The first day in Swaziland we mostly spent inside, recovering from travel and making plans for our time in the country. Our exceedingly generous hosts Phil and Joanna made us great food – they typically eat raw vegetarian food, so we had really delicious salads covered in nuts and fruits and other goodies, along with some cooked dishes made just for us. We felt completely relaxed and really well taken care of! So we were productive in our planning and made an ambitious schedule where we’d get to see 3 Swazi sights – the Mlilwane Game Reserve, the famous Reed Dance, and the beautiful Malalotja Nature Reserve.
The game reserve was a pretty place – we drove in with Joanna’s car and took a big loop around the park, with a stop for a walking trail in the middle. We didn’t see any new wildlife, though we got closer to zebras than we ever had before. They came quite close to the road in order to feed on the tall grass there, and were relatively visible through the reeds. Other main sightings included hippos (they have been semi-tamed, getting food each day from the humans), warthogs, wildebeest, and antelope.
In the park they also had examples of the traditional Swazi huts, constructed in such a way that they resemble a beehive:
All in all it was a good park but not a spectacular one. The next day we drove up to Malalotja, a beautiful park without any dangerous game.  We stayed there in a cool cabin for three nights and it made a great base for exploring. In this park you’re allowed to roam all over the place – on foot – since there are no lions or leopards that could jump out and eat you. The first day was cold and foggy, allowing us to see the ever-elusive Unibok:
Fortunately, the third day was really clear:
What happened to the second day, you ask? Well we left the park to go and see the Swazi Reed Dance, a yearly festival wherein thousands of maidens gather reeds from the countryside and bring it to the Queen Mother to construct her house. Did I mention that the maidens are topless? I’ll leave that part to the imagination since many of them are well under 18 and it would be inappropriate to post pictures that reveal too much.
Anyway it was interesting to see such a traditional African ceremony which has resisted Western influence a great deal. Not to say that Swazis have resisted it; but the king has managed to keep the traditional ceremonies alive. Did I mention that the king was in attendance? It was both of our first time being in the presence of royalty! He apparently normally chooses a new wife each year from the 20,000 maidens..
After that we set off to South Africa again, for the safari of a lifetime at Sabi Sabi Game Reserve – more in the next post!