ATW Day 70 - Durban

On Friday we were in Durban, South Africa.  Actually, we arrived in Durban the evening before where we had to clear immigration.  

The evening also started a repetition of a required announcement from Peter, the Cruise Director.  It was a warning of how unsafe Durban was and an admonition not to go to many places in the central city alone including the Victoria Street Market.  So, we stayed on board that evening.  Early Saturday morning we took an Oceania excursion to the Tala Game Reserve.  The excursion started with a drive through the center city.  As we left the port area, we could see conditions deteriorate as we made our way to the city.  We were told that the administrative offices of the city have been moved to a new city north of Durban.  Our guide (who was white) did not come out and say it, but we felt that she was saying that all of that downturn corresponded to the end of apartheid and the influx of immigrants.

Once we left the city, the ride became nicer.

Let's get to the highlight of the day - the game reserve.  When we got there, we were loaded onto safari vehicles for the ride through the reserve.  The reserve is private and encompasses 9000 acres.  We were told up front that we would not be seeing the Big 5 of Africa.  But we saw so much wildlife including zebras, springbok, wildebeest, hippos, rhinos, impalas, and giraffes.  Here are the pics:

We also saw many birds.  They say that there are 380 species of birds at the reserve.  Here are some.  My favorite was the crested eagle.

It was a great 2 hour pleasantly cool ride through the reserve with a very good guide.  On the way back, we were driven through the nice part of central Durban.

After returning to the ship and having lunch, we went for a walk from the port to the beach, out on the pier, and through a shopping area.  It is a very nice and safe area.

While we were there, they were setting up for an ultra marathon.  We won't be there for the race, but I decided to run the course!

On the way back to the ship, I was obliged to stop at the local brewery for a pale ale.

It was an excellent day in Durban.  Today, we are at sea, making our way to Port Elizabeth.  The highlight of the day so far was a cooking demonstration with Executive Chefs Justin and Farid, F&B Manager Carlos, and Restaurant Manager Ana.

Tomorrow morning in Port Elizabeth, we will embark on our 2 day overland safari trip.  There we really hope to see the Big 5.  So, for today's trivia question, what are the African Big 5 animals.  As a hint, we did see one yesterday.  BTW, no one answered the trivia question from the previous post.

For all creatures big and small, peace and blessings,

Linda and Larry