A Glimpse of Maseru City in Lesotho

Lesotho, a country that is not well-known, is shaped like a hole within South Africa on the map. It is a typical African nation, a kingdom on the highlands, with its capital Maseru situated at an altitude of over 1400 meters. Because of the high mountains everywhere, the clouds in the sky are quite distinctive, often unpredictable and spectacular. From the hilltop near the Avani Lesotho Hotel & Casino, one can overlook the cityscape of Maseru (Figure 8 and Figure 9). Wearing blankets is a tradition for both Lesotho men and women; men drape blankets over one shoulder, while women wear them over both shoulders. When winter approaches, tight skirts and blankets appear at the same time (Figure 11), and the indoor chill can make one's hands and feet cold, but once outside under the sunlight, the intense rays feel scorching, as if it is still summer. Besides their unique clothing, Lesotho has another 'specialty,' which is their straw hats, also known as 'Basotho straw hats.' Not only is the straw hat pattern featured on the national flag, but even restaurant buildings are conspicuously adorned with it (Figure 1). The national flower is the Queen Aloe (Figure 10), which is said to determine gender based on the direction of leaf rotation. Maseru doesn't have much in the way of entertainment or landmark buildings, and after dark, everything seems even more bland. Frequent robbery incidents prevent people from venturing out to explore. The nice scenery in the city is probably limited to a few hotels. Figures 2 to 7 were taken at the Black Swan Guesthouse and Lancer's Inn in Maseru, Lesotho. The hotels' architectural style is characterized by thatched roofs, complemented by green lawns and colorful flowers, offering a rough but fresh and natural ambiance. The last four images are of the Maseru Regional Hospital, which is set to open in June and was built with Chinese aid. Undoubtedly, it will be a beautiful sight on Kingsway. It is one of the outcomes of China's establishment of 30 China-Africa counterpart hospital cooperation mechanisms and will become one of the largest and most modern comprehensive hospitals in Lesotho upon its inauguration.