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Manzini, Ezulwini Valley, Mlilwane Park, Mbabane (capital).
Hello from Swaziland

Sent 5/22 from Mbabane. 

Typing this at an Internet cafe in Mbabane, leaving for
Johannesburg tomorrow morning (May 23), continuing to
Zimbabwe just to see the Great Zimbabwe ruins, then back
26th or 27th.  After that I have only one other destination
left.

1. TO SWAZILAND. The reason I am not continuing to J'burg
from Pietermaritzburg is that I want to take the BAZ BUS
(backpackers' bus) to Swaziland next.  The Baz Bus from
Pietermaritzburg to J'burg passes ONLY thru So. Africa,
whereas the Baz Bus thru Swaziland to J'burg goes from
Durban.  So bingo.  I will be in Durban at about 4:15, call
one of the backpacker hostels there that is also a Baz Bus
stop, and take off to MANZINI, Swaziland tomorrow (May 20).
 I got 10 more days left in Africa.

 
a) Durban. Is South Africa's 3rd largest city and biggest
port in Africa.  It is also an year-around beach city.  I
had stayed here in 2003 at a different hostel nearby, and
had done the tour to Zulu village then.  The Intercape bus
charged me 90Rands for the 80km distance, and I paid
30Rands to a taxi to bring me to the TEKWENI Backpackers
(80R per night, less 5R discount for the HI Hostel card;
Internet 40R per hour, 2 computers), one of the best, right
off the Florida Ave., the place to be in Durban.  The drive
from Pietermaritzburg is quite scenic and mountainous, with
many turns.

I came here, because Tekweni is a BAZ BUS stop.  I was
picked up at 7:30am and drove about 12 hours to Manzini,
Swaziland; I paid 320 Rands ($55 or so), expensive but for
some stretches the sensible way to go, since other ways
will not be much cheaper.  And they drop you right at the
hostel you want, which I already picked.  From there I will
continue of my own.


b) BAZ Bus. Is backpacker bus that picks up and delivers
people from specific hostels in So. Africa and Swaziland
only.  The service from Durban to J'burg via Swaziland runs
4 times weekly, Monday, Wed, Fri, and Sunday, pick-up
between 6:30 to 7:30am.  The trip to Manzini runs about 12
hours with brief stops every 2-2.5 hours.  There is not
much in Manzini, the industrial center; it is the gateway
to Mozambique.  The return bus from J'burg to Durban also
passes thru the capital Mbabane, my main destination there,
but apparently not the bus from here to J'burg.  If so, I
will make my own way to there, probably by minibus.  The
distance to Mbabane is only about 50km.  By the way,
Swaziland is even smaller than Lesotho.


2. Swaziland.  I was impressed with Swaziland.  It is neat
enough to be a black province of South Africa, with
easy-going and friendly citizens--some whites among
them--nice roads, including expressways and overpasses,
clean and quaint shopping centers and towns.  Yet, the
kingdom is considered poor and has one of the highest HIV
rates in the world.  Certainly the place looked even better
off than Maseru, Lesotho.  And even in villages, I did not
see a mud-hut; all homes, however small are made of brick,
looking more like a home than a hut.  

a) SONDZELA Hostel.  The hostel is outside of Manzini, on
the fringes of the Ezulwini Valley, so about halfway to
Mbabane, the capital.  The country is very scenic, with
lush mountains all around. The BAZ Bus stopped at the Myxo'
Backpackers first, then at Swazi Backpackers, before
arriving here, then continuing to the Legends Backpackers
as its final stop.  (I did NOT like--looks or location--the
Myxo, DID like the looks of the Swazi Backpackers, but not
its desolate location.) Sondzela is situated right inside
the Mlilwane wildlife sanctuary.  Actually, the Baz Bus
drops you off the highway some 5km away and the Hostel has
a minibus waiting for the backpackers who get off at this
stop.  This is an official International Youth Hostel,
perhaps the most scenic by location I have seen.  The rate
is 55Rands per night for the dorm, 25R for park entry, 25R
for the dinner the native ladies cook right outside over
live fire of wood on the ground.  The hostel is situated on
a hill, across from rugged mountains.  At the foot of the
latter is the Mlilwane lodge itself, the hostel and lodge
are apparently competing with each other.  You can take
tours, rent bikes or horses, or otherwise walk on various
trails, while surrounded by impalas, warthogs, ostriches,
and other friendly animals.  Otherwise there is nothing
else around but the TV and a docile bar.  There is no
Internet at the hostel.

b) Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary. They told me I should
follow the path outside to reach the lodge in about 15
minutes.  Forget the 15 minutes; the distance is at least
30 min, including some climb, unless you are a runner.  It
is all dirt road.  Coming from Durban, it had rained the
entire stretch, so my shoes were caked with mud by the time
I arrived.  The lodge has more amenities, and is larger. 
One reason I came there is because I was told there was an
Internet there.  Well, it was not in operation.  I spent
some time there walking the very nice grounds, including a
pond.  Then, rather than walk back the same path, I rented
a horse for 100 Rands and told the guide to take me around
for 30 min, and then retrace the path to Sondzela for the
remaining 15 minutes, and 15 for him to get back to the
lodge.  This is how I arrived at the hostel, riding smartly
on a horse, to the envy of all there.

c) Ezulwini Valley & Mbabane.  I stayed 2 nights at
Sondzela, also catching up on sleep, and then left for the
Legends Backpackers in the Valley.  Sondzela has a free
7:30am shuttle to where it picked us up from the Baz Bus. 
There you pay a minibus 4R to get to Mbabane, or 2.5R to
the Ezulwini stop in front of the Gables Shopping Center
and a large Artisan Market there.

