The South African Chronicles - Part 6

We then spent that evening in the Hotel Izulu in Durban. It was a beautiful property but very far from the beach so unfortunately we had to confine ourselves to the hotel and its premises. We really take our freedom for granted in India. Anyway we enjoyed the beautiful hotel and the absolutely delicious food.

The next day, Mark was kind enough to drive us through the city of Durban explaining the various areas where Indians, blacks and whites were segregated. He was quite emotional about it but the best part is that he says that South Africans have chosen the path of forgiveness. That truly is the only way forward for them as a country and whilst they recognize that their generation has lost out, it will be their children who will benefit. According to him, he (the black people) is in a race of 100 kms and they are starting when the others (the white people) have already run 80 kms. However he finds the challenge interesting and believes that the blacks will truly overcome the obstacles. I was very impressed with his attitude and his achievements so far.

The Indian quarter

The Parliament

Streets named after 2 great personalities.

 We visited the Durban Botanical Gardens which was over 150 years old. The main attraction was the famous Baobab tree which I had to see. There was also a hothouse filled with every kind of orchid, which is my favourite flower.

We then went to the Moses Mahdiba stadium which hosted one of the World Cup football matches. It is more than a stadium and has been designed for multi functional uses including being able to host other games like cricket and rugby. It is also an architectural gem and has a cable car ride up to the rooftop where you can have a bird’s eye view of the Durban skyline.

Having come so far, it was a shame to have not spent anytime at the beach. Mark was kind enough to take us to the Golden Mile which is a popular stretch of the beach. I managed to dip my toes in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, knowing that at the other end, it touches my beloved India. The beach was interesting. There were lots of stalls selling food and knick knacks, people picnicking, swimming and generally having a good time. Hard to believe that probably 20 years ago, the beach too was out of bounds for the black and coloured people!

Saturday was spent at the Bryanston Organic market. What a wonderful experience! There were a lot of stalls selling all kinds of interesting stuff. Managed to find some unique decorations for my Christmas tree. I was wondering to myself …………….

- We take our freedom for granted. Even today, everyone lives behind closed gates in South Africa.
- Yet they have a lot of outlets for entertainment like the various handicraft markets that I visited.
- There are many activities for kids in safe environment where they can express their creativity as well as develop a love for nature.
- South Africa is a sports loving nation and every person is involved in running, cycling, swimming or some other physical activity.
- There is a lot of natural diversity in South Africa and numerous game reserves for every budget where the family can spend a weekend close to nature.
- There are plenty of entertainment parks where the family can spend the entire day as well as learn a little about the history of the country. E.g. Gold Reef City.
- Self catering accommodation is more popular than bed and breakfasts as it is cheaper.
- The best way to see the country is to drive. Time to get an international driving licence!

The South African Chronicles - Part 5

From Clarens we headed to Durban which was another 3 hours away. We had selected to stay at a self catering unit in Ballito called Dolphin Bay. It was a beautiful property, right by the beach overlooking the sea. Early the next morning we woke up to see the dolphins frolicking in the waves. They were in the distance and we could barely make them out. Unfortunately for mum and myself, we were being picked up at half past 8 for another tour, so we missed the school of dolphins having fun right in front of our apartment. As I said, nature’s way is unhurried and full of surprises.

So mum and I were picked up by Mark who was our guide for the next 3 days. He drove us to one of the oldest game reserves in South Africa called Hluhluwe Imfolozi. That night we stayed in a beautiful tree lodge.

From our verandah, we could observe impala, nyala and kudu grazing below. Such an amazing feeling. As we were walking from our lodge to the main dining area, we stumbled upon some giraffe grazing. Don’t know who was more scared – the giraffe or us?

Early the next morning we went on our game drive. This was different from the one at Mabula as Hluhluwe Imfolozi is over 96000 hectares. We saw a lot of zebras, giraffe, impala, elephants, rhinos, buffaloes and even some hyenas. But we did not see any of the big cats.

After a sumptuous breakfast we drove to the St. Lucia wetlands, which is a UNESCO world heritage site. It is famous for its hippos and crocodiles as well as the numerous bird species. We were lucky to see some hippos including a baby before they entered into the water. All the other hippos were lazing under water and difficult to photograph. Hippos are lazy animals and can spend hours in the water cooling themselves. They can run/walk at a speed of 25 km/hr under water. And the crocodiles are forever waiting to spot a baby hippo that they can drag away from the mother and feed on. Crocodiles are cold blooded creatures and are forever sunning themselves in the sun on the banks of the river.

We were lucky to see the fish eagle. This bird mates for life – when one bird dies, the other will starve till it dies too.

The South African Chronicles - Part 4

The Drakensberg mountains of South Africa or uKhahlamba (the Barrier of Spears) is a 200-kilometre-long mountainous wonderland and world heritage site. The Zulu people named it 'Ukhahlamba' and the Dutch Voortrekkers 'The Dragon Mountain'. The Drakensberg Mountains, with their awe-inspiring basalt cliffs, snowcapped in winter, tower over riverine bush, lush yellowwood forests and cascading waterfalls, form a massive barrier separating KwaZulu-Natal from the Kingdom of Lesotho.


Monday morning, saw us drive to the Drakensberg mountain range. Our destination was a pretty little village called Clarens. It was about a 4 hour drive from Jo’burg. The Drakensberg mountains were the home of the San people or the bushmen. This is also the area where you can still find some original rock art paintings. The entire area was so dramatic especially in the early evening with the sun’s rays on the mountain range. We drove through the Golden Gate National Park which had no entry fee. However it was worth the effort as we came across herds of zebra grazing along the way with no care in the world.


Clarens itself is a tiny village set around the town square. It was a treat to be able to walk on the road in Clarens and not worry about being mugged as the crime rate is negligible. The sleepy little village is a good R&R spot with plenty of self catering and bed and breakfast accommodation. There is even a proper hotel here and it is rumoured to be a holiday spot of Brad Pitt. The highlight of the town is that it has cute shops which sell art, wine, curios and organic foodstuff. The shops have interesting names like the Blou Donki, the Purple Onion, the Ugly Duckling, etc. It begs for you to spend some time browsing through their wares.

Outside of Clarens, is a farm called Schaaplaats which is primarily a horse breeding farm. But they also have some rock art paintings on their premises. It is quite a trek from the main farmhouse to the cave where the paintings are located but it was worth the visit.

The dramatic Drakensberg mountains.......

Amazing to come across zebras grazing.

Our charming self catering cottage.

The Schaplaats horse farm where we found the rock art

Biltong is dried meat which is a favourite with South Africans

We also visited a traditional Basotho village. These people are native to Lesotho which is the neighbouring kingdom. We were welcomed by the Chief and his advisor. The traditional greeting is with a fermented brew which is first tasted by the advisor who confirms that it is not poisoned.

The aloe plant