Durban, the Oasis

Leaving Mozambique was a welcome transition. I have experienced the laziness and disrespect of many third world nations' inhabitants, but it seemed only here that that attitude has spread like an infection so that it plagues the culture into a perpetual state of poverty and malaise. Although the experiences there were wonderful [isolated beaches, an amazing safari, etc.], the people, as I later dubbed them "Dicks/Dickheads," ruin any chance I may return.

Our plan was to drive to Swaziland on the way to Durban, but Didier Dusty [our Honda Civic] had taken quite a beating driving the potholed highways and unpaved roads of the African wilderness. Instead, we chose to skip Swaziland and head straight to Durban, South Africa. Our drive started at 11am on Friday as we dreamed of our first shower in 4 days. We all switched off driving in shifts of several hours and traffic and border crossings went surprisingly smooth as we passed into South Africa at around 830pm that night. The drive to Durban continued into the morning...

Exhausted from 24 hours of driving, immune to the smell our ourselves which must have been quite apparent to any others, and expecting another third world nation's beach town, we arrived on the Durban beach at 7:30am Saturday morning. The drive was the equivalent in driving time as that of Washington, DC to Denver, Colorado.

Durban was and is the golden oasis we had not even hoped for or expected. As we drove into the World Cup host city, we headed straight for the beach not knowing if we could check in early to our Bed and Breakfast. The sun was rising on the most pristine city beach with clean wide boardwalks with many locals jogging and running, and long stretches of white immaculate sand before the clear blue/green water welcomed many surfers and swimmers. We were truly in awe and felt instantly our all-nighter was well worth it.

We walked the beach for 30 minutes which immediately surpassed any city beach I/we have ever been to. This town has truly impressed us with its gorgeous beaches, clean streets and strong World Cup 'vibe' we felt buzzing in the air. We then headed to the nearest McDonalds for some long awaited hashbrowns followed by a trip to the local casino where we picked up our tickets to the matches. While getting the tickets, a friendly lady in the parking lot offered to wash our car which we gladly welcomed noticing the battle scars Didier had taken during our Safari leg. Kenny contacted our Bed and Breakfast and reception was more than willing and ready to receive us. We drove to what is known as the 'Beverly Hills' of Durban and pulled into a neighborhood located on top of a bluff overlooking the Indian Ocean. As I walked into the small home turned B&B, I slowly began to realize that the interior of the home was not only beautiful, but it had an amazing balcony as well. We walked out not knowing or expecting what we saw next. Only pictures can really explain the awe inspiring view of the vastness of the Indian Ocean. For some time, I was not able to process that we were in this place. This was paradise.

The Palm Breeze:




Tonight, we head to our first match [Australia vs. Germany] and hope to update all quite soon on that experience.