Swaziland Hike

                    85.2 kms, 4 Days

Day 1: First impressions of Swaziland

18.1 kms, May 3, 2016

The Traveler reaches the border of South Africa and Swaziland. Here, the Traveler will enjoy yet another hassle-free, visa-free entry. Not only that, but here, instead of being asked for a “gift” when you enter—you are offered a gift: a condom!

Uh... OK... the Traveler wonders what this says about “tourism” to Swaziland...

The Traveler is actually quite impressed by what his first impression of the country. Expecting to find poverty and misery in this poor, tiny country, he actually finds a modern highway the winds through a beautiful gorge. In fact it looks about as developed as the wealthy country of South Africa that surrounds it. He reaches Mbabane, the country's capital, nestled in a mountain valley and finds this diminuitive capital surprisingly modern as well. Here you find several modern shopping malls that wouldn't look out of place in any city in Europe. There are some midrise buildings and not too fancy government buildings. But walking just a couple of blocks, and it will feel like a hill rural village, with dirt roads snaking up into the hills. The Traveler doesn't see any signs of serious poverty here.

Oh... and like South Africa and Botswana, the water is also drinkable here... another positive sign.

But he knows he shouldn't judge a country by its capital and continues one down the road to see what else this country has to offer. And here, unlike Botswana, towns are close together, the scenery is beautiful and the weather is cool, enticing the Traveler to explore this country on foot.

The challenge is the last thing he thought he'd have to worry about in Swaziland: having to walk along a busy highway. The Traveler decides to walk it anyways, enjoying a beautiful view of a wooded valley of the Lushushwana River below, that gradually opens up to a fertile plain up ahead, the heartland of this tiny country. This river is not a part of the great Limpopo or Orange River basins. It flows, east, joining some other small streams as it exits Swaziland and crosses Mozambique into the Indian Ocean. The Traveler decides that it doesn't really count as one of the world's “Great River Basins”...

The Traveler is eager to learn about the culture and history of this unique little country. But, just as in Botswana, he finds himself distracted by what must certainly be a very small fringe group here: a Baha'i school. He knows he needs to stop and check it out. He has heard good things about this religion, and is intrigued by this opportunity to learn more.

The Traveler reaches the gate, and the security guard takes him inside. The principal of the school is giving a test, but he says if the Traveler can wait a little he can show him around. The principal is a very serious, but friendly fellow who was raised in the Baha'i faith.

“The Baha'i faith was brought here by missionaries” he tells the Traveler. “We are a small community here, but this school has a good reputation and non-Baha'i study here as well. We get some government funding.”

“Are you well received by other faiths?” the Traveler asks.

“Some evangelical groups aren't happy with us—and the fact that we receive government funds, but most accept us OK. We don't feel our faith contradicts traditional Swazi beliefs--we also believe it's important to be connected with our ancestors... However, we believe cultures need to evolve. Equality for women is important to us."

The Traveler had the impression that the Baha'i faith is a universalist faith--that you can be both a Baha'i and a Christian or a Muslim. But the principal tells him differently. "Each revelation builds on the previous one. We believe that we need to hold on to the latest revelation. To marry a non-Baha'i would be difficult for us."

The Traveler thanks him for his time and continues on his way. The Traveler is a little disappointed. He had hoped that the Baha'i faith would be a welcome break for the idea of "we're right and everyone else is wrong..." so common in other major faiths. He had the impression that this was a universalist faith. But this man doesn't see it this way.

He continues on with his hike. There are some big construction projects along the way—some that look quite out of place in this tiny country. Like... a new Qatari embassy (uh... what's the connection, exactly?)... a big convention center being built... and a very modern business park. Clearly Swaziland has some ambitious plans. How the economy of this country actually works is still unclear, though. Is it a de facto colony of South Africa? A place to exploit for cheap labor? A tourist destination for South Africans?

