Sani Top

Today was a vacation day for us because of Easter, and we took full advantage of the day off. We went to Sani Top, which is at the border of Lesotho and South Africa. Apparently Sani Top/Sani Pass are THE attraction to see in Lesotho! Sani Pass is the road that connects the 2 countries and it's a really treacherous mountain road that you can only drive if you're in a 4x4. The fellows and Lyle were going to pick up another volunteer at the bottom of Sani Pass, but kindly let us stay at Sani Top to enjoy the beautiful scenery, pony trekking, and Sani Lodge.
Sani Lodge is a charming, rustic little inn with the most incredible view. It also boasts the highest pub in Africa! We spent most of the day in the great room of the lodge in front of a roaring fireplace enjoying delicious warm Gluhwein (which is a fruity warm red wine, which basically tastes like grape juice), and hot chocolate. We had an incredible view overlooking the cliffs on either side of Sani Pass. The food at the lodge was the best we've had since arriving in Lesotho, probably because it resembled American food. The lodge is owned by a South African couple who were so lovely and hospitable, and we chatted with them about our time in Lesotho and working with TTL. It was such a treat being at the lodge, it really felt like a mini vacation!
It is incredibly cold and windy at Sani Top, but we did venture outside the lodge briefly to take a few pictures. The views were breathtaking, but we kept our distance from the steep cliffs. Sani Lodge is so high that we were at the same level as the clouds, which made for some fun photo ops.
We also rented ponies and went on a short pony trek. Unfortunately, our ponies weren't very well behaved, and after about 20 minutes we had had enough. After a bumpy car ride home, we are settled back at TTL with full bellies and smiles on our faces. So glad I got to experience Sani Top, and I highly recommend it to anyone planning to visit southern Africa.