Lesotho, Part 2

Yesterday I had the day off, so I visited Thaba Bosiu (Tah-bah Boh-see-ou), which means mountain of the night. The first King of Lesotho, Moshoeshoe I, settled his people on the mountain because it only had a few paths up and was easy to defend. People tried to attack them at night and failed, which led to the myth that the mountain got bigger at night and smaller in the day.

It was a nice climb, about 700 feet in elevation, but whoa. Starting the climb already a mile above sea level made me huff and puff a lot. So while I rested I took photos :)

 When I made it to the top, my guide took a photo of me :)

 

To enter the burial grounds and ruins of the chief's village, you put a stone on the cairn signifying you come in peace.

 This is where Chief Moshoeshoe I gave speeches to his people. My guide demonstrated.

 From Thaba Bosiu you can see this mountain, which is the inspiration for the Basotho hat

 I got to stand in the first stone house built in Lesotho, Chief Moshoeshoe I's house.

 

King Moshoeshoe I's grave. His warriors were buried with him.

 

 

This is the grave of the father of the current king.

The path up and down the mountain was a bit steep!

At the bottom of the mountain is a cultural village, set up by the Lesotho government for tourism. Part of the village is a recreation of King Moshoeshoe I's village on Thaba Bosiu, and the other part shows the different building styles and totems of the different clans of the Basotho people 200 years ago.

 A statue of the first king.

 Recreating Thaba Bosiu

Inside a compounds there are several shelters. 

 Most clans used thatched roofs, but this one has homes made completely out of stone.

This clan has chosen the wild cat as it's totem. Other totems include lions, buffalo, clouds, pumpkin, and the house cat. 

Next post: Into the Mountains