South Africa: Durban
Only one word can describe this place - WOW! The Ocean itself is one of the most beautiful things that I've seen so far. This part of the African coast has endless sandy beaches, perfect sunny weather and there are waves, infinite wonderful waves...
The city of Durban is quite large (around 3.5 milion) and is mostly spread out in countless suburbs over the surrounding hills. They vary considerably in appearance, from very poor to very luxurious like Umhlanga and La Lucia. The center of the city can be described as classical South African style with tall buildings, wide streets and lots of utility stores and other shops around. Big hotels are mostly lined up close to the shore, along the so called Beach Road. All African cities display large contrast when it comes to the appearance of their buildings, but I can say that I'm very fond of Durban architecture. This is mostly because of its unique, discrete style that although modern in design, still keeps the uninvasive simplicity as opposed to the European and American flashy bombastic glass/steel appearal that I sometimes find quite unpleasant and cheap. Bright, cheerful colors resembling the sky, sand and the sea seem to fit this coastal city quite well.
Durban Harbour is close to the city center, protected from one side by a low ridge that extends to the sea. It is the largest port on the the east African coast, day and night you can see the endless trail of cargo ships towing tons of load.
The beach? Well what can I say - sun, fine sand and waves, a surfer's paradise. On some places water gets deep quickly as the waves shape the slope of the sand (fisherman's preference), and somwhere it is shallow and more safe to get into the water (swimmer's preference). You can easily find a parking place and there are lots of bars and restaurants where you can get some refreshment, especially the North Beach. Because of the tall waves, swimming areas are designated and monitored by lifeguards.
This is Zulu land, the population is mostly black (around 70%), but there is also a large Indian community (around 20%). Black people usually speak Zulu and others speak English, Afrikaans is very rare. People from Durban are quite warm and welcoming even to strangers, wherever I went I really felt nice. Typical for whole of South Africa, restaurants are excellent here, especially fish and other seafood. All in all if you like the spirit of Africa, this place is highly recommended.
Umhlanga Beach in the morning
Although it is beautiful by any standard, this beach is mostly used for fishing. Swimming is more safer on the North Beach with lifeguards on the lookout. But a walk on the soft sand in the sun, with ocean breeze and splash of the waves is hard to resist. However, you shouldn't be all alone here for safety reasons common to South Africa.
Durban North Beach Panorama
This seems to be "The Beach" in Durban. You can't see it well in this photograph because this pier is very long, but surfers like it as they can launch from it and catch waves more easily. People say that sand reefs sometimes form close to this place, and you can stand in the water quite far from the shore.
Umhlanga Beach in the afternoon
This place looks even more beautiful in the afternoon, when the Sun is behind your back. Even though it was still winter (beginning of September), it wasn't so cold here by European standards, especially the water. On the other hand it was pretty windy and waves were tall, certainly not for swimming. But the waves alone proved to be quite fun.
Moses Mabhida Stadium Panorama (VR)
This stadium was built for 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
Blue Dolphin Ridge Guesthouse Panorama
There were almost no guests staying at this guesthouse when I arrived, so I got the whole floor with the best view for myself.
Van Reenen Pass Panorama
Van Reenen is roughly halfway between Johannesburg and Durban, and this is where the long chain of Drakensberg mountains begins, heading southwest towards Lesotho.