Where We Be
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| Our Rock View room at Mantenga Lodge is situated in beautiful natural surroundings |
| Eswatini (Swaziland) |
Mantenga Eco-Lodge, located in Eswatini's
Ezulwini Valley ("Valley of Heaven"), offers the
perfect place to unwind and take a breath. Our
three days here are filled with tasty food,
affordable South African wine, and enjoyable
chats with fellow visitors, who, like us, find
themselves in this remote corner of the world.
If you've never heard of Eswatini, you're hardly
alone -- it's the new name for what was, up until
recently, Swaziland. The name change was pro-
claimed by King Mswati III -- who, by the way, is
Africa's last absolute monarch. Whatever name
you call it by, Eswatini is a tiny, landlocked,
mountainous, and often quite beautiful country.
After two days of total relaxation, we're ready
for a bit of cultural immersion, so on our third
day we head over to nearby Mantenga Cultural
Village. Here we learn about traditional Swazi
ways of life -- which remind us somewhat of the
Masai culture in Kenya. We enjoy the singing
and dancing, as well as the tour of the tradi-
tional beehive huts (movable up to 5 km in a
pinch), boma (fence), and kraal (livestock pen).
Ezulwini Valley ("Valley of Heaven"), offers the
perfect place to unwind and take a breath. Our
three days here are filled with tasty food,
affordable South African wine, and enjoyable
chats with fellow visitors, who, like us, find
themselves in this remote corner of the world.
If you've never heard of Eswatini, you're hardly
alone -- it's the new name for what was, up until
recently, Swaziland. The name change was pro-
claimed by King Mswati III -- who, by the way, is
Africa's last absolute monarch. Whatever name
you call it by, Eswatini is a tiny, landlocked,
mountainous, and often quite beautiful country.
After two days of total relaxation, we're ready
for a bit of cultural immersion, so on our third
day we head over to nearby Mantenga Cultural
Village. Here we learn about traditional Swazi
ways of life -- which remind us somewhat of the
Masai culture in Kenya. We enjoy the singing
and dancing, as well as the tour of the tradi-
tional beehive huts (movable up to 5 km in a
pinch), boma (fence), and kraal (livestock pen).
| The border crossing into Eswatini is a breeze. Our three-hour drive takes us along winding mountain roads past scenic views like this. |
| Free-roaming cattle and goats occasionally wander onto the roadway |
| Ezulwini Valley (Valley of Heaven) is Eswatini's main tourist area -- and Mantenga Lodge really does feel like a little slice of heaven |
| The patio offers great views of Execution Rock -- so-called because, long ago, criminals were forced to walk off the edge at spearpoint |
| The balcony offers a pleasant place to commune with nature |
| We love our Rock View room, which lets in plenty of light -- and has reliable wifi to boot |
| Mantenga Swazi Cultural Village is only about ten minutes away (150 rand, ~$10 each) |
| It describes itself as a living museum of old traditions, representing a classical Swazi lifestyle during the 1850s |
| We get to go inside one of the sixteen traditional beehive huts |
| Ceremonial drum resting outside one of the huts |
| We gather with other guests in the main pavilion to watch traditional Swazi songs and dances |
| The singing is vibrant and joyful |
| The traditional costumes colorful -- and the booming drums loud |
| And the dancing energetic |
| Robin even takes a turn |
| We finish up with a walk to a nearby waterfall before returning to our lodge |
| We pass through small towns along the way -- and see a surprising number of KFC outlets |
| Much of our route along the MR1 is rural |
| But the MR3 also takes us past Eswatini's capital, Mbabane |
[Not my photo]
[Not my photo]
| Our first appetizer: crumbed buttton mushrooms with aioli, served with green beans almondine and feta |
| Cooking the old-fashioned way |
