The past few days have been eventful to say the least. The cold front that came in this weekend brought with it a snowstorm, the likes of which have not been seen for years. Although Mokhotlong only got a light grazing of snow, the storm was able to block the mountain passes that connect Mokhotlong to the capital city of Maseru and cut off all internet access in the highlands. The roads were to be closed for the entire week, preventing us from getting back to Maseru in time for our flight home on Thursday. As soon as we learned about this, we frantically ran across town to the “airport” (really just a bar sitting next to a field), where we arranged for a helicopter to come pick us up. To be safe, we also spoke to Flying Doctors to see if they could airlift us out of the mountains in case the helicopter didn’t work out.
Luckily for us, the weather took a turn for the warmer, and both the roads and the internet were in working condition again last night. By this point, we had already been trapped in Mokhotlong for three days, and we were all developing a slight case of cabin fever. We decided to relieve it by going horseback riding yesterday afternoon, renting the horses from M’e Kefoue’s family in Thabong. One of the drivers at GROW came along to be our guide, and in addition to showing us some of the nearby villages, he took us to the top of a peak where we had an amazing view of the mountain range we’ve been living in. To add icing to the cake, I found out later that the horse I was riding belonged to the chief. I wish I had known that before I dubbed him “Dustin.” What a plebian name for such a regal creature!
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