Africa Day 7

Today Kirt and Tanner went repelling down a 670-foot drop.  They rappelled right next to the Maletsunyane Falls.  This is officially the longest commercially operated single drop rappel in the world as certified by the Guinness World Records.  They have official certificates from the Guinness World Records.  Katie and Garret rode horses (Very good choice on our part.  They would have never made the 6 mile round trip hike) to the waterfall and Kirt, Tanner and I walked.   We walked past many villages out in middle of nowhere.  We also hiked past many villagers who were walking in to Semonkong to work or to go to the market.  Katie, Garret and I sat on the bluffs opposite the waterfall and watched Kirt and Tanner rappel.  It was such a long rappel that it took them about 10 minutes to get to the bottom.  They got soaked on the way down from the spray from the waterfall.  It was very windy.  It also was a long hike out, about an hour. 

Later that afternoon, we took a guided tour of the town.  We saw the grocery store, the market, the mill, the airport, the schools, and the clinic.  The grocery store had long lines and very little selection.  There was corn meal, flour, brown sugar, blankets (Basotho’s wear blankets around their shoulders instead of coats), rubber boots (they all wear rubber type galoshes).  The market consisted of small 10x10 tin booths where people sell their goods, things like clothes, vegetables, and ski type masks for the shepherds.   There was also a building where they had little repair shop booths inside.  There was a seamstress, a shoe repair, a woodworking booth, a radio repair and a few other booths.  We got to see the mill where they ground the corn.  Corn is their major staple food.  They have a small airport where planes land about once a month bringing supplies for the clinic mostly.  Their schools are build by the government and all look the same.  They have 7 grades in primary school and 5 in high school.  The clinic was new and just opened the beginning of this year.  Unfortunately it was closed by the time we got there.  Our guide said that more and more women are having their baby’s at the clinic.  She said if a woman comes and has her baby at the clinic then the government gives a gift to her village. 

 Maletsunyane Falls-670 feet drop

 The following pictures are the ones I took of Tanner and Kirt rappelling.  I was on the bluffs on the opposite side of the ravine so they aren't very close even though I used a 300x zoom.

Guiness World Records Certificate for longest rappel 

The following pictures are the pictures that the guides took from the top and bottom of the rappel

Bottom!!

Picture taken on the hike up from the bottom

Landscape walking to the waterfall

 Boots in the grocery store

 Cornmeal and flour in the grocery store

 Corn Mill

 Our guide Matipeso.  She was wearing a blanket in the way that the Basotho people do.

 Lesotho flag

 The airport in Semonkong

 The radio repair booth in the market

 Katie and Garret crossing the river

 The dam in Semonkong