Spring Break, Part Two

Day Two: St. Lucia Estuary, South Africa - Mbabane, Swaziland

The group woke up and went on a boat cruise around the Estuary. It was like a real-life Jungle Cruise! There were hippos and crocodiles and horribly satisfying humor from the speakers! Didn't see any head-hunters though - just some tourists. After snapping a few pictures, we layed out on the deck and enjoyed the sun. It was nice and relaxing. After that, we meandered to the market to get some lunch. Hung out. Ate. Packed. Walked around.

Finally, we got into the cars and headed for Swaziland. We managed to reach the border within an hour and pulled up to a single gate with two guards. Slightly confused and wondering if we were at the right place, we inquired inside one of the buildings. After speaking to the only employee, we got our drivers to fill out forms and our passports stamped. We piled into the cars, the guards lifted the gate, and we were in! Welcome to Swaziland!

There is an immediate difference about Swaziland. In South Africa, the small towns have a decently sized population. In Swaziland, the small towns had numbers under 200. Everything was spread out. Nothingness. Uncultivated and barren land. Small huts would appear and every now and then there would be a sign,but it was quite desolate. Cars were barely seen at all on the main thoroughfare through the country. Dusk was arriving and we were continuing along - wait, why is Tara getting out of the car? Tara? Tara! Tara, why are you taking a picture of that hut? Sigh. Oh well, make it fas-- Tara, get in the car now! Oh man, there is a group of guys going up to her. Okay, Zam's there (Zam = local Zulu/South African). He doesn't look too happy. Okay, good. Get in the car. TARA! Don't get out of the car again!!

We eventually made our way to Manzini, second largest city in the country. It's probably as big as Gilroy. After getting lost because there are absolutely no road signs, we made our way onto a very nice looking highway. There were lights and signs and everything! Darkness had overtaken the country and we were hungry and tired. Finally, we made it to hostel #2 - Legends Backpackers. There wasn't anything so legendary about it. 10 beds in a box room that was probably the same size as my dorm room at UCSD - which was a single. We went to a nice hotel down the dirt road which had a nice restaurant.

Eating had never felt so good. And there was bread to start our meal! You have no idea how important bread is before your appetizer and meal. In South Africa, this is a rare occurrence and all of us mourn our lack of bread. The rest of the meal was like our others in restaurants in southern Africa - asking for water every 5 minutes, waiting for the check to be delivered to you, asking for the check after waiting 20 minutes, waiting for check for another 10 and then trying to figure out what is an acceptable tip. I love southern Africa - but if there is one thing that I say they need to work on, it is SERVICE. That and the whole AIDS, poverty, and crime thing.

Seriously, though, Swaziland has been hit hard by AIDS. Crime is actually less prevalant than in South Africa and it's true that you do feel safer there. I don't know if that's because it is run by a monarch or what but you feel okay walking on any sort of street. However, nearly 40% of the country is infected by HIV. Which is ridiculous. It's nearly that same amount in KwaZulu-Natal. I haven't talked much about HIV/AIDS because honestly - there are posters for testing and awareness but no one talks about it. They're tired of talking about it. It's like when you bring up Iraq in America. Everyone sighs and yawns and blanks out for a few minutes, hoping they're done talking about it. No one really wants to talk about everyone dying every single day. They just want to live their lives as free as possible with no worries. Of course, this is in the urban areas. The rural areas - you get AIDS and kiss your way of life goodbye. Social relationships are strained, you can't get to a clinic let alone pay for the medicine you need because you can't afford it, you get beaten up by your husband after telling him you have it and that he probably does too, and then you live your life in a weak and fragile state, watching your children mourn you as wither up and die. Not fun. Not good. And nearly half the population of southern Africa has it.

The worst part about it all is that I've seriously put some thought into what we can do to stop it. I honestly can't think of anything. Medicine? Funding? It all costs money - these countries don't have any. These people don't. So they will die. And the black upper and middle classes that are forming in South Africa will continue to buy their expensive cars and expensive clothes and live in their expensive flats. And the rest of the world will enjoy their expensive cars and expensive clothes and live in their expensive houses. How are we going to stop it? Education? Sure, but people still want sex. People want to live, to love, to enjoy. Abstinence? It would help a little. Not enough.

I guess we all just need to live life in moderation. The rich, the poor, the hungry, the powerful - we all need to care and not spend money just for the sake of spending money. We all need to change our priorities.