Finally the Traveler reaches Eswatini village, which seems to the the tourism “hub” of the country. It's a semi-rural area, with little lodges and resorts tucked away. The Traveler decides to check out a beautiful lodge with a swimming pool, hiking trails, and beautiful gardens built around majestic boulders.

... Where you can get a dorm bed for 10$.

I'll take it... chuckles the Traveler. Yeah... I'll be a real “tourist” for a change.

He wanders around, soaking in this beautiful place that seems quite disconnected from the outside world.

Yeah, I can enjoy this for a little bit and not feel guilty, he tells himself. But I do need to get out there and experience the “real” Swaziland as well...

He walks down the road to an upscale shopping mall nearby. He notices a lot of white immigrants who it seems have made this country their home. The country feels safe, modern and well managed, not the poverty stricken back country he'd been expecting.

“Maybe Swaziland should colonize South Africa, not the other way around,” the Traveler thinks to himself. This place feels a whole lot better run than its much larger and richer neighbor.

Of course, the Traveler knows he's probably not seeing the "real" Swaziland... just the touristy, more upscale part. Still, he's impressed.

Later when he talks to some Peace Corps workers at the lodge, he gets a better understanding of what's going on under the surface.

"It's a very patriarchal society... Women can't even own land here. And AIDS is rampant due to the common practice of older men getting into relationships with younger women. People look at the example of the king, with his growing harem of 14 wives, and see that as a model to go by. And away from this central region, people lack even the most basic services."

The Traveler ponders on this as he he takes one last stroll through the gardens of the tourist compound. For him, this is the most relaxing enjoyable stay he's had in a long time. But he knows he's not just here to have a fun time. He's here to understand the reality of this country and the experience of those who live here... which is clearly a complicated world.

Tomorrow there will be more to learn.

Day 2: The Museum

8.1 kms, April 30, 2016

Today the Traveler decids to take a slow day, just to soak it all in—and enjoy his brief period of luxury.

He has another touristy thing to do here in Swaziland: go to the national museum.

It starts out with some of the typical displays about the wildlife and traditional Swazi dress. But it's the section about Swaziland's interaction with the colonial powers that intrigues the Traveler the most. The obvious question is, how did the Swazis manage to get their own country while hardly any other African tribes did?

To understand that, you need to understand how British colonialism actually worked. Unlike the perception many people have, the British didn't go around the world with big armies that crushed the local population into submission. There was no way they would be able to do that. Instead, the cleverly used ancient rivalries and tribalism to their advantage. They encouraged tribes to fight each other, promising one tribe special favors if it subdued the other tribes.

That's what happened with the Swazis. They fought FOR the British, subduing other tribes and allowing the British to establish a powerful foothold at this end of the continent. And the British awarded their loyalty by helping them stay somewhat independent.

The Traveler isn't quite sure what to think of this. Were the Swazis traitors because they fought against their fellow black Africans? Or were they simply smart in figuring out how to make the best of a complicated situation?

Swaziland was occupied by the Boers for just a couple of years. And the Boers wasted no time in trying to humliate the Swazis. One very troubling picture shows a game of chess being played with real people. All the "important" pieces were Boers... all the pawns were Swazis.

Kind of summarizes how Europeans felt about Africa...

Swaziland got chopped up with the better lands being allocated to the white farmers. But afterwards the Swazis systematically bought back their land, until they got most of it back.

It strikes the Traveler that Swaziland is a glimpse of what Africa would look like if nations had been allowed to grow organically like they did in Europe... tribes expand and gradually evolving into independent nations--or multiple tribes joining together to form a federation. Over generations that sense of tribal loyalty would have been transferred to a national loyalty, making these countries strong and united.

Instead, in almost all of Africa, the colonial powers created artificial barriers that had no meaning to the native population, thus creating weak governments with divided people with little sense of national identity.

For all its faults, the Traveler is starting to like the way Swaziland has turned out. Its a wistful glimpse at the Africa that could've been.

