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Hiking
in Swaziland - by Malik
"Baz Bus" dropped me at the Royal Swazi Sun Hotel,
Mbabane, the capital city of Swaziland. A van from Sondzela
Lodge was already waiting for me as the Baz Bus driver had
alerted them of my arrival.
Sondzela Lodge was located inside the Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary
in Ezulwini valley. It was well furnished in ethnic colours
and designs and surrounded with aromatic trees like lemonwood,
eucalyptus and lavender. There were self-contained thatched
cottages, beehive huts and timber dorms to suit all pockets.
I got a comfortable room for only $10.
Many birds were perched around in the hope of food offerings
by the guests. A feeling of peace and stillness pervaded the
area. It was just the place to relax after a twelve hour bus
journey from Pretoria. I was not here for relaxing though!
I was in South Africa to have a taste of everything the country
offered, in particular I planned to do a self-guided walking
safari.
In the evening a fire was lit and everyone had a chance to
meet after dinner while listening to the call of wild animals.
Handsome and colourfully dressed locals joined the guests,
engrossing us with tales of lion kills and elephant charges.
To Walk or Not to Walk?
The lodge provided a well-sketched route map for a small deposit.
One area was well publicized as "The Hippo Trail".
Bathing or paddling there, was declared hazardous. Now I started
to become concerned about my age and high blood pressure.
My initial response was not to go alone.
Then I thought that for a fee of only $3, they could not afford
to have a dangerous trail. Besides, white footprints marked
the way. Also, a fluttering flag and a flashing light at the
starting point were visible from the trail. One had only to
look back to seek guidance. There was absolutely no harm in
going up there for a trial run.
Next day, a cold and crisp morning, I set foot on the trail.
I had a daypack containing biscuits, water bottle and some
medicines. With pent-up energy, I forged ahead confidently
towards a guard post half a kilometer away - uphill! In a
few minutes however, I was obliged to catch my breath every
few meters, stopping to wait for the palpitations to subside.
Many trekkers, some carrying rucksacks, waved and then overtook.
I thought I was a victim of altitude sickness or maybe chill
factor.
A guard post Makama Dlamani then introduced himself, proudly
saying that he belonged to the famous clan, Dlamani, descendents
of King Sobhuza. There is a good chance
of meeting a prince in Swaziland as the old king had nearly
400 wives!
Pointing out the figure-eight contour of the trail, the guard
advised me that at the mid-point, I could continue or turn
back. He looked at me as if to assess my conditions and added,
"If I did not see you back by the late afternoon, I would
send someone". That gave me a boost, and I resumed the
walk. For quite some distance, it was downhill. That gave
me time to notice the nature. I saw giraffe, kudu, red rock
hares and young warthogs suckling at their mother. Black eagles
and Lanner falcons circled above.
Then the trail took a turn and faced a water hole. I saw springbok
ram standing gracefully on the edge, its image glistening
in the clear water. A little further, an excited impala took
off in a series of stiff-legged bouncing leaps. Then ....
uh, the honeymoon was over.
The path started climbing and became steeper and steeper.
Like an old ox-wagon, I went up creaking, jerking and tilting.
High trees shaded the path. On both sides, a green wall of
creepers, willows and weeds formed a corridor as in a dense
jungle. The walk became a little frightening. All senses were
on the alert, hearing, sight and smell. Eyes darted perpetually
from point to point sizing up everything that stirred. The
ascent became sharper, at many points forcing me to assume
a crawling position.
At long last, I saw the sky. I was fully exhausted and practically
lying on my stomach gasping for breath. What I saw though
made up for it. I could see almost the whole sanctuary in
one majestic panorama. I looked around over rolling hills
of different colours and shapes. It was so refreshing that
I literally felt pleasant waves passing through my body.
By afternoon, I at last reached the mid-point, having covered
only four km. I thought of venturing into the next phase but
good sense prevailed and I decided to return. The back trail
followed a stream. Soon I was walking on a well-worn path
made by the passage of hippos over many years. Fortunately,
they were at the lake, busy feeding on bottom vegetation and
surfacing only occasionally to grab a breath of air before
plunging again.
Beyond the hippo trail, the terrain became quite interesting.
There were many bridges to cross, ladders to climb and walks
along the cliff edge, though all were safe and pleasant. Soon
the Main camp was in sight. I reached it about 2:30 p.m.
It was a miserable performance by trekker standards, but for
me it was an experience that fed my soul and challenged my
spirit. It was also the best time of my thirty-day journey
across South Africa by Baz Bus.
Hafeez
ur Rahman Malik, Karachi-Pakistan.
Submitted: 28 September 2002
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