The Kingdom in the Sky

When we wrote our last post we had spent a cold, damp night in Maseru (the capital) and were wondering what the hell we were even doing in the country. We rented a car and got going, relieved to get away from the drenched bustle of Maseru.



We then spent the next four days taking in the breathtaking vistas that lay around every corner of the north of the country - and there were lots of corners.





Some roads were good,



and some weren't so good,



but the thing they had in common was steep curves.

In addition to the soaring mountain ranges and plunging valleys, the drive was made even more picturesque by the gorgeous villages that we drove past.



Most houses are still built in a traditional round style using natural rock bricks and thatched roofs. Cluster these together on the edge of such a stunning landscape and the result is pretty impressive.

We struggled up and over several mountain passes,



from just under 3,000m,



to the highest pass in southern Africa, Taleeng, at a lofty 3,255m.

After the Taleeng Pass we came upon the bustling trade centre of Mokhotlong. The town was home to a ton of shops in varying states of repair and disrepair.

Some were cute,



others ramshackle,



and still others just plain odd.



[Most of our photos are on film, as the digital is just a low quality back up. We'll post some of our favs when we get home.]