The market was OK, but I decided that Legends Backpackers
was too far to walk from everything and continued to
Mbabane, only to find out that both the All WAYS
Backpackers and GRIFTERS are even further away from
everything.  About to move on to Johannesburg, I got a
dress for mother and now have to wait till morn (at All
Ways) till they put on pockets inside the dress.  By the
way, the minibus from Mbabane to Johannesburg is a larger
white minibus at the bus station right across the new mall.
 Ask there. The price is 120R and the bus goes directly to
the Park Station in J'burg.

NOTE: You have much more room to bargain in Zimbabwe,
Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya THAN you do So. Africa,
Namibia, Botswana, and Swaziland.  So buy accordingly. 
Having said this, I saw a beautiful African dress at a
boutique in Mbabane and purchased it for 500R ($90) for my
Mother, to complete her wardrobe from Latin America,
Northern Africa, Australia, etc., that I normally get for
her.

3. J'burg (Airport) HOSTELS, how to choose. HOSTELS in
J'BURG are either too far from everything,
costly to get to the Park Station or the airport, too
disorganized or of dubious cleanliness.  I tried almost all
of them on the phone, stayed at 3 of them.  All of them are
really residential properties partially converted to
accommodate backpackers. Here is the run-down.

a) In Africa Lodge (Dorm 70Rands, Call Gertie at
011-609-5874) is the cleanest and tidiest. They have FREE
airport pick-up/drop-off, but charge 80 Rands for pick-up
from Park (bus/train) Station.  Unfortunately, the location
is not so good.  Eastgate Shopping Center (halfway between
the airport and the city) will cost you, Festival Shopping
Center in Kempton Park (near airport) is free and Gertie
will take you there if she is running an errand, BUT you
must likely find a ride back, at 50R or so.  Do ask Gertie
HOW you can take a bus to the Sun City/Lost City casinos
and entertainment complex.

b) East Gate Backpackers (70R, Managers Stella & Mike, NEW
address: 53A Van der Linde in Bedfordview, 011-616-2741) is
midway between the city and airport, so closest to
Eastgate, Bruma Flea Market, and cheapest (10R/hr) Internet
in town in the Chinese Shopping Center near the Flea
Market; they are also about 600 meters from the Bedford
Center Shopping Center in the opposite direction. But they
charge 100 Rands to the airport (60R if shared).  While the
dorm room is neat, the rest is intidy, the management seems
disorganized.

c) Shoestrings (011-975-0474, dorm 80 Rands/night) is the
nearest to the airport and pick-up and drop-off are free
(bus pick-up from Park Bus/Train Station is 120 Rands),
also FREE ride--BUT NOT pick-up, which costs about 50
Rands--to the Festival Mall.  (There is an Internet place
at the Mall for 32R/hr.  Enter from Gate 5, walk straight
to 1st corridor to First National Bank; Internet is next to
the red ABSA ATM sign/office.) Also, they will drop you off
at the minibus station for buses to the larger Eastgate
Shopping Mall (for 70 Rands), where you can get also an 8am
bus to SUN CITY complex (200 Rands), returning the same
night.  If you are not too late, there may be a return
minibus back to where you were dropped off, or it will
likely cost you 100 Rands to get back to Shoestrings from
East Gate Shopping Center.  (You can ask the driver of
return minibus to take you to the airport, even for 50R
extra, and then call Shoestrings for free pick-up.) Another
option is to stay at the Shoestrings and let them take you
to the minibus,

d)Backpackers RITZ (011-325-2520, dorm 85 R per night, 40R
drop-off at Park Center, 60R at airport, pick-up from both
free). It is close to some useless shops about 200 meters
away.  Dont park your car in front, 2 were broken in when I
was there.  There is a travel center on site.

2. How to get to Sun City Entertainment Center.  It is
180km north from J'burg.  A bus leaves to there in front of
the Shell gas station at Gate 4 at Eastgate Shopping Center
at 8:20am. Pick your ticket (the day before) inside Gate 4,
at ticket counter for 308R return trip.  Takes 3-4 hours
one way, depending number of pick-ups elsewhere.  Return
buses at 6pm and 9pm, at Eastgate at 9pm and midnight
respectively.  The complex consists of fine frounds, 3
hotels, and the Lost City Palace/hotel that was built for
4.8 billion Rands, making it equal to some in Las Vegas, 
You need 50R ticket for a 45-min tour to get to the palace.
 It is magnificent piece of work, equal anything in Las
Vegas.  You get a good view of J'burg outside, bush country
getting there.

