Rural Lesotho to Katse Dam
We took on the long haul from Sani Top to the Katse Dam via Thaba Tseka.
It would be natural for us to compare Lesotho to the Transkei.
(we exclude the area 'below the mountain' - Ha Lejoni to the Free State border, which is typical Africa next to a Western Country - overpopulated, no traditional architecture etc)
The scenery:
The Lesotho scenery is spectacular and very impressive.
There is however not much variation. The mountains and valleys look very similar.
It was noticeable how some areas are more arid than others, though.
In the mountainous region, the contrast of the vast amount of water vs the dry land, made us refer th the Lesotho Highlands as the
Desert with an Abundance of Water.
In summary, it gets a bit boring, with little prospect of 'something new' around the next corner.
The People:
We found the Basutho to be much more reserved than the Xhosas.
We tend to greet all vehicles and pedestrians we pass, and the response was not as natural or spontaneous as in the Transkei.
The Highlands are very sparsely populated, compared to the Transkei.
We experienced no aggro, stone throwing or efforts to extort anything from us.
The donkey seems to be the commercial way of transport. We saw many loaded with groceries, being led/driven home.
We even encountered some with a load, walking (home we presumed), without anybody near them at all!
The Villages:
We liked the houses built out of natural stone, because it blends in so well with the surroundings. More so than the Transkei huts which are nowadays painted anything from ANC Green to pink!
The rural villages are neat and well organized.
We liked!
What was noticeable, was the few 'General Dealers' and other shops, compared to eg the Transkei.
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- Desert with an abundance of Water!
