Turning up the Heat in Durban...

Initially we were going to bypass Durban and head straight to the Wild Coast.  We are so glad we didn't, we ended up spending 4 days there and met some wonderful people and had a fantastic time.
We found Durban to be a beautifil city by the  ocean.  Lots of lovely beaches, tropical climate and warm seas to swim in.
We found ourselves and lovely hostel in the Morningside area of the city which had some great bars, restuarants and cafes.  We found Durban a great city to walk around,  there are some areas that are not safe to walk around in, but that is the same of any city in the world.

The first person we met in Durban was a Scot from Edinburgh and the former head of James Gillespie HIgh School Alex Wallace.  He is over in Durban for 5 months running a project in the city working with High Schools and Street kids centers in the city.  However I will go into this in more detail in a separate blog.

The first thing we did was take a walk along the beach.  The first place we stopped was the Moses Mabhida Stadium.  It is a new stadium build for the 2010 World cup.  It is one of the most amazing soccer stadiums I've ever seen and we took the Sky car over the stadium arch, to get some great views of the city.

Moses Mabhida Stadium.

Moses Mabhida Stadium.

 View from the top over the arch overlooking the city.

Inside.

Walking along the beach to the city.

Durban Mosque.

 CAAC training session on the beach.

 CAAC training session on the beach.

We went to the Ushaka beach aquarium, which has an amazing collction of fish, sharks, rays and turtles.  We also went to a dolphin show , which I know some people may think sounds cheesy, but it was great and it is astounding how well trained and intelligent these animals are.

The aquarium is build from an old ship wreck.

Jaws

 Lovely Fish.

A relative of Paul the psychic octopus from the 2010 World Cup ?

Loggerhead turtle.

A huge ray.

 Billy the big mouth Bass !!

Dolphins show.

African Penguins.

The next day we went with Alex out to the Umwazi township to visit some schools and get to know some of the people in the township.  It was an amazing experience and a really highlight of the trip, which merits a post all of its own, so watch this space !!!!

Drakensberg and Lesotho.

After the big city we decided it was time to get the hiking boots on again and get out explore the South African countryside.  The next stop on our journey was the Drakensberg Mountains.  We got a bus to a campsite called the Ampitheatre backpackers just outside the Royal Natal National Park.  The campsite was called as it looks straight onto the Ampitheatre with is a 8KM ring of mountains in the Drakensberg.  It certainly was a great view in the morning !!

Our bus, not quite Cruz Del Sur, but it does the job !!

 Our camp

View to the Drakensberg and the  Ampitheatre .

We went on a guided hike up the the Ampitheatre and also to the Tugela Falls, which are the 2nd highest falls in the world.  It was a great hike, but it started off in truly Scottish conditions !!!.

 Starting off on the Hike.  Sentinal Mountain behind 3200M.

 Gillian up the mountains.

A very short ladder !!

Gillian climbing up the gully.

At the top of the Amphitheatre.

From the summit we hiked over the the Tugela Falls , which are the 2nd highest falls in the world.  Five sets of falls leaping down 948 Metres.  It was time for a dip in the pools !!!!.

Tugela Falls, the second highest in the world.

A refreshing dip !!!

A long drop over the edge !!!

Gillian at the top of the falls.

Overlooking the Ampitheatre !!!

Climbing down the quick way !!!!

A bit wobbly !!!

Gillian in the Drakensberg

The Sentinel Peak Hike !!

We took a day trip into the Kingdom of Lesotho.  Lesotho is an independent country which is completely encircled  by South Africa.  It's a very mountainous country and is known as the "Kingdom in the sky".  Lesotho is the third poorest country in Africa, but one of the most interesting so it was definately worth the journey to add another country to our world tour.

We had a very steep drive up to the border at the Monantsa pass, where we had to go through border control and then down the other side into Lesotho.  The first thing we noticed was the tarmac road runs out at the  border and after that its a very rough dirt road!

Gillian at the SA/Lesotho Border.

 Road to Lesotho.

The people of Lesotho are very poor and are mostly farmers.  The villages are very basic and people live in round houses called "Rondavels".  We had a look round a local village and then hiked up a hill to get a view of the valley.

Downtown !!!!

Some Farmers.

Hiking up a small hill !!!

 Looking over the village.

The village.

We stopped in the village to try some of the local Bantu Beer - I think I'll stick to the Tennents Super!

Gillian on the beers

Downing a bucket !!!

Not sure the Real Ale Society would like it !!!

We then went to visit the village medicine man or healer.  We are able to ask him lots of questions about his work.

Gabriel the medicine man.

 Gillian makes an appointment !!

 Gabriel prescribes a Baboons foot !!!

We were then invited for a spot of lunch Paap (Maize) and Spinach.

Paap and spinach.

Yummee !!!

We had a fun time in the mountains of the Drakensberg and Lesotho, now it was time to hit the beaches of sunny Durban.