Calling all October birthdays to the floor. Whatup?! This month marked the 2nd birthday I’ve spent in Swaziland and it was absolutely perfect. There’s a surprising amount of volunteers who were born in October and because we were on lockdown last year- a.k.a. integration and couldn’t leave our huts for more than 1 night a month leaving most of us to spend our birthdays alone or with limited company- we decided to do something fun this time around! The plan: a camping adventure at the Ngwempisi Gorge.
Our original group of 14 people quickly reduced in half following an incident concerning the PC office. So our small but amazing group of PCVs met in the tiny “town” of Luyengo. All necessities were picked up: toilet paper, bread, peanut butter, eggs, water, and alcohol. From there we hired a khumbi to drive us out to the Ngwempisi Gorge. Unfortunately the khumbi driver had absolutely no idea how far out this place was and in turn, ran out of gas. Having no other choice we hopped out and contemplated our next move. Luckily we weren’t stranded for long. A U.S. AID car picked us up and gave us a lift to the drop off point. From this homestead, which was perched on a mountainside, we hiked in for a little less than ½ km until we arrived at the Ngwempisi Gorge Rock lodge.
First off, let me explain this magical place. The community surrounding the Ngwempisi Gorge built a Rock Lodge on the mountain side. Yes, I said a ROCK Lodge. They used the pre-existing boulders and trees to shape a three story lodge creating what best could be described as a “tree house for adults”. And it is not to be taken lightly. This place is indeed for adults. The steep stairs carved into the rocks without guardrails, the outside toilet and shower situated on the side of a cliff, the boulders you can dangle your legs off of, and the one bunk-bed leaning against an “open window” - a few planks nailed in to stop someone from rolling out (This was my bed!), all of which made this the most unique and lovely place I’ve ever stayed in. These contributing factors along with the non-stop rain and lightning persuaded us to stay at the lodge for 2 nights so we wouldn’t have to carry our tents, sleeping bags, and belongings on the probable muddy 8 km hike we were doing the next day. Instead we chose to visit the hot springs in a day, hiking 16km.
The next morning we set off with our newly made friend and hiking guide at 9am. Energized and excited we stopped at 3 different viewpoints taking in the splendor and beauty of this country. Our guide pointed out anything and everything we asked about including porcupine poop, birds, trees, and even enlightened us on his community and the life he’s lived. Whoever took lead behind him learned and talked A LOT! We reached the Ngwempisi River around 11:30am. The next part of the journey was to cross the river and reach the hot springs which were “just around the corner”. My pride and Hawaiian roots emerged and I became confident I could walk the next part barefoot. Stupid, ignorant pride always gets in the way. After forging the river we hoped that the “15 minute walk” was indeed 15 minutes because the ground was COVERED in thorns, sticks, stones, and pine cone stickers. Due to this unexpected obstacle it was taking us a lot longer and so our wonderful guide gave us directions to the hot springs and went back to watch our belongings at the river. Cursing and swearing to ourselves every other step then pausing every couple of meters to clear our feet of thorns we eventually made it to the "HOT SPRINGS" about 45 minutes- 1 hour later. The hot spring was about a 4x4 ft. wide and 1 ft. deep pool. Laughing at how sad, disappointing, and not worth the pain the last section was, we soaked our feet and prepared ourselves for the walk back. Three of my friends decided to make native shoes out of leaves. As I have attempted and failed at doing this on many hikes in Hawaii, I decided to not even bother. I powered through and made it back in 30 minutes! We crossed back across the river and hung out until everyone made it. As my punishment for hanging out in the river, I was bit by some mysterious creature. A very sharp, stinging sensation and a welt soon appeared on my butt. A few weeks later this bump is still there. So, we rested up on the river bank for another ½ hour and then proceeded up the mountain. The first third of the hike was absolute torture. The men were running up the mountain and I, in turn, was gasping for air and longing for water. We hit the 1st resting point, a small stream, and bathed/drank in its glory! After regaining our strength we proceeded back to camp. Hiking at a slightly slower pace we made it back without as many stops. The entire time we were talking about how wonderful a shower was going to feel and calling DIBS on it. Lo and behold, there was NO water when we returned. It’s a good thing we are all Peace Corps Volunteers and used to not bathing and smelling acceptable! At the end of the day I climbed onto the boulders, watched the sun set behind the mountains and marveled at the splendor and beauty of this marvelous place. This trip restored my love in Swaziland. With so much corruption, problems, and issues that we face daily, it’s easy to become spiteful. This getaway wiped the slate clean and I found joy and peace within my soul. I am looking forward to the day I’ll return to this oasis!
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