Trip to Swaziland

Yea!!! finally!!! I have made it to all the countries that my office is assigned to.... I finally managed to make a trip to Swaziland this weekend.... got a call from my friend Valeria from Mexico that she was heading to Swaziland to catch the "reed dance" ceremony that was taking place on Sunday... and asked if I was keen to join her and her friends to catch the event... I agreed...

Anyway, for those who are unfamiliar with the ceremony... its an annual event where hundreds of thousands of girls pay homage to the King of Swaziland by performing a dance for him.. At the end of the two-day event, the King will select one of the girls to be his next wife. (so far, he has 14 wives....) Its quite a sight to see so many girls at the Royal Palace... dancing and performing for the King, hoping to be chosen as the next wife..... Here are some pics taken during the trip...

Valeria @ the Swazi-SA Border..

the signpost..

her car.... otherwise known as "Pepper"

immigration forms...

Immigration...

Just past the border... Welcome to Swaziland!!

Heading to Mbabane...the Capital of Swaziland

After reaching the hotel, we headed to the Cultural village at this place at "Mantenga"

We got to the Nature Reserve which had a Waterfall,
and a cultural village (which had a show at 3pm)

We decided not to be lazy, and hiked to the nearby village and waterfalls...

Stopping by at a river..

Playing and posing... hehe..

me!!

One of the village elders... showing us ard...

one of the huts... made from the reeds...

part of the performance at the Cultural Village

More dancers...

In black and white...

Valeria and her friends... Carmen from Spain is sitted next to her...

More dancing...

looking on...

Diego... Carmen's fiance.... he just proposed!!

The witch doctor doing his dance... and floating...
haha... nah.. he was just jumping...

Fiona and Rosa, friends of Valeria...
both are teaching in Wits University (Fiona teaches French, while Rosa teaches Spainish)

The Lion....

The lion pretending to sleep by the tree...

one of the performers staring into my camera...

Valeria entering the hut...

After being expelled from the hut....

By the waterfall in the distance....

After the hike....
having a drink before heading to the hotel to wash up and join her friends for dinner...

Valeria and Diego..

Carmen and Diego at Calabash Restaurant

My Starter.. Lobster Bisque

My main... Pork ribs...


Oh yes... i did not mention earlier my hotel room... haha... it was a huge place!! just check out the pics!

my room....

My toilet!

oh yes... we had a special guest visitor from South Africa... and had all this security men hanging around the hotel...

The President of Zambia was also staying in the hotel... This was his villa....

President driving off....

At the entrance of the Royal Residence

King Mswati III arriving in his Maybach....

Some of the girls preparing for the dance...

dancing and smiling....

valeria with her friend from Argentina...

More of the dancers....
Queen Mother

King Mswati III