Golden Gate Highland National Park

 

The illness that required a couch on my back for 3 days(and bathroom close by), sadly caused us to be late for our big S and I meeting at the National Park in the Drakensburg mountains. We were in the park at the Golden Gate Lodge and Chalet.  It was beautiful but hard for us to find. It reminded us a little of Zions but less red.

  This greeted us in our room, so we were on high alert baboon watch from then on.

   We went on Wednesday instead of Tuesday and totally missed the Doctrinal Mastery roll playing activity and are still lost with regard to that new program.  The meeting was inspirational, for we were invited to a meeting with other coordinators.   2 area Seventies attended and spoke and were also coordinators I think.  They were all employees of CES except we 2 sets of Senior S and I couples on missions. There were guys from Mozambique to Botswana. We were out of our element quite a bit but loved to rub shoulders with these great men.  We had meetings till  Friday and  then had an orientation meeting with us couples till noon because we were so new. We have a  bit more knowledge now .  But I confess  that I'm so into the Old Testament finishing out my institute class, that Kent's taking the lead in this administration stuff has been a blessing.  We have so much to do, besides teach, that we are overwelmed.

    Good news!  We did get to go to an operating Besotho village during a break.  They give you  a tour with real (Witch) Dr.s and fiddlers and they keep up the village like they would have in the 1800's.

The Fiddler is on the roof warning of approaching visitors.  Man or beast!

Elder Roberts ( left) is shaking the bones of the medicine man to see what's wrong with him.

This is a real chief (right) and he is wearing his decision hat to decide if we should stay or leave. 

    Besotho is the name of the people, and Lesotho is the name of their country that is in the middle of

Africa next to the Drakensbergs.  (kind of like America and Americans)  We just happen to live very close, not many km, to all this.    
 Besothos have a totally different language than the Zulus, with a few similarities .  Queen Victoria came over in the late 1800's and made them there own country and fell in love with this people .

 They sent beautiful blankets over to the people and they still revere the blankets and still get them from England.  English was established as the national language and the Accordion was established as the national musical instrument.  It is still played today and they played for us, but not with the buttons -Kent observed.

1800's home looked much like 1700's home.  Shape changes in the 1920's.  They showed examples for all 3 centuries of real used homes.  A single compound would have a husband house, guest house and as many wives and their children houses as was needed.  Wives go to husband's home never with children.  Polygamy is still practised  in some homes, both Bosotho and Zulu.

   Sister Roberts modeling 18th century ladys garb and native showing dress of 20th century.

This is Santee (my favorite) that sat next to me at conference and kept me on tract.  He is from Botswana and speaks perfectly and slowly so us gringos could understand.  The Pic shows a compound.

People were short!  The plaster and floors are constantly being refurbished with a combo of mud water and cow or horse dung.  It smelled great, but it was like great cement and plaster.  Pine-Sol where are you?

Early 1900's houses became rectangle --notice what's by the door, Carrie.