Maybe the best backpackers ever

A great room
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(nicks story).  Now it's not often that my good friend Kevin O'Donovan from Marina Del Rey, CA says anything sensible....in fact I can't remember him ever saying anything sensible before......but his saying that we should stay at Sondzela in Swaziland was an inspired choice.  We arrived on Dec 24th and have amazing Rondavels (a sink, no toilet or shower) and views that are amazing.  There is a pool and wart hogs run around.  An ostrich laid an egg on Jamies tent and so we had it for breakfast on Christmas morning!  For Christmas dinner we were given a free meal of roast hog, pap, butternut and beetroot.  And Santa even found me and gave me some presents.  All, in all, this place was exactly what we needed after a long 17 day stretch moving through Lesotho and South Africa.  Did I mention that it also has the football channel so I could watch Boro?  Our plans are that later today we are going to Hippo pool to say hello and maybe to see a Swazi royal ceremony.  A lovely place to be and exactly what was needed for Christmas.  Did I mention that there was a scorpion in my shower this morning?

Friends at the sink
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(Ronnie's Story) I liked Swaziland almost immediately. It had a very mellow vibe, especially after our travels in Lesotho and South Africa. The first night we stayed in a scuzzy backpackers place in Ezulwini Valley- you know the type with dirty linen, dirty cutlery and bad beds.  The weather was hot and humid which made everything seem worse! The saving grace was the fantastically amazing steak fillet and potato dinner takeout from the Mantanga Lodge next door. I picked up the dinner so Nick would not lose his spot in front of the television... the game was scheduled to start in a mere 4 hours.

Thanks Kevin and Santa's been

and on the mirror
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The next day we arrived at Sondzela Backpackers... which was an absolute paradise. Sondzela is located on the Mlilwane Nature Reserve. On our drive in we saw zebras, impalas, and loads of wart hog families. Everything was very lush and green.  Our rondavel was on a hill overlooking mountains making it feel like a remote site nestled in the Swazi country land. I sat for hours reading in the hammock and periodically dipping in the pool to cool off.

I felt very fortunate because come christmas morning "Santa had been." He knew just what I wanted- something to read and some decadent chocolate chip cookies. Our hog-on-a-spit Christmas dinner was pretty fantastic also! After digesting a massive meal, a group of us took a short evening hike to the main camp in search of hippos. We were unsuccessful that time.

Enough food for 6
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The highlight of my 4 days at Sondzela was taking part in the iNCWALA ceremony. Men, women and children from all over the Swaziland come to Lombaba (the royal residence) to participate in this 3 week evening ceremony. The ceremony culminates on the last day (sometime during 2nd week of January) when the king of Swaziland will taste the first fruit of year. Jamie and I picked up a sister (20 years old) and brother (18 years old) on their way to the ceremony (see pics). They were kind enough to guide us through the ceremony which involved a lot of singing and dancing with the men on one side and women on the other.  I had borrowed a traditional cloth and used it as a skirt and both Jamie and I purchased the requisite items- two sticks for the men and a reed for the women. It was felt like a privilege to take part in such an important part of their culture.