Oyster Box Hotel Umhlanga Rocks

I'm spending 2 more nights in Durban with a nice couple I found on couchsurfing.org. Margaret is an environmental consultant working on transportation issues for the city of Durban, and Gavin is a professional clown. They've given me a private guest room and various rides around town, which is great because public ...

... at the crest of a hill over looking the uMhlatusi River - birth place of Shaka, the legendary Zulu King.


Shaka initiated many military, social, cultural and political reforms, forming a well-organized and centralized Zulu state. The most important reforms involved the transformation of the army, thanks to innovative tactics and weapons ...

South Africa is really... white. Durban is dangerous at night and there
is a huge mall. They have blackouts every day for two hours at two in
the afternoon, and even the malls shut down.

... At the same time, I have to retrieve my luggage, go through customs and transfer to the domestic terminal. Not impossible, but it is going to be difficult. Taking a lesson from other late travelers, I go to the front of the customs line (bypassing about 100 people) and pleaded my case to the supervisor. At first he is a grumpy and won't let me pass the line. But then the guy standing at the front of the ...

... droppa in, vid 04-tiden (nar de vaknar till ur fylleslummern och inser att de bloder fran ett hal eller tva...) Det var da jag borjade med gruppbilderna. Det du ser ar i princip patienter medmed knivskador allihop. Ett par skottskador. Pa tva timmar producerade vi fyra patienter fardiga for laparatomi (oppna magen operativt) och "damage control" som det heter nar man lagar det mest livshotande skadorna provisoriskt. De ...

... attention back to me since I was the last to get jabbed with a needle so I'd be the last to finish, I surprisingly sat up and continued on my way quite quickly with everyone quite amazed that I didn't even feel light headed, we headed home! We stared out into the sea and watched the ships change direction in the wind, changing my plaster to a tigger eating a sandwich, and Kirst painting her and Andrews nails (yes, you read right, Andrew's nails are now PINK!!!!), we're all now loafing ...

... watch out for the walls boys! After lunch, paying our bill and one more time, figuring out the exchange rate, we soon realized what a deal it was to eat. One personal pizza and a GREAT glass of wine: $5.00 In South Africa, where rice fields are replaced by vineyards, menus in restaurants devote at least twice as many pages to wine lists than to food selections. We had reached le " septième ciel" (heaven) !

... people here. The communities were very poor and though it was easy to romanticise the situation due to the beautiful surroundings; life in transkei is harsh. Aids is rife, and employment is shockingly low. Here, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, left to fend for themselves. I have spoken a lot about politics since I've been here; to white, black, coloured, asians, (don't get offened but any of the above labels, they are the p.c. terms here, and ...

... in the sea, but Anne found it too cold so stayed on the beach in the sun! Yesterday we went to the Victoria Street Market which is in the Indian area of the city. Durban is actually home to the largest Hindu population outside India (!) so really ALL of Durban is an Indian area! This market is full of Indian merchants selling African curios and we picked up a few bits and pieces there - not the best bargaining though! Walking around ...

... life are free'. We also visited Streetwise a project very similar to Tennyson House, only that Streetwise is a shelter for boys. John's been trying to help a young lad from the streets called Sibongiseni. Aged sixteen, he is too old to go back to primary school again and too young to start adult education classes. So John is trying to arrange for him to begin some manual labour work to help him in the time being. Sibongiseni lives in Marianhill ...