It's getting late, but the Traveler would like to climb the mountain in back of the lodge. It's a fun hike up through dense thickets and then open slopes, finishing with a challenging rock climb. At the top you're greeted with an amazing panorama: On one side, the developed Ezulwini valley with it's towns and cities, on the other, what looks like endless mountains and forests.

The Traveler is really starting to like this country, and realizes he really should continue exploring it on foot.

Day 3: The Cultural Village

11.6 kms, May 1, 2016

The Traveler though here in Swaziland he should just keep doing a big hike across the country. But oddly enough, he actually feels like continuing to do the tourist thing for a change. After switching to another hostel and running some errands, he decides to check out a "cultural village" nearby built to look like a traditional Swazi community, complete with a Swazi dance show. He usually would skip this kind of stuff... but it's only a couple of bucks--and he would like to see a the Swazi traditional dance--even if it's going to be a "just for tourists" thing.

So he follows a quiet road up a valley on the other side of the mountain that he climbed yesterday. Past a cheery troop of monkeys... along a beautiful stream with a sign "beware of crocodile"...

OK... if it's just one crocodile, then it should be OK to swim in, right?

Finally he reaches the village with consist of an area surrounded by tall, vertical stick fence and various beehive shaped huts made of sticks covered with grass. One nice thing about this being a "tourist attraction" is that you can wander around freely and take pictures without feeling he's imposing on people's privacy...

Before the dance show, he continues on down the road a bit to a waterfall. Turns out to be a bit disappointing, as you can't get very close it... it's a bit further up a small gorge, and a sign clearly says "no swimming"

Oh well... at least I saw a waterfall on my Southern Africa trip... he tells himself.

Back to the dance show, the small arena is filling up--and not just with white tourists. The Traveler gets to chatting with a South African tourist next to him. She is Zulu, so she can understand a bit of Swazi and translates some of the songs for him.

The show starts with the ladies in front doing a slow dance and singing carrying small shields with the men wearing animal skin skirts beating drums, shouting and whistling. They do a good job at trying to give it an authentic feel.

Next a man does a dance which looks like he's going on a hunt... followed by a medicine woman doing a dance in which she goes into a trance.

The highlight though is when the unmarried girls come forward to do the famous Swazi dance done during the annual Reed Festival. This is the festival when the king has a chance to choose a new bride, and the girls all come forward and do high kicks. Quite beautiful and graceful... if it weren't for the explanation we are givien. "These high kicks are to show that they are still virgins"

That just feels kind of vulgar and demeaning, in the Traveler's opinion. They are told that, during the Reed Festival, all the unmarried girls come and do this in front of the king, who then can choose a new bride. At the museum, though, the Traveler read that at this time the king has already chosen his new bride). During this festival, the girls do this dance topless, whereas now they do it wearing a wraparound (although there are a couple of wardrobe malfunctions).

Here is where the Traveler begins to contemplate on the eternal struggle between "traditional culture" and "westernization". He's long bemoaned how Europe, America and the Middle East have imposed their culture, religion and values on societies around the world, effectively destroying thousands of cultures and traditions all around the globe. Well, here in Swaziland he's had the chance to see a country that has fought back: deliberately putting Swazi cultural norms in its laws and constitution.

That's wonderful! Right?

Well... it's not that simple. The previous king had about 70 wives and 210 children. Which makes the Traveler wonder, is the king really choosing a wife, or just a temporary sex toy? Oh, and if he chooses a girl, she can't say no. And not everybody is happy with that setup. After a recent "selection", the family of the girl complained that she was forced into this "relationship".

And, in a country this small, you can imagine that supporting a "family" with hundreds of children must put a tremendous strain on the national budget.

... And, there's the trickle down effect. With the king setting this kind of example, this "older man-younger mistress" relationship is very common here in Swaziland, the Traveler is told, leading to the spread of AIDS, and a lot of kids growing up without a father figure or provider.

