US travel writer’s dart lands on Swaziland
17 January, 2014 07:00:00 By Teetee Zwane
WHEN Jenny McIver threw a dart on a map and it landed on Swaziland, little did she know that she was about to discover a wonderful destination to which she would dedicate over 2 000 words about it on her blog.
McIver, who has been travelling for nine years and has visited over 140 countries, has an online blog titled ‘Round the World in 30 Days’.
Recounting her two-day experience of Swaziland recently, McIver begins her account from the time she arrives at Matsapha Airport on a perfect summer day, to sleeping over at Hawane Resort, watching cultural dances at Mantenga Cultural Village and glassblowing at Ngwenya Glass.
“In my research for where to stay in Swaziland, I happened upon the website for Hawane Resort. Twenty-three ‘Africa-Disney-esque’ thatched-roof chalets and views over the mountains for miles… I was hooked the minute I saw pictures of the place.
“And when I arrived it was just as I hoped it would be – a warm welcome at reception and my chalet (#12) was absolutely adorable. It was a bit like staying in a modern version of a Swazi traditional round beehive hut,” she writes.
After receiving sightseeing advice and a map from Hawane Resorts, McIver was ready for the next day’s adventure; choosing to have an early night due to jetlag.
“So, what happens when you fall asleep at 8pm? You wake up at 4am! And that’s just what I did… wide awake with no hope of sleeping any more. Luckily, the sun started to rise just before 5am so I wandered the resort property for a bit; taking sunrise photos. This resort is seriously photogenic,” she adds.
breakfast
Following a hearty breakfast, McIver headed for Ngwenya Glass where she watched glass blowers in action.
“The glass factory was actually very interesting and I watched the hot, sweaty process for a while from the safety of the balcony before finally retreating from the heat and heading into the shop. My next stop, and where I planned to spend most of my day, was the Ezulwini Valley.”
At the valley, her trip began at the Mantenga Cultural Village just in time for a traditional Swazi dance performance.
“I arrived just in time and it was a terrific show. The show featured a little of each traditional dance and it was quite entertaining. After the dance show, guests were invited to do a guided tour of the nearby Swazi village. I was fascinated by the social complexity of such a seemingly simple lifestyle.”
McIver’s final stop at the Mantenga area involved a hike up to Mantenga Falls, where she met a tourist couple from South Africa and they created memories together. As she left Mantenga, a man asked her to give his wife and child a ride to The Gables shopping complex in nearby Ezulwini, an experience she says demonstrated safety in Swaziland.
“I can’t imagine picking up strangers in any other country I’ve been to but in Swaziland it just seemed perfectly normal,” she concludes.
About Jenny
Jenny McIver is a globetrotter from Georgia, Atlanta (USA), who works full-time as an events planner and an operations producer for ESPN during college football season. She started travelling over nine years ago after reading an article in the Miami Herald from a writer who had just travelled the world for a year.
In her first trip, she travelled 13 countries in 30 days. She has not stopped since, taking a 30-day trip around the world every year and recording her experiences. She is now the author of a book, ‘The Grown-up’s Guide to Globetrotting’.
