So, I accidentally overstayed in Durban.. By a couple of weeks. It happens I guess. After arriving back from the Wild Coast we did plan to head back up to Johannesburg but unfortunately due to the car's slow death this turned out to be not such a great plan. I meant to leave Durban once we'd found that out but then Ladina decided to rejoin us so we stayed together for a bit longer. I probably saw more of Durban's nightlife, Florida Road and the hostel then of the city this time but it was still good.
We did go on a couple of drives which was nice just to see more of the area and we spent some time at the uSharka shopping mall, always good. On Sunday we walked to the beach to see a Reggae Festival. It took us a while to walk there as even though it's only half an hour to the beach we were at the wrong end of all the beaches and had to walk about 3-4km down the seafront to get to the right one. It was a lovely day though and we meandered through the festival area, had lunch at the uSharka mall and then wandered back through, stopping to watch the stoners, browse the merchandise stalls, listen to the great music and watch some brilliant dancing. The music just makes you want to move or in my case bop around looking stupid. We intended to get a minibus taxi back but they dropped us off at the wrong part of town. Finding our way took a while and we walked pretty much the same distance we had to get there in the end. It was only when we found the stadium we knew we were 15 minutes away from the hostel, that was a relief!
On Wednesday we went to the Wet and Wild water park which was great fun. We went in the afternoon meaning we paid less to go on all the slides but seeing as it was midweek it wasn't overly busy. They had some good slides there, one of which they claimed to be the highest in Africa, but I'm not sure if that's true. It was fun to go down though, even if I nearly lost my bikini multiple times. Another fun one was a slide in a giant ring which all of us could sit in and go down together. The best bit was that just before closing time the lifeguards don't really care anymore so all 5 of us piled into one closed side together, bumping into each other in the dark and just having a laugh. We did that quite a few times in the last 10 minutes.
We spent the next couple of evenings out and the days recovering by the pool or going to Sutton Park (strange coincidence) the local pool or strolling around the beach. At some point during the week the boys thought a challenge to eat a large roti (curry in a wrap but you can have a chip, cheese and curry roti which they did) from House of Curries sounded like a good plan. These things are huge - the size of my forearm at least. The regular ones feed anywhere between 2-3 people, generally depending on how hungover you feel and how much you can eat. Needless to say they didn't succeed. I think there was at least half left of each of theirs when they were too full. Still, it was interesting to watch, kind of like a South African Man vs. Food.
Lastly, on Saturday evening we headed down to the Stadium with some others from the hostel to watch one of the first rugby matches of the Super 15, the Bulls vs. the Sharks. Matt and I were the only two Bulls supporters amongst a crowd of Sharks supporters, Durban being their home ground. This wasn't great considering the Bulls took a bit of a hammering. Despite this there was a great atmosphere at the stadium and I enjoyed going to see my first live rugby game although you do see more on the telly. I'm pretty sure I missed most of the tries, except for the very last one scored on the 80th minute right in our corner which was great to see but just for the wrong team! After the game the audience was allowed onto the pitch so we walked around, having photos with randoms, the guys trying to reenact the tries and dodging rugby balls being kicked around by kids. It was super if a little insane.
So that was the highlights of my second time in Durban. I have had an incredible time. The people I've met from the hostel, the bars, other travellers and my fellow Wolfpack/hobos have been delightful and I miss them and their antics a lot heading into the next leg of my journey. Going solo again and hopefully moving a bit quicker.
Durban, I still can't decide whether you have been good to me or not but I had a blast. Until next time.
A x
Possibly another reason the car wasn't in the best state ever. The dent in the roof was sorted by a flying punch to the inside of the car... Not such a big deal after all.
We did go on a couple of drives which was nice just to see more of the area and we spent some time at the uSharka shopping mall, always good. On Sunday we walked to the beach to see a Reggae Festival. It took us a while to walk there as even though it's only half an hour to the beach we were at the wrong end of all the beaches and had to walk about 3-4km down the seafront to get to the right one. It was a lovely day though and we meandered through the festival area, had lunch at the uSharka mall and then wandered back through, stopping to watch the stoners, browse the merchandise stalls, listen to the great music and watch some brilliant dancing. The music just makes you want to move or in my case bop around looking stupid. We intended to get a minibus taxi back but they dropped us off at the wrong part of town. Finding our way took a while and we walked pretty much the same distance we had to get there in the end. It was only when we found the stadium we knew we were 15 minutes away from the hostel, that was a relief!
The reggae festival from one of the bars.
In the big blue ring going down the slide.
We spent the next couple of evenings out and the days recovering by the pool or going to Sutton Park (strange coincidence) the local pool or strolling around the beach. At some point during the week the boys thought a challenge to eat a large roti (curry in a wrap but you can have a chip, cheese and curry roti which they did) from House of Curries sounded like a good plan. These things are huge - the size of my forearm at least. The regular ones feed anywhere between 2-3 people, generally depending on how hungover you feel and how much you can eat. Needless to say they didn't succeed. I think there was at least half left of each of theirs when they were too full. Still, it was interesting to watch, kind of like a South African Man vs. Food.
Lastly, on Saturday evening we headed down to the Stadium with some others from the hostel to watch one of the first rugby matches of the Super 15, the Bulls vs. the Sharks. Matt and I were the only two Bulls supporters amongst a crowd of Sharks supporters, Durban being their home ground. This wasn't great considering the Bulls took a bit of a hammering. Despite this there was a great atmosphere at the stadium and I enjoyed going to see my first live rugby game although you do see more on the telly. I'm pretty sure I missed most of the tries, except for the very last one scored on the 80th minute right in our corner which was great to see but just for the wrong team! After the game the audience was allowed onto the pitch so we walked around, having photos with randoms, the guys trying to reenact the tries and dodging rugby balls being kicked around by kids. It was super if a little insane.
Rubbish photos taken from my phone but proof that we were there.
So that was the highlights of my second time in Durban. I have had an incredible time. The people I've met from the hostel, the bars, other travellers and my fellow Wolfpack/hobos have been delightful and I miss them and their antics a lot heading into the next leg of my journey. Going solo again and hopefully moving a bit quicker.
Durban, I still can't decide whether you have been good to me or not but I had a blast. Until next time.
A x
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