The downtown area of Maseru is a hub bub of restaurants, government buildings and Internet cafes. Alot of NGO's have headquarters there. For the HL volunteers at the Centre, the experience is very different than that of the teachers in the remote villages without electricity. Once or twice a week it is possible to go to town by taxi or public and have a great lunch and email home. The thatched roof of the "Basotho Hat " tourist and gift centre is a landmark in the "new" downtown.
Several blocks away, there is the old market- much more "real Lesotho" and fun to walk around in. Despite the best photo ops ,
one cannot really pick up a camera there. Women walk around with plastic hampers of knives and other goods on their heads. The plastic and tin sheds/stores sell everything from cooking oil to apples, from roasted corn to haircuts. The smells and sights are totally Africa. I discovered a small craft stall area and met this grandmother, born in 1926, educated in English, she had been to Germany. We engaged in conversation for awhile about Canada and travel.She was an unexpected treasure, and I bought this pot from her. Made by villagers, it was the only one with a horse on it. It made it home in one piece, and reminds me of meeting her and being there.
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