Umhlanga Sands Durban

... an African would be someone indiginous to the country here, so basically blacks and coloreds, which btw it is ok to call people here their color. It isn't rude or offensive like it can be in the states.
Anyways we began by the beach then took a drive up to the wetlands where I saw beautiful plants and way too many bugs. Afterwards we went to the mangrove forest which was really cool. they are ...

... tourist (well she looked so German to me) and a group of people on their cigarette break outside what appeared to be a bank I think. I really have the impression that it is really difficult for the blacks to get access to the best jobs and that the best paid jobs are occupied by the whites. You very often see a white boss with black employees but I have not yet seen the other way around. I am just trying to get an understanding as to how post-Apartheid South Africa ...

... my stuff in one of them only to realize that it had been broken into from the side making completely useless. Anyway, there was another one that I was able to use but it would have been so easy to just break into it.


There was also no internet access at that time as it was after 8pm – Great! I need to get the details for the Sani Pass Tour tomorrow but I am sure I can get that from the airport.

... pleased to have Brumbies supporters behind them and made it well known.  Really, no need, especially when they looked like they had never played a minute of sport in their life.  After the match we hailed a taxi and headed to a pub we had seen earlier in the day, called none other than "Londoner".  Unfortunately it leaned towards the more undesirable side of London pubs so we chose to go back to the hostel and enjoy a few quiet drinks on the roof terrace ...

... Belkum's live. The flight to Joburg and connection to Durban were uneventful. It was great to see Andre and Elize. Elize had dinner and we talked and talked. Andre and Elize have been phenomenal friends over the years going back to Ambassador College in Bricket Wood when we were both in the same class and graduated in 1969. Almost 40 years ago and we don't feel a day older.

So I know about a month and a half late but still a funny story worth telling about. I land in Durban airport, after another over night sleepless flight. With a friend I met on the plain which new my story (why I'm there). I'm thinking to myself "how bezar". Further investigation leads me to a common friend that traveled with me for a while who knew i was going ...

... Needless to say, I was pretty tired again Sun. evening, but I stayed awake to do some reading for school and fine-tune my photos from my trip. I did take a few pictures over the weekend of the view from my flat of downtown Durban and the harbour (the busiest port in Africa) both during the daylight and when the sun was setting. One of the office staff at iThemba Lethu is on maternity ...

... over the harbor. I spent all day today with the children at the home. There were two other volunteers in the morning and one other volunteer in the afternoon as well. Luckily the other two volunteers have been working there for a while as the entire staff and management team, whom I haven't met yet, were at the training today, imparting their direction for the agency to the new youth and parent workers. I wasn ...

... stands. We browsed about, picked up a few miscellaneous items and returned to customs. After officially leaving Swaziland and reentering South Africa we ran into a MAJOR problem. Apparently, while eating lunch in Swaziland, the South African Border Police checked our rental car plates. Our license plates read CA 104 579. When checked, our plate number registered as stolen in the system. The report was filed in February of 2007 from Cape Town, South ...

... having a quite excellent time, encountering few hostiles and only substandard internet connections. As you may have seen I recently threw myself from a two hundred and sixteen metre bridge, attached to a rubber rope. It was a highly unnatural experience and one I shall not be repeating (I have no wish to push my luck), however it was damned exhilarating! For those thinking of following in my suicidal footsteps a word of encouragement; far from ones **** being ...