Seeing a national ruler who goes to international events dressed in a lionskin skirt and a feathered headdress looks pretty cool... but there's a dark side to this as well.

The Traveler and others continue on to a guided tour of the "cultural village”. Their guide gives quite a fascinating and humourous tour. The Traveler is hesitant to put down some of the things that he said about Swazi culture, as he knows guides can make things up sometimes to get chuckles and gasps from their audience... The Traveler has had a hard time finding information that authenticates what the guide says.

Here's some of the information... don't take it as gospel, though.

"The most important and sacred place in the Swazi home is the cattle pen. This is where we believe the spirits of our ancesters lived. Cattle are essential in all stages of Swazi life and survival. Birth... initiation... marriage... even death it's all centered around cattle. When a boy becomes a man, his initiation is right here in the cattle pen."

They go on to a "men only" area, where men could gather and eat certain parts of the cow that were reserved for men only. They are regular reminded that the man ruled in the Swazi household. Even when a man chose a new wife, his current wife would be required to come a prepare the room and meal for the new wife... and has no veto power in his choice.

However, as they enter the largest hut, the man's mother's hut, they get another perspective: "this was the place where conflicts were resolved: if there were any disputes in the family they would come to the mother and her world was final. Also if the father was beating his son, and he ran into this hut, he would be safe here and couldn't be touched"

The mother also had an unusual role, so they're told: if Son A was sterile and couldn't father children, she would arrange for Son B to get discreetly get Son A's wife pregnant! (they had a way of "testing" if a man is sterile by peeing in a pot and seeing if anything grew)

Considering how important fathering children was in Swazi culture, this actually is a pretty clever solution. Much better than the Middle Eastern solution to always just blame the woman for a man's sterility...

The dowry system also has a logic to it. It's sort of a "retirement plan": when your older you trade off your daughters for cattle, thus insuring your economic security (unless you're a horny old man, constantly buying new wives!)

The guide also explains how the Swazi royal lineage works. With so many sons, you would think there'd be a chaotic struggle for power when the king dies. But unlike other kingdoms where the oldest son is the heir to the throne, here it's the youngest sons who has no siblings from his mother. The present king technically became king when he was only 4th months old! Obviously he had a bit of "help" until he was old enough to rule on his own.

The Traveler listens which both fascination and concern. One big question he has is, with so many men seeking multiple wives... what happens when you run out of women? In the old days, this was solved by men fighting and killing each other until the ratio evened out... What about nowadays?

In modern Swaziland, it's obviously impossible for most people to follow the traditional model of Swazi family life. Customs are changing, and not necessarily for the better. Now, rather than paying 12 cows for a wife, a man will just give a "gift" for a temporary girlfriend... and she will in turn recieve "gifts" from other boyfriends. Not a very good model for a stable, healthy society...

Finally the tour is over. The Traveler follows the trail back, pondering the dilemma: should the rest of the world care about what goes on in Swaziland? Get involved or just let them do their thing? People should have control over their own country and destiny. But what about when you have a country where some people want to stick to the old ways and some people want to embrace things like democracy, equality for women, Western family laws etc... ?

The world is so interconnected that no country can be truly isolated. Either other countries support the status quo in Swaziland through open trade, aid etc, or enact policies that will pressure it to change.

It's not an easy question to answer...

The Berber Juice Maker

Back at the hostel, the Traveler makes a connection with the other corner of Africa. He hears a familiar accent of a fellow gathered around the fire... of someone from Morocco speaking English... Could it be?

Pretty close... he's a Berber from Algeria, who opened a juice bar right across the street! Juice bars are stereotypically Berber businesses in Morocco, and the Traveler is sure his friends there will get a kick out of knowing there's a Berber run juice bar in Swaziland!

The two hit it off quite well. The guy is happy with the opportunities in this little country—as are many outsiders who are making this country their home. But he is also quite proud of his Berber culture.

