Mabuda to the "Coffee shop"

Tuesday the 8th. Mabuda to the “Coffee Shop”. The plan for today is to cycle all along the top of the Swazi Lubombo mountain range and then down to the Usuthu river that forms the border between SA and Swaziland. The original plan was to cross to SA there but Jono could not get the necessary permission from the relevant authorities. The day is cold and cloudy but the thankfully no rain. The district road took us past the Good Sheppard hospital where Jono has developed an amazing ophthalmological service for Swaziland. Jono introduces us to staff at the Eye clinic. A hard uphill slog brings us to the Muti-Muti conservancy, a short ride off the road. From a vantage point we can see far across the Swazi lowveld with the bright green big round sugarcane fields standing out. Jono points out the Mabuda farm ridge down from the escarpment. Our next stop along the road is the Ebenhaeser clinic, an initiative of a retired teacher from the community who build the clinic with her pension money. Jono partners with her to get funding for the running and staff expenses. We meet the staff who is still volunteering in the hope that government will employ them. The road undulates on top of the Lubombo with steep downhills followed by low gear uphills. We stop frequently to engage with the locals or  to appreciate the stunning views to west and east. The local kids greet us with load "how-a-you's". However our response of " we are fine, how are you" is met with silence. At Tikhuba after about 30km, we stop and support a local shop buying refreshing cold drinks enjoying it in the sun shielded from the cold wind with the locals passing by enthralled by our mode of transport. We only see the very occasional bike, the mountainous road probably not vey conducive to biking. On to the next cell phone tower far in the distance on another high rise. Steve takes us every now and then on little single cattle track excursions alongside the dirt road. One takes us to another awesome view down into Swaziland. Painted on the side of a small abandoned building "use my phone" is a sign of failed entrepreneurship. At a school we stop to watch a group of school boys practising a traditional dance but soon the whole school has come out to marvel at the unusual spectre of white people on bicycles. Lots of how-a-you's are exchanged. Finally the Ubombo drops down into the Usuthu river gorge far below. The back-up team with three vehicles catch up with us and we are treated on a sumptuous meal alongside the road with a stunning view over Mozambique to the east at Mambane. The fun now starts with a 15km downhill through uninhabited veld to the Coffee shop. The first part is newly graded (just for us!). The loose gravel makes for many scary moments but fortunately man stays on bike. After a couple of kilometres the road becomes a jeep track winding through bushveld, no human in sight. With just a few kms to go, Steve has a flat, a side cut in his tyre and we have to put in a new tube. The coffee shop, a misnomer if there ever was, is a building donated by the Queen Mother of Swaziland to encourage the local community in their endeavour to create a conservancy. The mostly unused building has a huge veranda with a view over the gorge and Mozambique, smoke from a veld fire rising slowly up in the air. The one back-up vehicle has to leave soon with the drivers to get back before dark. There is enough light left for Jono and his Landrover to takes us down to the river edge on a very bad road, the Usuthu slowly making its way down to the sea. It later joins the Pongola River to form Rio do Maputo. Near the river we found two men from the Foot and Mouth Disease control unit asking for a drink. Shopping for them means a 15km uphill trip to Mambane! As the sun sets, we make a huge fire on the side of the building sheltered from the wind and enjoy a gorgeous meal brought by the back-up crew. Make shift shower means washing from a plastic bucket with water from plastic drums, water that was specially heated in the morning by the support team and now is still bearable.  Soon the day’s hard work takes its toll and we retire on mattresses on the cement floor.

A magnificent view of the Swazi low veld

The coffee shop