Joe and I got up at 5:00 this morning to go back to Inanda. Joe wanted to photograph the housing settlements there in the early morning light. I was excited to come along, although sad to miss breakfast at Essenwood House.
We spent four hours driving up and down steep, narrow dirt roads – filled with schoolchildren and people walking to work – stopping periodically for Joe to get out and shoot the stunning landscape. I wish I could show you some of the photos he took, but that would give away his identity and probably get me sued by the news agency he works for. So here are a few of my own shots instead.
Inanda puppies!
On the way back to Durban, we drove along a high ridge. To our left stretched the 1,000 hills of Inanda, covered with huts and shacks of all sizes. To our right were gated communities, mansions, and condos overlooking the crystal-blue Indian Ocean. It’s the same stark contrast that I’ve seen over and over since arriving in South Africa.
Our afternoon was the opposite of our morning. Joe drove us down to Wilson’s Wharf, a newly developed strip in Durban’s huge commercial port area. We parked next to a dock filled with luxury yachts and ate sushi at a small outdoor joint called the Oyster Bar. Then we drove along the water and admired the funky art deco apartment buildings that Durban is famous for.
Cruising the Durban Coast.
The coolest building in Durban.
The last stop of the day was the Southern Sun North Beach, a 32-story hotel along Durban’s “Golden Mile.” It’s one of the tallest buildings in Durban and has a nicely landscaped rooftop pool with beautiful views of the city. We spent some time up there and used the fancy marble bathrooms.
View from the 32nd floor of the Southern Sun.
We concluded the evening with takeout from a Thai restaurant near our guesthouse called the Bangkok Wok. The food was very good, but the waiter neglected to put chopsticks in the bag even though we specifically asked for them. We had to eat our curried rice and noodles with tiny teaspoons. Damn you, Bangkok Wok.
By the way, I haven’t had a Durban bunny chow yet. The Indian place we went to last night didn’t have them! I still have 36 more hours to find one.
Wow! This looks alot like the coast of Florida! I had no idea! How beautiful!
Deano