We are receiving above average rainfall again this year. Last week we were getting drenched for several days in a row, then high pressure and glorious sunshine for three or four days. This week's a repeat. Happily, I'm tapping away on our farm office computer after a perfect mountain summer day. The Drackensberg mountain resorts in South Africa refer to this weather as "champagne air". A little chilly in the mornings and evenings, 75 degrees midday, and then put on a wool blanket or two at night - great sleeps assured, even with the roosters to remind you you're in Africa.

The Peace Corps trains two cycles of new Volunteers each year in Lesotho. Current trainees will swear in and move to their sites in early January. The next group will arrive in early May, if I'm not mistaken. Lynn and I have been compiling lists of what to bring (and what not to bring) to supplement the lists supplied by Peace Corps Washington. This week I got a nice letter from Bill Dunn in Anchorage, our webmaster for the Friends of Lesotho website, asking for more info along these same lines. There's nothing definitive about this list. Just remember there are only two kinds of travelers: those who travel light and those who wish they had . . .

Basically, because South Africa surrounds our beautiful mountain kingdom, we can get anything. Here am a few of life's necessities, and pleasures we get no sweat:

• great filter coffee; also the hand plunger coffee makers are readily available in S.A.
• all types of batteries, including AA are here.
• Kodak, Fuji and Agfa film AND pretty good developing is available in Maseru; and towns Volunteers frequent in RSA. Film is cheaper in the US so bring a good supply and restock here as you need to. Print and slide film are available as are camera batteries. I shoot 200 ASA with some 400 ASA in wildlife parks when dawn/dusk light is iffy.
• Great milk and dark chocolate (with almonds) is made in South Africa. Cheap! I didn't know this, so brought a pound of M&M's to get us through training.
• ATM cash machines are in Maseru and all over RSA. If possible bring your VIS/MC to use if you need supplemental cash for vacations or splurges. This is a big help; you don't need to carry wads of cash.
• Teva knock-offs, hiking boots and running shoes are all readily available at OK prices. Quality will depend on what you spend, but good footwear is no problem. Note: I run and have really enjoyed the trailrunners I bought. Good, sturdy soles and perfect for daily wear in many circumstances.
• Food. At rural sites variety is restricted, but Lynn and I (and many Vols) make regular forays into South Africa where they have Supermarkets! Some of these are easily equal to what you experience in the States: blueberry jam, semolina pasta, ice cream, excellent cheap wine (like $1.25), filet mignon for the price of hamburger at home, great fruit yogurt, cashews, raisins, cheap and delicious fruits and veggies. We are currently wading through the mango season; the jumbo pounders arrive in January (30 cents) and eat like cantaloupe, which we are currently enjoying. These occasional treats are incredibly meaningful when you're a PCV!

• Lots of photos Friends, family, pets (how weird are you?), favorite vacation spots, typical American towns and cities, campus life, forests (we don't have 'em), scenery, farm animals, horses, etc. We brought lots of photos of the Utah canyon lands, which we love, and we look at these pictures all the time. It's comforting. Also people you get to know will really enjoy seeing how your life in America looks. Hot tip: bring lots of National Park type calendars available at places like Wal-Mart. They make great gifts and sell for around $3 at discount stores. I wish I'd brought a Rand-McNally road atlas to help plan that "victory lap" when our Peace Corps tour is finished!
• Bring a good shortwave radio with FM and cassette deck (CD's and cassettes are for sale everywhere, but aren't particularly cheap. Too bad, since you'll get sick of the ones you bring and have to buy more.) We always listen to the shortwave BBC and SAFM (both first- rate). That's right, you can listen to classical music and Mississippi Delta blues, etc. on South Africa's public radio. As I write this our students are in the next room practicing fabulous Basotho traditional songs in multi-part harmonies. It's thrilling.
• Swiss Army knife and, possibly, binocs. Bird watching is a passion for us and South Africa is out of this world: great raptors, cranes, storks, louries, everything, including owl eagles.
• Lynn adds these: cheap altimeter (we run at 6200') and map of Africa. The later you can stare at for hundreds of hours in disbelief that you live in such a remote corner of the world!!
• We brought International Driver's licenses, but current US licenses work fine if you find yourself behind the wheel on vacation, etc. Peace Corps issues photo ID's.
• Bring your e-mail address book. We don't have internet access yet at our site (few Vols do), but the Peace Corps office has internet access for Volunteers and somehow, almost everywhere we go in South Africa, we find a way to check our e-mail. Do not expect to have regular access to the internet, though. Some Volunteers, we notice, seem to assume this goes with the job these days. It doesn't. Not here, not yet. Living largely without TV, phones and computers is a good reality check for us Americans. Don't worry, you won't miss the celebrity tabloids much, either! ("Say, what about that new Ron Popeil chicken bar-be-que AND rotisserie??")

All best wishes,
Eric Thomson
Qacha's Nek,Lesotho