Or, A real city and my first steps in the Indian
Ocean
A few months ago Daniel and I went on vacation to South
Africa .
We took a bus to Johannesburg
and stayed in a cool neighborhood called Melville. The guesthouse we chose was called Sleepy Gecko and it was amazing: plush beds, wide-plank
hardwood floors, original artwork, and a roly-poly guard dog who wasn’t fooling
anybody. Within a half hour of getting
our room I had taken a hot bubble bath and donned the complimentary terrycloth
robe. The owners even invited Daniel and
me to share dinner and a bottle of wine (or two or three or seven) while
watching a rugby game.
It was amazing to be back in a city again. Boutiques (including Black Coffee), restaurants, coffee shops, antique stores, even a
farmer’s market… I was in heaven. If
unemployment wasn’t so rampant in South Africa ,
I would consider trying to find a job there.
While I’m sure Melville is the exception rather than the norm in Jozzie
(there are a lot of rough areas in the city), I absolutely loved it and got a
great first impression of Afrika Borwa (South
Africa ).
The most interesting thing Daniel and I did while we were
there (wait, you mean besides sushi and half-off cocktails?!) was go to
the Apartheid Museum . It’s one of the best museums I’ve ever been
to. It walked you through all the
aspects of apartheid – the social, political, and economic factors leading up
to it, the oppression during it, and the growth and eventual victory of the
opposition – through a variety of media.
We were luckily at the museum while there was an exhibit on Nelson
Mandela. Until then, I hadn’t realized
how much I took for granted that he is just one of those inspirational people
like Gandhi, and never took the time to research what his life was like. I highly recommend visiting the museum
(although, oddly and a bit off-putting, there’s a theme park not even a stone’s
throw away).
I can’t post any pictures from Jo’burg because Daniel and I
were too busy having fun to worry about our cameras. True story.
We then rented a car and drove to Durban ,
where I accomplished a lifelong goal of seeing and swimming in the Indian
Ocean , which is warm year-round.
Our time there passed in a haze of craft markets, beaches, gluttonous
and embarrassing amounts of seafood (omg delish), blue skies, sunrises, copious
amounts of wine and yes, long romantic walks along the beach (“romantic” is
debatable – Daniel was more interested in shells and their inhabitants than me).
I am not kidding you when I use adjectives like “gluttonous”
and “copious.” We went to f-ing town
on seafood. Consequently, I went 200 USD
over budget. Ouch. Moving on…
Daniel and I stayed at a place called Anstey’s Beach Backpackers right on the coast.
We got upgraded (holla) to a cottage with a full ocean view. It was a beautiful little flat with a
nice-sized porch facing the ocean. It
was even decorated in blues and whites – perfect for a beach house.
We woke up at sunrise every. single. day. The entire trip. Sometimes it was to get an early start on the
road, but mostly I just couldn’t bear to miss a single ray of light coming over
the ocean’s horizon. Accordingly, I
don’t think we ever stayed awake past 9pm . Anyway, here are pictures of the sunrise over
the Indian Ocean and some other beach pictures.
Early, early morning; view from our porch. Have you ever seen such a gorgeous shade of blue? |
Cloudy sunrise |
Boyfriend! |
My first steps in the INDIAN OCEAN! |
Daniel's first steps in the INDIAN OCEAN! |
Unfortunately I don’t have any photos of the different
markets we went to or any of the cute outfits I wore (I spent a lot of time researching
South African fashion before we went).
Just take my word for it.
It was a great trip, and a lovely getaway. Here are a few last pictures:
A little restaurant we stopped at with a gorgeous view of a lake |
Same restaurant |
I came home to a SCORPION in my house. Sweet. |
Shout out to SHU!:
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