King Mswati III International Airport

Swaziland’s first international airport was quite close to the clinic in Matsapha. A new airport was built in an isolated spot called Sikhuphe, coming into service last year. It was named King Mswati III International, in honour of the present ruling monarch. The new airport is very impressive. The white concrete and glass building rises…

There’s nowt so queer as folk

“You have risen me up from the dead!” said the delighted gogo. I hadn’t a clue how I had done this. I try to do my best for my patients, but I don’t do miracles. She saw from the look on my face that I was perplexed. “You cured my sugar, docotela,” she said. “Don’t…

Last Week’s News

It’s been a quiet week in Swaziland. An arsonist firebombed a house so efficiently that he set himself on fire and had to be admitted to hospital with burns to his “private parts”. Perhaps he should be referred to as an “arse-onfire-ist”. A police officer became a cowboy for an hour, as he herded some cattle…

We all make mistakes

Her gnarled hands lay in her lap, looking painful. The knuckles were swollen, the fingers distorted and the palm muscles which controlled her thumbs were wasted. I made a diagnosis of long standing, “burnt out” rheumatoid arthritis. No fancy finger joint replacement for her, too late for physiotherapy, all I could do was to prescribe…

Swaziland Craft Beer Festival

What a blast! Jazz, Country and Western, solo singer with guitar playing great music through the afternoon. My favourites were Billy Ray Cyrus’ Achy Breaky Heart and Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Bad Moon Rising. Cowboy hats were de rigeur. Tasty filet steak and chips, with butternut squash and green beans from  Malandela’s restaurant. The locals got quite…

Substitution

The pharmacists at Central Medical Stores in Mbabane must have been surprised last month when they looked at the expiry date on their stocks of the anti-HIV drug, nevirapine (NVP). It was May 2015. They put in an emergency order, but the supplier had “production problems”. Swaziland was in danger of running out, so existing…

Allo Allo

The aloe plant in our garden threw up a stalk and these branches of flowers have opened up, attracting birds and bees. I haven’t managed to photograph a bird sipping nectar from the flowers yet, but my camera can be operated by wifi from my smart phone. So I could set up the shot, and…

Nkoyoyo Ridge

The Natural History Society of Swaziland monthly walk today started at Mbangweni, just outside Mbabane. Farmers are burning off the parched grasslands at the moment. The smoke causes a hazy pall to hang over the horizon, so the initial views were rather spoiled. When we descended into the valleys, the sky above us was a…

Mercado do Peixe, Maputo

The Maputo Fish Market is supposed to be a tourist trap, but visiting it early on a Saturday morning, there was not a tourist to be seen. The attraction is to choose your fresh seafood from one of the stalls, have it prepared and then cooked at a restaurant on the northern side of the…

Praia de Peixe

This is some of the wonderful decor on the walls of the beach resort Praia de Peixe, on the island of Macaneta, 40 km north of Maputo, Mozambique. I had breakfast there on Sunday with some new friends. Sheila would have loved this display. She was a keen mosaic-er and was skilled at putting together…