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After spending one day in Pretoria and going on a guided tour of Soweto, we headed for Swaziland. We stayed two days at the orphanage in Nhlangano before travelling by kombi to Mbabane. From there we arranged a hiking tour in the Komati Valley. It was a really beautiful place, although our crazy guide turned out to be slightly disorganised.

Southern Africa 2000 - Part 5: Soweto and Swaziland

Jan Arild Teland
2006-05-09 00:02:39

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on time (06.45) but because of a huge traffic jam it took two hours to get to Johannesburg. There we had to change over to a new bus which fortunately was waiting for us. This bus was very modern and the "bus waitress" was very nice, coming around several times to ask if everything was fine.

The scenery on the way to Piet Retief was not too interesting, being mostly flat farmland everywhere. We made a stop in Ermelo, where we could get out and stretch our legs for a while, before arriving in Piet Retief around 13.30, only 15 minutes late.

Borgny had been unable to pick us up herself because she was in Richards Bay, South Africa to see an eye specialist that day. After I had left she had discovered a black spot in her vision, which was giving her some problems. Instead Bente Jřrgensen was there waiting for us. She is married to Gunnar and they are Danish missionaries who also live in Nhlangano, Swaziland. It was good to see her again.

After Bente having done some small errands, we headed for Swaziland. Crossing the border went quickly and soon we arrived in Nhlangano. Bente invited us for dinner at their house, and knowing her cooking skills, this was something we didn't want to miss. Gunnar had been very sick from Hepatitis when I left Swaziland, but was now feeling much better. They both are expert story tellers and since they have an amazing collection of stories from their time in Africa, we laughed a lot during dinner. Not many people have experienced as much as them, and I really admire all they have done for other people.

Around 18.00 Bente drove us to Borgny's house and the orphanage at Ekuthuleni, about 10 kilometers outside Nhlangano. It was good to be back, but a little strange without Borgny there. She would however return tomorrow. We said hello to everybody and got organized in the house before going out to find two puppies which had been born the first week I was there. When I left for South Africa, ...