Swaziland

It's been a few days since we last posted but as we had no internet or phone connection as soon as we hit the Swaziland border....   We left Kapama Game Lodge at 10am on the 24th with the GPS saying : 3.5 hrs to our destination!  25 minutes into our journey and not surprisingly the popo stops us again!! Yes, we are like Bonny and Clyde!

The cop always very nice explains that we overtook a truck on a full line... Which we know we didn't and gives us a fine of 760 Rands..... That's a middle class monthly salary.... Chris proceeds to question the popo who is surprised by the questions.  Chris explains that it is a long truck and that he started on a dashed line but the car is so small ( a Ford Figo 1.4 liters with 650kms on it ) the cop says: we'll you did go back into a straight line and that merits a fine! Now I intervene Nd pull my famous card: are you stoping because we are tourists and it's easy to get to pay large fines?  :). The popo now is uneasy and asks us to follow him to the station to pay the fine which is 60 Kms  away...

So After arguing a few more minutes and saying okay - le's go to the station, the popo knows we won't offer him a bribe to let us go so... He gives us back our license and let's us go! And off we again again without any fine or harm done!!!

We decide to opt for adventure rather than boring highway into Swaziland and pick a mountain border which was difficult on our tiny car but breathtaking views and cool fresh air - we arrive at the border at 2800m in altitude and it's tiny with a hard sleeping next to the half ass gate.  ( Chris insists on describing it as a counter wight pendulum gate )

We proceed through tarred roads and the cops stop us again :) this time checking our car for safety and asking us for a light to the next city....  Not a bribe for once....

The final journey took us almost 8 hrs with a quick stop at Mcdonalds to verify if the quality is the same worldwide : final verdict : same taste, same quality! half the price!  We slept two nights at the Malandela's B&B which had basic but nicely decorated rooms with no aircon and a. Dry thin and wirery mattress.  Chris got up at 5 from back ache and became best friends with the property guard!

After two days we depart with a feeling that Swaziland is a nice country but only one visit is sufficient, the country is still ruled by a king and they practice active polygamy - each wife. Ousting 17 cows which is still the practice for all the population in Swaziland and Zululand.  The wife cooks, cleans, and makes beer for her husband - the husband chooses which wife to sleep with each night and or his new girlfriend.  Chris asked if we could move here :)