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 !!!!