Durban

Sorry it has taken so long to update this blog. I have been distracted by massive amounts of reading and a group trip to Durban over the weekend. Nothing out of the ordinary happened during the week, just school, volunteering, and homework.

We had a weekend excursion to Durban with the entire group. We left on Thursday for a five-day trip. I was still plugged up from the two week cold that wouldn’t go away so the plane ride was horrible to say the least. (Funny story about me being sick. I had been coughing so much that I strained a muscle somewhere in my ribs on my left side so every time I cough it kills). The pressure just completely messed with my ears and sinuses. Thank God the ride was only an hour long, I don’t think I could have lasted much longer. The airline we took, Kulula, was great though. They slipped jokes into everything: Remember, when you exit the plane smoking and vulgar language are permitted in designated areas only. There are many ways to leave your lover but only seven ways to leave this aircraft. If we have to make a water landing remember the life vests are underneath your seats, but don’t worry we aren’t going to be near the Hudson River.

I could immediately tell when we reached Durban. The weather is much hotter and humid than in PE. Without stopping at our hostel we visited the Temple of Understanding. It was a large ornate building where they worship Krishna. I really wasn’t paying attention because I was so tired and hot so I couldn’t tell you much about what we did here except that someone in our group thinks Obama is a very good looking guy (don’t ask how that came up).

The Indian population is the second largest outside of India so it only makes sense that Indian influence is everywhere. That being said, after the Temple we watched some traditional Indian dancing with a little South African flair. I loved the dancing because it incorporated so many aspects that makes South Africa unique. The dances included traditional Indian mixed with Zulu warrior dances and contemporary dance. I had never seen anything like it before. To go along with the Indian theme we ate at a traditional Indian restaurant and had curry. I am a fan of curry but this stuff was spicy. The mild was hot and the hot was death. Good thing the dessert was amazing otherwise I would have gone to bed hungry.

The next morning I had to wake up at 5:30 because a group of us were heading out to the harbor to watch the shark nets get checked. Unfortunately we didn’t see any sharks but that doesn’t mean we didn’t have fun. The harbor is the largest in South African and the 9th largest in the world. We saw enormous cargo ships, tugboats, and even a cruise ship. When we reached the open ocean the swells were already 10 feet high and getting higher. Going over them felt like a rollercoaster though several on the boat did not share in my enthusiasm. We watched the shark crews check the nets for about an hour without seeing a shark. The view we had of Durban, though, was beautiful. The sun was just coming up and hitting the buildings lifting the fog and lighting everything up. As we were heading back to the harbor we hit one last giant swell that scared the crap out of every one of us sitting in the front of the boat. By this time those of us who had not gotten sick were getting used to going up the swells and coming back down. However, this particular swell was different. We couldn’t really tell we were coming up on the swell until we were on top of it then someone said something along the lines of “holy crap” and I looked (my back was turned away from the swells) and could see nothing. You know how on the top of the first drop on a rollercoaster you can’t see anything and all of a sudden you just drop. This was the exact same feeling only we weren’t strapped in to anything so we were all in the air for a while. I was on the edge and didn’t exactly feel like I could hold on so I fall forward and end up on my knees on the ground. It was great. We were all laughing our heads off about that swell secretly hoping we would hit another. The captain was laughing more at us then the swell. After that we had to hurry up and eat breakfast at this great restaurant that, for decorations, had knives on the ceiling. We had about 5 minutes to eat our food so I don’t think anyone tasted their food.

After the excitement of the boat trip we had to go on a 3 hour walking tour. It wasn’t much fun. The only part of the tour I did like was the Mosque. I am fascinated with world religions and love to learn about them. Our guide, an ex-protestant priest who converted to Islam 7 years ago, went into a lecture about Islam and the similarities between it and Christianity and the misconceptions most people have about Muslims. I absolutely loved it.

I have fallen in love with cricket since I have been here. On Saturday, a small group of us went to the South Africa vs. Australia 5 day test match (today was day 2). When we arrived the South African team was doing very well for a while. However, when it was there time to bat, they bombed. It wasn’t very exciting after that. This series is huge to the two countries so the South African’s complete collapse is devastating.

Saturday night involved the Bolshoi Ballet. I have always wanted to watch Russian ballet and this did not let me down. It was a medley of pieces from other ballets. We were a bunch of American students watching the Russian ballet in South Africa. It really is a small world.

Sunday was not too exciting. A group of us went hiking at the New Germany Nature Reserve. We got to see the ranger feed the python in the visitor’s center. I couldn’t watch it so I went outside. Just as I got out there the ranger came out with the mouse in a clamp thing and started banging it on the side of the building trying to stun it. Seeing that had completely ruined the purpose of me being outside in the first place. Afterwards, we went to the first Mexican restaurant I have seen in South Africa. Then we went to a comedy show at a casino. I don’t think we got more than 20% of what was being said. If I knew Afrikaans I think that number would have been a little higher.

We left early Monday morning to get back to PE. Uneventful. Boring. I did get a window seat so that made me happy. Got burnt being at the beach for 3 hours doing homework (yes I did actually do homework).

All in all it was a good weekend despite the fact that the hostel owners were pricks and couldn’t understand that owning a hostel involved housing a bunch of college students that are going to be loud and obnoxious late at night. Ok I’m done ranting.

Peace.