Once a day it comes - dawn. A stark reminder of how in such a short time my internal clock has quickly begun to reorganize itself. Everything seems to happen earlier here as life roughly sorts itself out around the Sun’s rise and fall. The earlier you are up the more you can fit into a day and when some days seem to slip away simply waiting to try and accomplish something you realize this time is precious. The day comes swiftly and with it the dusty roads pass 4+1 taxis between themselves as people have already embraced the new with the sounds of voices mixing with cattle, poultry, and sheep. I seem to be joining them. Waking up at 5:45 no longer seems to be much of a chore as my room fills with light. The closing of the day comes with sun down which nears 20:00 this time of year. I find myself looking to sleep not too far beyond that. Days bring heat and dark cools quickly.

Last Saturday we sprung up shortly after 4:00 and were on the road to Mokhotolong before an hour had passed. The idea was to summit the tallest mountain in Southern Africa, Thaba Ntlenyana (3482m). The best laid plan can easily fall apart in the mountains. Ours, to begin, was nowhere near the best and we found ourselves 90 minutes away from our destination surrounded in snow. Our small expedition had ended in failure not due to personal inabilities but the mechanical ineptitude of our small car. By 7:00 we were resigned to throwing snowballs at various targets and enjoying what none of us had ever expected to witness – snow at the peak of an African summer. Hands numb from packing we retreated toward the border town of Butha-Buthe where we headed back into the low-lying mountains of the Tsehlanyane National Park. Here, we hiked through damp bush and swelled streams. After a small mishap, where a backpack ended up floating downstream, fully submerging ourselves in the freezing water seemed to be the best option. After all of that getting up that early didn’t seem to be such a tough choice to make after all.

Living outside Maseru, the capital city, things move at a slower pace.

Time, travel, people, and nights – all of it.

Watching children head toward school at 6:00 makes you think that they understand something I did not on my first trip to Lesotho. If you want to take advantage of what the day has to offer you better not waste any of it sleeping.

Posted under Letters from Lesotho