Royal Kingdom of Swaziland Wednesday November 23

Jim, Charlotte and I have adopted a system for paying for drinks and meals that are not included. We take turns at paying and keep a record and we will divvy it up at the end. Any drinks etc. are charged to the room and on the day we leave we settle up. To us it seems simple. However, as we were identifying our luggage for loading we realised that Lutendo and the guide/driver with the coach that had the 6 Indians were concerned about something and trying to negotiate between the Indians and some of the hotel staff. All was revealed as we commenced our journey to Swaziland. The Indians, based on the fact that we had been given complimentary drinks when we arrived, assumed that the wine they had with their 2 evenings' dinners was equally complimentary. "After all, the waiter did ask what we would like to drink"! Even when it was explained to them that all drinks had to be paid for, they refused to pay. Lutendo had to pay for their drinks! In fact the Indians, while perfectly good-humoured and friendly and nice to talk to had their own ways which were a little off-putting for us. At breakfast, for instance, they would not observe the usual niceties of queuing but would just push in in front of people to get what they wanted. I queued for an omelette and one of the men pushed in front of me and insisted on having the omelette that was being prepared. I ordered mine and sat down again as it was being prepared and, lo and behold, just as I was going up to get it, another of the Indian men took my plate! I gave up on the omelette!

En route to Swaziland we passed some ostriches. We were warned never to try to outrun an ostrich. Me?! We stopped for a break at a shopping complex at Malalane the newest town in Mpumalanga near Swaziland. There we bought some biltong. Jim is fond of it but I think it is just ok. Charlotte wasn't keen. When we got to the border we had to go through immigration, presenting our passports for stamping. On the other side of the border we were met by envoys from the Matsamo Cultural Village who led us into their traditional village.

Needless to say we complied with this!

Here in Matsamo Cultural Village we were entertained to rousing dance and song performances which are part of authentic Swazi culture.

You will notice that Jim was quite captivated by this girl. She kept throwing kisses into the audience, but sadly for Jim, they were not for him. Neither did she choose him when we were invited to join their dance. Unrequited love!

Doesn't the man on the left look a bit like Jason in Coronation Street.

These women wear black head coverings because they are married.

One of the main parts of the dancing is an almost unbelievable feat of throwing the leg in the air above the head and slamming it down very fast to the ground. This was done quite effortlessly by both males and females. I have been coaching Jim in this since we came home and he can only get his leg above his head if he bends down to meet it! It's quite a spectacle but my photography skills are not sufficient to capture it effectively. I, on the other hand, have no difficulty at all!

There she is again! Maybe she will have more interest in Jim when he perfects his leg throw?














The group had a cd for sale which we bought. I was disappointed that they had not included on it their beautiful rendition of "Amazing Grace".

This is one of the traditional beehive huts. This is the ancestor hive where the ancestors are said to live. We were invited to enter as the ancestors welcomed our presence. It required bending low. I think I straightened too soon as I got quite a blow on my shoulders - or else the ancestors thought I needed a clash!

Working on the crafts that Swazis are well known for.

The view from the village.

Following our look around the village we were then treated to a traditional Swazi meal. There was mealie pap (which did not appeal to me - like polenta), samp (dried corn kernels that have been stamped and broken but not as fine as mealie meal and then cooked in some kind of liquid - it tasted a bit like a watery rice pudding but the grains were bigger. I didn't take to it either), a beef stew that seemed to be neck, bobotie and chicken that had been marinated in something sweet. There were desserts too but I didn't try them. The fruit looked great though.

Onwards then to the Ngwenya Glass Works to see master craftsmen create beautiful sculptures from molten glass. En route there we had noticed piles of bottles at the side of the road. It seems that these are the bottles that are used to create molten glass in the so they are actually a recycling glass works. Jim didn't actually take any photos there nor were we tempted to buy any glass - it is rather heavy and fragile for travelling. 

From there we went to our next hotel - The Royal Swazi Spa. This is a major entertainment complex in the Ezulwini Valley. It has a casino, a par 72 golf course and a spa - none of which held the least bit of interest for me. Lutendo was humorously making a big deal of the casino refusing to tell us where it was but suggesting that he be the first to know of any winnings. I think some people in the group managed to locate it but we three were too busy having a relaxing dinner by the pool - in the rain but under huge umbrellas. Swaziland was in dire need of rain so we did not object.