Swaziland

Today we entered the African nation of Swaziland. It was mainly a travel day so didn't have many sight seeing stops. The roads were curvy as we came over the mountains into the country. We are staying in Mbabane (um / baa/ bay/  knee) which is the capital of Swaziland.

Just a few sobering facts about the country. They have the highest HIV infected population in the world. It is estimated on the conservative side that at least 26% of all adults are infected. Due to this the life expectancy is only 49 years of age.

At least 40% of the population lives in extreme poverty with average earnings of only $1.25 per day and 60% live on communal land which is owned by the king. The current king is Mswati III, who has been in the world news for his extravagant life style while many of his people are literally starving to death.

Now, with all of that said the country has some beautiful sights to see. The people still embrace their strong cultural background with elaborate ceremonies and traditional dance.

We were greeted by a woman doing a cleansing of the area ceremony when we stopped for lunch. They also gave us a good bye dance and song before we left.

We stopped to eat our boxed lunches at a roadside area where the locals where making and selling the

 handcrafted items. The statues are carved from soapstone. They leave some in the natural state, while others they put through a finishing process. For the black statues they paint them with shoe polish, 

coat with a sealer, and then fire them by laying next to a low burning fire.

Carving the stone. I bought a couple of pieces from this man.

Painting with shoe polish.

Group lunch

The cows are allowed to run free all along the highway so you have to stay alert while driving.

Some shots of the terrain.