and take my pain pills/muscle relaxers/anti inflammatory pills! It will be a long haul, thank goodness for in flight movies, books, magazines, and my ipod!

Anyways...I should probably not be blogging right now, and instead should be packing. Procrastination at its finest!


I'll leave you all with a few pictures from the highlights of my summer...

Annual family beach vacation on Chincoteague Island, VA

Baby Shower for Meghan & Steve :)


Visiting Grandma in the country & family reunion



My farewell shindig with friends

Alrighty, I'm off! Next time you'll hear from me I'll be in Lesotho! :)