Day in Durban
Beginning with what can only be described as a spectacular sunrise, the day was designed for students to choose to do those things that were most appropriate for them. Some enjoyed relaxing on the beach; others attempted surfing; some went shopping at Indian Market. What follows are a few brief reflections on and links to pictures of, those things that I did.
As all who know me realize, I am a very early riser! With that said, for me, having my first cup of coffee on the balcony of the Blue Waters Hotel, overlooking the beach at Durban, was a perfect way to start my day. As I watched the sun begin to rise over the water, I saw three figures far off in the distance at the water’s edge --– two women and a man. It was only when I saw the guy push back his hair, that i realized one of those three had to be Tim! The zoom on my camera revealed that he was joined by Alla and Michelle. I must admit, of the hundreds of pictures I snapped on this trip, the pictures of the sunrise at Durban are definitely among my favorites. You can view them by clicking the title of this post or by going to http://picasaweb.google.com/marita.mccomiskey/DurbanSunrise32508108PM
After a wonderful buffet breakfast, some of us headed off for a bit of shopping at the Victorian Street Indian Market “If you ever find yourself in Durban, the largest city in KwaZulu-Natal (and third largest in the country), you are in for a treat. Over 170 stalls, including Indian, Chinese and Taiwanese food, can be found at “the Vic”, located in a building that looks like a Maharajah’s palace, complete with purple minarets. Indian and African produce are available, along with handcrafts and prepared food. Durban has a huge Indian population — the largest outside of Asia — its size mirrored in the Vic’s bounty of barrels, overflowing with fragrant Indian spices. Men in their kurtas and women in their saris sell their wares in this extensive bazaar.” You can read more about the market at http://www.noodlesandrice.com/victoria-street-market-durban-south-africa/ (since i was too busy looking around to take any pictures!)
Back to the hotel to drop off those who wanted to spend the afternoon on the beach, we picked up others interested in going to for a visit to the Jumah Mosque.
“Built in 1927 it is the largest mosque in the Southern Hemisphere. The architectural style is an interesting combination of Islamic and Colonial. It has colonnaded verandahs, a gold-domed minaret, and many turrets that dominate the whole street, lending it an atmosphere of the East.” The narrow entrance is on Queen Street and, after asking several people, we found that we could have a guided tour by going across the street and inquiring at the Islamic Propagation Centre. More pictures of our time at the Mosque are available at http://picasaweb.google.com/marita.mccomiskey/JumahMosqueInDurban32508208PM
Next we were off to see the Valley of 1000 Hills and although it took our drivers a little while to find it, we all agreed it was definitely worth the trip, both in terms of beauty and souvenir shopping. http://1000hills.kzn.org.za/1000hills/index.html. More pictures of our time at the Valley of 100 Hills can be found at http://picasaweb.google.com/marita.mccomiskey/ValleyOf1000Hills32508
We returned to the hotel in time to get ready for dinner at the Roma Revolving Restaurant, which features a “large spread of Italian cuisine prepared with personal service and a superb view of Durban, from the 32nd floor of John Ross House where you can be enchanted by the lights of South Africa’s fun city.” However,any students had never been in a revolving restaurant and i must admit, not everyone found it 'enchanting' to be revolving 360 degrees while eating dinner. You can view the menu and pictures on-line at http://www.roma.co.za/ (I did not bring my camera to dinner!)
No comments:
Post a Comment