Monday, April 19, 2010

Zulu Land

Greetings from Jo'berg Airport. This is going to be a quick update since I am catching a flight to Windhoek, Namibia in a half hour. Sad to leave South Africa--- is a great place, that definitely gets a bad rap. The country is in full swing for the World Cup, with construction everywhere, so hope it all goes smoothly for them.

I last left you in the Wild Coast, but had since made my way in to KwaZulu Natal and the 3rd largest city of Durban. Durban has the 2nd largest Indian population outside of India (after London) and is a real mix of cultures (albeit a bit seedy in the central area). I witnessed this culture clash first hand one night clubbing with the kids--- lots of Indian kids and the most bazaar combination of music imaginable- quite an experience.
Wasn't here too long since one day of wandering Durban exhausted anything I was interested in seeing. I walked into downtown, via a route that was maybe not such a great idea, to the Victoria Street Market which confirmed that markets are pretty much the same all over the world- spices, meat, souvenirs and aggressive shopkeepers.
I also walked along their waterfront (which is under construction pre World Cup) to the Casino which is basically the same as ours, minus the fake Venetian canal or Eiffel Tower. I also caught of glimpse of their new soccer stadium which looks really cool- you can climb/ride to the top and swing from the arch over the field.
Day 2 I spent on a long drive through the Sani Pass into Lesotho
(pronounced le-soo-too, who knew!!!)- an unexpected stamp in my passport! My remembrance of Lesotho--- really having to pee the whole time we were riding along the countries rocky, unpaved roads.
Lesotho is incredibly poor with an HIV infection rate of 24% and 45% unemployment, but wow does it offer some spectacular views. My new American/Kuwaiti friend Fahad and I had a great time posing for ridiculous pictures with the indigenous people (called blanket people cause they are always wrapped in them--- it was freezing. We think they should consider a Snuggie!) and drinking a local beer at the highest pub in Africa.

I'll upload all the pictures as soon as I can.

For the next 2 weeks I will be staying at N/a'an ku se animal sanctuary with no Internet access, so expect a really great update in a few weeks about my caring for the cheetahs and bottle feeding baby baboons!

4 comments:

  1. Way cool. Be careful, introducing fleece may throw off their whole ecosystem. Can't wait to see the baby animals. Have fun!

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  2. love the blog updates. keep em coming!

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  3. Cora LOVED the postcard of the zebras. Very exciting. She won't let anyone else touch it. Can't wait to see more pics!

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