For much of its history, Maseru has been a quiet backwater, and if you’re coming from Johannesburg (Jo’burg), you might think that it still is. However, over the past three decades, Maseru has rapidly expanded, and boasts a modest array of amenities. Among its attractions: a temperate climate, well-stocked shops, a decent selection of restaurants and hotels, and personable, peppy people. Kingsway, the city’s main thoroughfare, was paved for the 1947 visit by the British royal family, and for many years remained the country’s only nondirt road. A major rebuilding program has hidden many of the once-visible scars of the 1998 political unrest.