Day 4: A Hiking Safari

47.3 kms, May 2, 2016

Today the Traveler is going to do the one thing most people think of when you talk about visiting Africa: a safari.

He's never been too excited about the safari concept. The idea that riding across the open savannah taking pictures of a kingdom ruled by lions is experiencing "real" Africa, is simply dishonest. The fact is, Africa is ruled by humans, just as every continent is. And the main reason there are so many large wild animals is... to provide entertainment for rich, white tourists.

Look at it this way: Let's say you live in Eastern USA. Imagine if you still had grizzly bears, mountain lions and wolves which were protected... because foreign tourists love to come and take pictures of them. Even if they killed hundreds of people every year and thousands of heads of cattle, you weren't allowed to kill them, because of... well... tourists...

Would that be fair?

This is not advocating for the mass destruction of African wildlife, by any means. It just seems it's important to remember that these mass reserves and protected lands are set up without concern for the needs of the original people who live on this land.

OK... the real reason the Traveler hasn't gone on a safari is it's too expensive to go on a tour, and he doesn't want to rent a car.

But Mlilwane Reserve is actually walking distance away, and since it doesn't have large predators, you can walk around it freely. So the Traveler is going to do a "budget" safari today.

It's a couple mile walk to the entrance, past more typical Swazi countryside, of simple scattered cinderblock homes of Lobamba. None of the beehive huts the Traveler saw yesterday. Inside the park, the Traveler visits a small museum which explains the history of this place. It explains that this land was first turned into a reserve by a white farmer who “owned” this land. There used to be lions in this area, but they were killing a lot of the people's cattle, so they begged the king to be allowed to kill the lions. Now its a herbivore only park.

The Traveler starts his walk through a savannah which has been partially mowed, so you can actually see the animals. Turns out, in a “real” savannah, you won't be able to see a lot of animals due to the grass. There are wildbeast, gazelles and warthogs--which are fun to watch trotting across the plains. A pleasant walk, but the Traveler certainly wouldn't exclaim "Oh! I'm in 'real' Africa now!" This is an artificial park, nothing more, he reminds himself.

The Traveler follows the paths, through the brush and forests. There a small pond where he can see a pair of nostrils poking out. Hippopotomus? I'd like to see a little more of you... the Traveler thinks. Suddenly he realizes: maybe throwing a rock in the water next to Africa's Number One large killer of humans is, is not such a good idea! (large mammal killer, that is...)

Next he climbs a giant rocky peak, which was used for executions, back in the day by throwing the convicted person off the top... This time there's just a French couple up there who live on the island of Reunion and are here on vacation...

He continues on down through the hills and forest, stopping for a refreshing dip in a stream... then down to to the main camping area where there's a swimming pool and crowds of people enjoying their May Day holiday.

A group of college girls join the Traveler at the table, and ask him to play a song for them, to which he gladly agrees. They're studying to be teachers, but don't seem to be very hopeful about their job prospects for the future. One of them insists that the Traveler take her with him to America.

The Traveler finishes his tour with a hike around the reservoir, joined by an older Texan couple, where they talk politics and Donald Trump for a bit... concerns that feel a million miles away from Swaziland...

And with that, he begins the long walk home, into the sunset.

Being a Table Busker for a Day

But the Traveler's day's adventures aren't quite over. Back at the Gables Shopping Mall, looking for some supper, he runs into a couple of guys practicing their guitars in the alley. He pulls out his guitar and joins in.

"We're going busking... do you want to join us?" The Traveler's not exactly looking (or smelling) very presentable after hiking all day, but he doesn't want to miss this opportunity... So he joins them for his first ever table busking experience.

"Table busking" means you go to a restaurant and go table by table and play songs for people for tips (with permission from the management, of course!) It's a type of performance that's outside of the Traveler's comfort zone, but he's up for trying something new. He usually doesn't like it if someone comes to his table, indirectly asking for money while he's trying to eat...

