Durban
We arrived in Durban, South Africa on the 3rd March after spending 4 nights in Johannesburg. What a change in weather from the cool nights and moderately warm days in Johannesburg to the hot and extremely humid days in Durban. One month later at the start of April, a 31 degree day with high humidity in Durban has the locals asking what has happened to autumn.
Driving on the roads around Durban is a nightmare and doesn’t allow for a lapse in concentration. Driving through a green traffic light at an intersection is no guarantee that a vehicle won’t travel through the intersection from your left or right. It seems that red traffic signals are merely a different shade of green for some motorists. I stopped at an intersection when the traffic light turned red one day and had the driver behind me complaining because I had stopped. It was during the day and there were no obvious car-jacker’s standing around. Trucks rule the roads in numbers and in size. Don’t be surprised when travelling in the outside lane at the posted 120Km/h to find a truck in your lane around the corner overtaking another truck doing only 70Km/h or less. With so many motorists speaking on their mobile phones whilst driving I have to assume it is a security measure in case something happens on the road and they can immediately ask for help?
On a positive note the prices of food, beer and wine is incredibly cheap with the exchange rate being so much in our favour at close to 6.8 SA rands for 1 Aus dollar.
A decent bottle of wine costs about $7 AUD and a quality bottle about $10 AUD. A hamburger and chips at a restaurant will set you back between $7 and $8. A case (24) cans of the most popular beer costs $20. As a result we have joined a gym in Durban and try to go every day for a workout. The total cost of gym per month for the 3 of us is $170, which is fairly expensive but allows for more eating and drinking.
So far we have visited Umdloti Beach with our packed lunch and colourful umbrella to escape the Durban humidity and cool off in the sea. We explored Umhlanga Rocks which is a bit of a touristy area nearby and dropped into the Sibaya Casino, also nearby. We found this to be a very impressive complex with an African theme to its design. We didn’t indulge in any gambling but instead enjoyed an ice cold beer in a thatch roofed hut overlooking a tropical garden. Close to our self contained accommodation is an old Monastery which we visited on a day that we were hoping to enjoy Tea and scones in their tea garden. Unfortunately we visited the Marian Hill Monastery on a Monday when the tea garden was closed. We had a walk around and took in some of the old buildings constructed in the early 1800’s.
Driving on the roads around Durban is a nightmare and doesn’t allow for a lapse in concentration. Driving through a green traffic light at an intersection is no guarantee that a vehicle won’t travel through the intersection from your left or right. It seems that red traffic signals are merely a different shade of green for some motorists. I stopped at an intersection when the traffic light turned red one day and had the driver behind me complaining because I had stopped. It was during the day and there were no obvious car-jacker’s standing around. Trucks rule the roads in numbers and in size. Don’t be surprised when travelling in the outside lane at the posted 120Km/h to find a truck in your lane around the corner overtaking another truck doing only 70Km/h or less. With so many motorists speaking on their mobile phones whilst driving I have to assume it is a security measure in case something happens on the road and they can immediately ask for help?
On a positive note the prices of food, beer and wine is incredibly cheap with the exchange rate being so much in our favour at close to 6.8 SA rands for 1 Aus dollar.
A decent bottle of wine costs about $7 AUD and a quality bottle about $10 AUD. A hamburger and chips at a restaurant will set you back between $7 and $8. A case (24) cans of the most popular beer costs $20. As a result we have joined a gym in Durban and try to go every day for a workout. The total cost of gym per month for the 3 of us is $170, which is fairly expensive but allows for more eating and drinking.
So far we have visited Umdloti Beach with our packed lunch and colourful umbrella to escape the Durban humidity and cool off in the sea. We explored Umhlanga Rocks which is a bit of a touristy area nearby and dropped into the Sibaya Casino, also nearby. We found this to be a very impressive complex with an African theme to its design. We didn’t indulge in any gambling but instead enjoyed an ice cold beer in a thatch roofed hut overlooking a tropical garden. Close to our self contained accommodation is an old Monastery which we visited on a day that we were hoping to enjoy Tea and scones in their tea garden. Unfortunately we visited the Marian Hill Monastery on a Monday when the tea garden was closed. We had a walk around and took in some of the old buildings constructed in the early 1800’s.