Mbabane, Swaziland

"Switzerland?"

"No- Swaziland!!"

"Where's That?"

Swaziland is a pea-size country in southeastern Africa- bordering South Africa and Mozambique. It was described to me by co-workers as 'Africa-lite'. And it is! There is sufficient infrastructure- roads, electricity, internet, etc around the cities. But even from the 'suburbs', you are able to see winding dirt roads leading to houses set up on the rocky mountain landscapes, so the infrastructure doesn't go far. The poverty isn't as striking as I've seen in other African countries. And because it doesn't have the violent past that the west coast has, there aren't the war injuries so commonly seen elsewhere. I observed that many of the people were friendly, active and very social. Since we arrived on Sunday, we also got to see them dressed in their Sunday best. Churches are very common- in every denomination.

The primary means of making a living is agriculture- sugar and corn. I asked one of our drivers if industry was the driving factor in the development of Mbabane and he said that it grew in size due to the fact that it was named the capital. Industry followed government. An interesting note- the photo above is of the mountain called 'Executioners Rock'- so called because in tribal times, they would march the offender up to the top and make him jump over the edge. (The photo was taken from our new property, so I'll make sure the views of this are featured in certain windows.....)

There are a few flights from Johannesburg per day- the flight is about 1 1/2 hours. That means the pilot gets a lot of practice landing the plane, which is great considering the 'airport' has one short runway in a small valley! I swear that the plane had already stopped in mid-air and the pilot just parked it on the runway. The airport has one gate in and out and the plane basically parks in a cul de sac so that it is turned around and ready to head out again.

The hotel we stayed at was in the Ezulwini Valley, about 20 minutes down the mountain from the city of Mbabane and because Swaziland is considered a mountain retreat for people in Maputo (Mozambique) and Johannesburg, it was complete with a golf course, casino and pool with a bar. Combined with the 80 degree sunny weather, it was hard to get any work done. During the trip to Mbabane, we climbed over 2,000 feet up a highway that I was told used to be the most treacherous road in southern Africa. I can believe it because even at the widened four lanes, the mountain dropped steeply away from the sides!

We managed to hire a cab for an afternoon visit to the Ngwenya Glass Factory, about 1/2 hour away in the country. A popular tourist spot, the glass works specializes in making figurines, drinking glasses, candle holders, and dinnerware completely from recycled glass. There is a platform where you can watch the workers create their items- I watched a beautiful elephant come to life from a blob of glowing gunk. Needless to say, there was plenty of money spent that day between my co-workers and me!!!

Also worth mentioning (to me, anyway) is the cafe on the top level of the factory where I happened to have the BEST quesadilla of my life. In Swazliand. Go figure. The cafe also had three peacocks strutting their stuff on the patio. I also have to mention the 'Appletiser' soft drink and my fervent wishes that it extends it's distribution into the U.S!! Other crafts we saw were woven baskets, beadwork and carved wood figurines. I picked up another nativity set for my rapidly expanding collection.

I don't know if I'll ever get a chance to return to this nice little country, but I hope so! And I will definitely plan a side trip to the Kruger National Park- one of the best game-viewing areas in Africa!!

To see all of my photos, click here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=92145&id=1421950426&l=a0d3c0ca27

I promise you don't have to have a facebook account to see these!!