One of the guys has some very nice original songs--in English and in Swazi. The other actually got a college scholarship and studied in North Carolina for 3 1/2 years. Sadly, he wasn't able to finish his studies, due to shortage of funds...

They head to the first restaurant. The Traveler imagines it looks a little odd for a tourist to be busking alongside two locals, but it's fun... They get a mixed response. Usually the white folks give them an abrupt "no" when they approach their table, but many of the black patrons welcome them as entertainers rather than beggars. They take turns. The Traveler sings a song or two of his own that are easy to play along with... they collect their tips and head to the next table...

Doing the math, this actually is a pretty decent way to make money. In an hour these guys can make more than many folks here make in a day. But the Traveler doesn't think he'll be doing this again any time soon though...

They offer to split the tip jar with him at the end, but he refuses. Just having the experience of going table busking with two local fellows is reward enough.

The House of Fire

Today the Traveler continues on with his hike through Swaziland. He follows the road west of Miliwane Wildlife Sanctuary as the landscape gets flatter and more open. Looks like today will be a more “normal” day, getting a glimpse of what real life is like in Swaziland.

He takes a road that veers off to the south past the community of Malkerns. Here, in the middle of rather boring farmland, he passes this unusual structure with fascinating artwork all around it. It looks quite out of place in this area of fairly simply, down to earth living.

What the hell is this? The Traveler wonders. It's called the "House on Fire", a well known location here in Swaziland that is dubbed “the most eclectic entertainment venue in the world”. founded by local artist Jiggs Thorne, it's one of the most fascinating displays of art the Traveler has seen.

He wanders inside the rooms, passageways and doorways, with bizarre artwork everywhere. It seems to be a mix of Africa, meets Middle Eastern, meets somebody's weird psychadelic dream.... combining to create this surreal fantasy kingdom. One in the back is a field with more sculptures, a contrast to the the otherwise bland countryside.There are towers covered with mosaics and sculptures... thrones... pillars... spheres... terracotta figures that feel a little like you're in a Dr Seuss book.

House on Fire is quiet now, but in a couple of weeks it will be packed with people with its renowned music festival, dubbed “Bushfire”.

But the Traveler wonders... who are the people that come to this festival? Local farmers? Almost certainly not. Almost all the natives in this region are Swazi and a few minority tribes. Images of the festival show a crowd of white people. Is this the hangout for foreign expats? Tourists? Is this a bubble where white people gather and have fun, oblivious to the world around?
He looks up the founder, Jiggs, who appears to be either white or bi-racial, born in Swaziland, married to a black woman. Maybe this is a place where different cultures can come together. The Traveler would like to learn more.

End of the Swaziland Hike

He continues on down the road. Here, there's some serious agriculture going on, which is nice to see for a change... including some vast pineapple farms--and a fruit cannery. Good to see Swaziland investing in sustainable projects like this, and not just tourism. There's even a down to earth agricultural university that the Traveler does a little tour of.

He reaches the small town of Luyengo, and decides he's better bring this hike to a close. Here he grabs some lunch of grilled chicken and pap from a little stall—a true Swazi lunch. “Pap” is the heavy goop like starch that is ubiquitous through most of Africa—going by a variety of names. Combined with the right type of sauce it can be a very satisfying meal. But when the Traveler sees the vendor dig the pap out of a plastic bucket, the Traveler suddenly wonders if it's such a good idea to be taking risks right before a big road trip... Fortunately it settles OK.

And with that... his Swaziland Hikecomes to an end. It was a fun experience—maybe a little too fun, as here the Traveler stayed in the touristy area and did a number of touristy things. He suspects that he didn't even see the poorer parts of the country, neglected by the government.

While he still has his serious misgivings about this country and the way it's being run, overall he did find this a refreshing glimpse of an African country that is deliberately trying to keep its cultural roots—while at the same time being very welcoming of the outside world.

What will happen in the future... that is hard to say. But for now—at least from a superficial glance—Swaziland does feel like a country that other African countries could learn from.