The best way to reach Sun City, when you are at: a)
airport, b) park bus station:

a) from airport.  Sleep a night at Shoestrings and have a
free drop-off to the minibus station at 7am in the morn,
with all your bags.  Take a minibus (7R) to Eastgate or
Bedford Center.  (Unless the minibus drops you right at
Eastgate Center, you may have to get a 30R taxi to Sun City
Bus, as otherwise you need to walk about 1km to get there.)
Get your ticket to Sun City for next day. Now call East
Gate Backpackers for a free pick-up, stay there for 70R. 
They will drop you off there again the next morn for free
or pay 10-20R, and pick-up there again upon return--or walk
back about 800 meters.   If you want to be near the airport
next, ask East Gate Backpackers to give you a ride to
minibus station at Gate 1. Take minibus to Kempton Park. 
Call In Africa Lodge or Shoestrings for free pick-up, stay
a night, ask for free drop-off at airport the next day. 
(This is how I did it without paying 100R drop-off at the
airport.)

b) From Park Station.  Call East Gate Backpackers who have
free pick-up from the Park bus station and proceed as
described above. 


3. Addendum Swaziland.  Of all the countries I visited in
Africa on this trip, including So. Africa, I am most
impressed with Swaziland.  It is a tiny country and its
population is less than a million, 30 percent of which are
whites, this is an environment defined by the blacks in
which whites are treated warmly, as the whites I spoke to
admit.  The people are classy and casually sophisticated
(as one could say of Americans, perhaps); they greet you
with a smile, a welcoming attitude, no ego-trips or even
veiled animosity.  And they make feel at home.  The towns
and cities are neat; there are some very nice homes,
integrated neighborhoods.  I might add that I know of no
predominantly black neighborhood in USA that would come
close to this; indeed, many of our white neighborhoods
would also be left behind.  At the upper end, the amenities
cannot match those of So. Africa, but at middle-class level
they are nice.  (However, I was told by an American peace
corps worker that there is still some powerty in the
boons.)

I should also add I encountered no hustlers who pester
visitors to give them something, anything, no beggars, no
scam artists.  And I was impressed with the quality of the
English spoken by the blacks in Swaziland.  I was told
later by a white native that all students attend school
under the English system, why they (average persons) are
noticeably better in English than even the blacks in South
Africa.

One last item, 10 minutes before our minibus to J'burg took
off, a young black guy came to the side-door and began
reciting, in local lingo, the Bible in fanatical and loud
voice, carrying on almost without taking a breath.  This is
thanks to our detestable Evangelical Christians in USA, the
same manner in which they preach in USA.  The folks in the
bus seemed embarrassed that I was there to witness this
drama-comedy.

As far as Internet, there is a shop in town that is open
also on Sundays, and one in the mall that is open Mo thru
Sat.  The price is 20 Rands per hour, the cheapest in these
parts (So. Africa and Namibia).

NOTE.  The local currency is pegged to So. African rand,
and you can use Rand or local currency interchangeably for
any purchase, EXCEPT on minibuses.  For example, for the 4
Rands you pay to minibuses from Manzini to Mbabane, the
driver will accept ONLY the local coins--though he does
accept paper Rand notes too--but NO So. African coins.  So
have some local change with you for travel, but keep mainly
Rand notes and coins as the Swazi currency is not readily
accepted in So. Africa, same as with Lesotho and Namibia.

b) Addendum Sondzela Hostel at Mlilwane Sanctuary. Of ALL
the places I stayed in on this trip, only in Sondzela there
were no annoying dogs and cats around, which I found
wonderful.  I dont like domestic animals that insist making
friends with you, rubbing against you, smelling, etc., and
then barking a lot at night.

c) All Ways Backpackers in Mbabane.  Charges 75 Rands per
dorm.  By location it is better than the GRIFTERS, though
still too distant for my taste.  The co-owner, name Isabel
(from So. Africa, with 2 grown kids, now also studying
law), also raves about her cooking.  So, since the town
center is some distance away, I succumbed and asked her to
include me in her 35 Rand dinner of stew.  It was the WORST
I have ever eaten, one small piece of meat, 3 carrots, 2
cubes of potato, a large clean bone, all in a dubious sauce
that looked like someone's barf. 

4. Bus, Mbabane to J'burg.  120 Rands for the about 5-hour
trip.  The large white minibus leaves the bus station
across from the mall at 10am on weekdays--possibly later
buses too--and one at 1pm on Sundays.  Ask locals for which
bus. The landscape to J'burg is a non-descript combination
of Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, perhaps Kansas too in America,
open grasslands, scattered trees, large fields of corn,
rolling hills, a bit redundant and boring.

5. "Great Zimbabwe" ruins are said to be the largest south
of the Egyptian Pyramids.  Well, OK but they are no 
comparison, either to the Pyramids, nor Angkor Wat
(Cambodia), nor the Indian temples and forts in Rajhistan,
for example. . .  If you are into archeology, the site is
(I think) of some interest.  Read the brief description in
Lonely Planet.

Sirman