eThekwini ... or otherwise known as Durban

Photo by Suze

The site of Durban was visited in 1497 by Vasco da Gama, who named it Rio de Natal. Natal means “Christmas” in Portuguese

Durban Harbour is the 9th largest Harbour in the world

The Gateway shopping center is the largest shopping mall in Africa and the Southern Hemisphere

Ushaka Marine World is the world’s 5th largest aquarium

The spiritual leader of the Indian independence movement, Mahatma Ghandi began his political journey in Durban

Excellent signage at the beaches provides maps and names of the different beaches, although it’s really one stretch of sand with different names

Keep an eye out for the incredible sand sculptures done by locals, depicting anything from mermaids to lions.

The uShaka Beach has activities from surfing lessons to kayaking.

Warning: The surf and currents at Durban’s beaches can be dangerous. Always swim in patrolled areas; these are indicated by flags.

These are the facts you'll find according to The Lonely Planet or Google but what they don't tell you is this:

Photo by Suze

When you go for a run or walk or ride along the promenade (yes, the one we've been warned not to go to) you'll see people from all walks of life. I heard English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Spanish, French and a couple other languages I couldn't quite catch. There are people in traditional outfits, sari's, socks and slops, no shoes, burqa's, bikinis, beaded leg warmers and the occasional speedo.

Then you'll see people braaing, fishing, tanning and then runners, walkers, skateboarders, soccer players, strollers, rickshaws, cyclists, surfers, swimmers and a few monkeys here and there. I could not wipe the smile off my face as I ran along, taking in every sound, sight and smell (although, some not so great smells, choose your area to take those really deep breaths).

Photo by Suze

Something else Lonely Planet says:

Durbanites are proud of their state-of-the-art stadium, The Moses Mabhida Stadium, constructed for the 2010 World Cup. Resembling a giant basket, it seats over 56,000 people, and its arch was inspired by the ‘Y’ in the country’s flag. Visitors can head up to the arch in a SkyCar, puff up on foot (550 steps) on an Adventure Walk or plunge off the 106m arch on the giant Big Swing. Plus, you can hire a bike or walk to the beachfront on a newly constructed walkway.

Photo by Suze

It is indeed spectacular. But what they fail to mention is that if you are a visitor and find you only there on a weekday, you can't do the adventure walk. It's weekends only. And if you come during the festive season, you can wait for an hour and a half or more for the SkyCar. Then if you are like us and waiting is not an option, and you decide to hire a bike instead, make sure you have your drivers license on you and cash. Which we didn't. Fail.

There's old and new buildings, malls and beaches, restaurants and bars and even though working doesn't seem to be too much of a priority, you'll find such honest wonderful people here (One iPhone 6 plus and a pair of Marc Jacobs glasses returned to us, on two separate occasions). I could go on for hours, but the main point I had to get across here was that unbelievable feeling as I ran along that Promenade and felt truly happy to be South African. If you've been thinking about a holiday in Durban, or even if you haven't, make a plan. It's worth it.

Wishing you all a very happy, healthy new year and thank you for the incredible support. x

Rule No.33 - Never kick a fresh turd on a hot day

Okay, rules are back and what a classic one! This quote is by Harry S Truman. He was the 33 rd president of America, historians call him “a controversial president”, the band Chicago wrote a song just for him and he has a commemorative holiday in his name on the 8 th May in Missouri. This is brilliant advise, not in the literal sense, well, that too, but if you having a seriously bad day, don’t make things worse by deliberately doing something that will bite you in the bum later. I did this the other day, so I am talking out of experience here. I went into a situation and then on the way out, after realising it was a bad situation, I kicked a fresh turd cause I was so mad. (again, not literally, although, that might have been a better idea in hindsight) My advise in this circumstance is to stay indoors that day until you have calmed yourself down. I’ll leave you with another quote from Truman : A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who ...

Rule No.59 - If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull.

"Bull", meaning nonsense, dates from the 17th century, while the term "bull*&$*" has been used as early as 1915 in American slang , and came into popular usage only during World War II . The word "bull" itself may have derived from the Old French boul meaning "fraud, deceit" (Oxford English Dictionary). The term "horse*&$*" is a near synonym. Worthy of note is the South African English equivalent "bull dust". Few corresponding terms exist in other languages, with the significant exception of German Bockmist , literally "billy-goat *&%*". Funny, Suze Original and I were talking about this the other day. She went for an interview and we were laughing cause we both do the same thing. They ask you a simple question that could be answered in a line or two but we both start elaborating so much trying to make a good impression that what started as "My favorite hobby is... right to.. and that's why I...

Rule No.68 - You don't save a pitcher for tomorrow. Tomorrow it may rain.

One must please forgive me lack of knowledge when it comes to baseball. At first glance I understood this rule as a pitcher full of wine or Pimm's. You can see my confusion. First of all, why on earth would you leave it till the next day, and then even if it was raining, whats to stop you from having some. Sigh. Anyway, after seeing who the quote was written by I was incredibly embarrassed to find out it was about a pitcher in a baseball team. How silly of me. I did think it insane that someone would ever tell you to save a pitcher of Pimm's for the next day. I think this rule also applies to the whole don't save your best china for special occasions, every day should be celebrated. What's the point of having them if you going to keep them in the cupboard until the fancy people come, what about your run of mill, everyday peeps. They should be even more special. So don't save that wine, the pitcher or the china for another day. If you have it, use it.

Chasing Noodles

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