Inanda Dam
As of before the opening at 7:30 I stationed in front of the gate of
the garage of Mercedes-Benz where I had taken an appointment three
weeks before for the periodic service. The reception procedure was
promptly carried out. My car was returned to me around 12:00. I had
thrown my reserved on a bivouac at the edge of the artificial lake
of Inanda close to the dam.
Qacha's Nek, border between South Africa & Lesotho
Exit South Africa, ZA
Tuesday, September 9 was a long driving day. I had hoped to find a
bivouac on the way towards Lesotho. Alas around 17:00 I found myself
at the border post of South Africa after a very rocky track at the
speed between 10 and 20 km/h. During the way in the mountain a violent
storm fell down with a torrential rain as well as rumblings of thunder
and flashes gigantic. The formalities were very fast with
the presentation of the carnet de passage en douane for the checking
of the n° of chassis. At the barrier of the police station I
obtained the authorization of bivouac on the adjacent full ground in
the "no man's land" at 1994 meters of altitude.
Enter Lesotho, LS
Wednesday, October 10 I presented myself to the border post of
Lesotho to obtain a one month visa. I paid a fee for using the roads
of M40 i.e. 30 Rands.
Lesotho, Wiki
here.
The GPS road tracklog
from Qacha's Nek to Maletsunyane Falls
from 2018/10/10 to 2018/10/10
Route A5 to Maletsunyane Falls, LS
The A5 road is entirely asphalted; with sometimes pot-holes and
especially of the backs of donkey, traffic calming, at the entry and the
exit of villages and on the road to protect the stops of taxis. The
landscapes of mountain are splendid carved by million years of erosion.
The A5 road zigzags in rolling mountains. I found a bivouac vis-a-vis of
Maletsunyane Falls at 2273 meters of altitude.
click on the pic for opening the gallery
The GPS road tracklog
from Maletsunyane Falls to Thaba Bosiu
from 2018/10/11 to 2018/10/11
Thaba Bosiu at the riverside
Thursday, October 11 I continued my progression on the A5 road by
mounts and by am always worth on a good asphalted roadway. In the
village of Roma I took a picture of the gate of the University of
Lesotho. Tilling on mountainside is carried out by an attachment of
four beef animals. By a turning on the B31 road I found a bivouac at
the edge of a small river where the herds came to water themselves.
Its bucolic aspect at 1543 meters of altitude encouraged me to
remain two nights there.
click on the pic for opening the gallery
The GPS road tracklog
from Thaba Bosiu to Morija
from 2018/10/13 to 2018/10/13
Morija
Saturday, October 13 after a rainy night the day was announced
gloomy at approximately 1600 meters of altitude with an average
temperature of 13°C. My target was to visit the village of Morija,
first site of a European mission in Lesotho. It is composed of some
houses, a museum and a brick church which I visited accompanied by
two hostesses. At the exit of the village seeking a place of bivouac
I warned a ground occupied by white tents under which excessively
pious women were gathered and sang psalms in vernacular language.
One of the tents was to shelter a meal drawn up with white
tablecloths and a bottle of sparkling wine. I found a bivouac along
the road after the village!
click on the pic for opening the gallery
The GPS road tracklog
from Morija back to Maseru
from 2018/10/14 to 2018/10/14
Maseru
Sunday, October 14 on the way towards the bivouac I stopped in
Maseru, capital of Lesotho, which did not hold the attention of
Lonely-Planet's writers. Admittedly there is nothing to see whether
it is not the Parliament built on a hill dominating the plateau of
Maseru at 1600 meters of altitude. Then in the city the monstrous
cathedral which was crammed for the office of Sunday. I bivouacked
in Maseru Backpackers (Lesotho Durham Link) at the edge of the lake;
I was alone!
click on the pic for opening the gallery
