Turban Durban, South Africa

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Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban

Thora and Ken had managed to get us a ride to Durban with an old friend of theirs, Stan, and for eighty-five years old, he was doing pretty well! Stan was picking up his daughter from the airport - an hour away - which was perfect for us. All we had to do was catch a shuttle into Durban itself. We only spent a couple of days in Durban. A big city is a big city after all, and it didn't even feel very 'African'. We did go to Victoria Street Market with our dorm room-mates from the Happy Hippo Hostel, who had a car and therefore easy access to get out around town. Durban's famous Indian market was interesting and eclectic, but all Martin and I were interested in was… food! It was almost five in the afternoon and we hadn't eaten anything since 8am! Luckily, the market also had food stalls akin to greasy spooners, but with an Indian twist. 'Bunny Chow' is the local "delicacy" of beef or chicken curry in a dug-out loaf of bread with the bread chunk served on the side. It was surprisingly good and went well with delicious samosas and Indian chilli-bites!

Michelle at the ray tank in uShaka

Durban is a large city (about 4.5 million people) by the sea and we checked out the recently rejuvenated waterfront area just round the corner from our hostel. Being a Saturday, families were out and about while the young and hip were enjoying drinks and appies at the trendy pier bar; kids were playing on the beach while recreational fisherman were casting off from the shore in the hope of catching that evening's dinner. As for us, we ended up doing something we never do - going to an aquarium. We had heard great things about Durban's "Sea World" (uShaka) and with its vast swimming areas it definitely was very impressive and very well done. The backdrop for the aquarium itself was a large shipwrecked vessel with a labyrinth of displays winding through its 'hull' and interior. You name it, they had it.  Large shark tanks, ray tanks, reef predators, and plenty of interesting and outrageous fish.  The four star restaurant area was also set in the monster ship with views of the sharks and fish in it's three 'boiler rooms'. The outdoor displays were cute too with penguin feeding and dolphin displays. Martin and I don't go in for zooey-type things but uShaka seemed to be doing its bit for education and protecting South Africa's endemic sea life and coast.  * Mush