Mokhotlong

View point on drive to Mokhotlong

This week, I'll be in the outreach clinic in Mokhotlong (pronounced Mohhhotlong, where the hhh sounds like someone about to spit), an eastern district of Lesotho.

The trip here today was pretty crazy...crazy as in a good demonstration of what schedule means in Africa. So the week before, a driver found me and told me he was gonna be my driver to Mokhotlong, so we set up a time for him to pick me up at 8am. Long and behold it was 8:30 AM and still nobody so I called him, and he tells me he's no longer the driver, and it's someone else. So I called driver 2 who tells me he'll come pick me up at 10 ish.  I should have known that meant 10 30, which was when finally showed up. But there were 2 other ppl in the car! Apparently we had to go back to the coe to drop someone off. ..then on our way at 1045 right? Wrong! We were going to pick up pizza.  And while waiting for pizza, they wanted to do some shopping. Finally we were on our way....but wait, had to pick up a pharmacist. So in the end, leaving at 8am actually meant leaving at 1130 or 12. Oh...and on the way we stopped at 2 clinics and transferred yeast to some other car. Yeah. No idea why yeast.

Otherwise, the drive here was beautiful! Rolling hills of multiple different colors of green, brown, yellow, orange, gray.  Some of the hills were brutal with hairpin turns requiring us to slow to 20 kph.

We also stopped by the Leribe and Botha Bothe clinics. All the clinics have a similar layout and beautiful building. 

Botha Bothe Baylor Outreach Clinic, which looks exactly like Mokhotlong's (without the beautiful flowers).

I was a little worried about going out to the country, not sure what the hotel will be like, but it's actually quite nice.   Has everything, just no wifi (Yay for data and reception). Even get the added benefit of TV which I usually don't have. So here goes a week of watching random TV shows and news and game shows where half of the time they speak in English and half of the time it's sesotho  (I think). Also it appears the channels alternate English and sesotho shows.

My hotel room: Senque

Inside hotel room - it was nice, even had an extra bed where I can throw my clothing onto, and a TV of which I can't understand half of what they are saying.

Restaurant at the hotel - it's quite nice!

View from my hotel of the endless mountains. Also note traditional Lesotho house on left.

Given no day light savings and early sunrise and early sunset, I'm hoping I can get in a habit of rising early to get some exercise. But somehow I don't think it's gonna work out....not a morning person.

When I asked people how they liked Mokhotlong, people kept on saying it is peaceful.  I'm pretty sure now that it's an euphemism for boring, which is what the pharmacist I came with outright said. I suppose this will be a good opportunity to reflect on God's creation and how amazing it all is.  

View on my way to the hidden lake (see below)

Random lake I ran into on my run/hike/exploration of Mokhotlong.