A couple of weeks ago Ryan got to come visit me here in Durban. He managed to get time off from his classes to make the trip all the way across several time zones to spend a week in beautiful South Africa! Major feat and major respect, Mr. Pitt.
The week started off with bagels that Ryan had brought along. And not just any bagels, guys. Sara Lee bagels. The best kind. If you didn't know, I am a major bagel lover (actually a carb lover, if we're really being honest), and I haven't been able to find them anywhere in Durban. Not that I've tried looking extremely hard, but still. If three grocery stores don't have them, I think it's safe to assume the entire city is void of bagels. But not that week. No sir-ee. I savored every bite of that delicious, peanut butter covered, baked goodness. And I was happy.
Did I really just spend a whole paragraph talking about bagels? Yes. Needless to say, the week was off to a good start.
The weather was quite morose and drizzly all week, as it has been quite often here, but we did venture out to see the city. We even walked down to the port, where I hadn't been yet. Let me tell you, seeing all those sailboats made me love Durban just a little bit more.
On Saturday we joined Jill, Danny, Shamique, Sami, Anita, and Sihle for a trip to the Natal Lion Park. This was the first time I'd been able to see lions since being in Africa, and I could not get over how beautiful they were. They weren't a very lively bunch, but oh, were they stunning. This moment was also accompanied by Danny singing songs from The Lion King, just so we can all truly understand what an experience it was.
On Sunday, I introduced Ryan to Peg (I really should be their PR rep.), and then we ventured on to uShaka. It took just about a year to get there since roads were closed for a bike race, and traffic in Durban had become even more chaotic than usual. I even witnessed Mdu, our quiet cab driver, explain with indignation why he had right-of-way to another female driver. I found the whole thing quite humorous, but I guess it was more of a you had to be there moment.
We did finally make it to uShaka, which was really nice. There were shops, restaurants, an aquarium, a water park, not to mention the beach! Ryan and I walked around the aquarium, and, of course, went to the dolphin show. When it came time for volunteers, you can bet your life savings that this guy was the first one up and shouting at the top of his lungs. He managed to gain the support of everyone around us, but I couldn't help because I was too busy laughing. Ryan got chosen, in his words, to "live his dream" (i.e. get splashed by a dolphin). I'd say he was pretty happy.
This goofy guy right here was by far my favorite fish in the aquarium, and, yes, I did spend about ten minutes trying to get the perfect shot of him. But look at that face! And those teeth! So much personality! What's not to love?!
The aquarium had a lot of great animals that I don't think you necessarily get to see on your average American SeaWorld expedition. I saw a few that confirmed my extreme distrust of the ocean, but others that were just too incredible to not take a second look.
We ended the day at Moyo, a popular restaurant with really great food and... face painting! Apparently this is traditional Zulu stuff, and I think we look pretty good. Why is face painting not more socially acceptable? It's so much fun!
The week came to an end, and Ryan headed back to Iowa without a hitch, thank goodness! We gained some good stories, some not so good (Ryan got his shoes stolen), but all in all it was a week of experiences we'll always remember. So, thank you, Durban. We love you even more.
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