Category Archives: Durban

Durban, Healthy Lifestyle, Umdloti Beach, Weekend Coffee Share

Weekend Coffee Share: The Seaside Edition

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Hi everyone, it’s a late coffee today because Che and I went to the seaside and arrived this afternoon. Our flight was delayed by 1 hour – it’s becoming the norm with the particular airline I fly with and I’m becoming rather annoyed. I can count on the fingers of 1 hand the number of times I had an on-time domestic flight this year. So we arrived 1 hour later than I expected to.

I realised that this is my first and will be my only post this week. The last one was last week’s coffee share, so I have a lot to share. I will keep it short though, tweet-length with photos.

Summing up my week though, it was client, client, airplane trip, conference in Durban, conference in Durban, beach, airplane trip.

Let’s scroll through the photos I took this week…

…starting with the client, client part – working in the Joburg CBD is interesting because there are sometimes protest marches. It begins with voices raised in song, in the distance, and an inquiry “Is that a march?”; as the voices come closer, the initial inquiry is confirmed and the next question is, “Where is it?” as we look down at the roads and intersections from on high. And then we see the group of marchers. This one was a small one by comparison. It was also peaceful.

Now for the rest. Che and I attended the annual Regional Scrum Gathering in Durban. Because it was in Durban we decided to stay for the weekend and relax a bit.

Before showing you the rest, don’t you think our amaryllis are flowering so beautifully…?

@2018 Regina Martins

We were welcomed back with a personal note and wine, by our Airbnb host Ruth. If you’re looking for a gorgeous place to stay in Umdloti Beach, just look for Beach Melody or Beach Music on Airbnb.

@2018 Regina Martins

We didn’t make it to the beach until Friday afternoon after the conference ended. Feeling the sand give way under my feet, supporting my steps was amazing. Can you see how happy and relaxed we look?

Sand between my fingers ©2018 Regina Martins
Stairway to the beach ©2018 Regina Martins
Happy after feeling the soft beach sand beneath our feet ©2018 Regina Martins

Saturday morning walk to see the conditions of the beach, and a coffee, we came across a wedding on the beach. It was so windy that the wedding was windswept (don’t you love the alliteration?).

There was a wedding on the beach, a very windy wedding it was ©2018 Regina Martins
Windswept wedding ©2018 Regina Martins

And now a quick flip through the rest.

Going barefoot ©2018 Regina Martins
After being thrown about by the waves ©2018 Regina Martins
Lying on the sand ©2018 Regina Martins
These are naughty, if you leave a window open they will find a way on and steal all the food that is on the counters ©2018 Regina Martins

That’s all I have for you today. Thanks for stopping by, have an amazing week!

Weekend coffee share is hosted by Eclectic Ali.

More coffee shares here.

 

A to Z Challenge, Durban

D Is For Durban

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When we were kids every holiday was spent in Durban. As landlocked Joburgers the annual beach holiday was something I looked forward to all the time. Once a year we packed our family of 5’s belongings into a VW Bettle and headed down to the coast. As we neared Durban, we played the game of ‘who can see the sea first’, which was accompanied by the briny smells of the ocean.

One of my favourite things to do was walk along the Marine Parade from the South to the North Beach, browsing all the vendor’s stalls. I was a child with no cash and convincing my folks to buy this and that was never successful 🙂

Durban South Beach
©2017 Regina Martins

These days I seldom go into the city, preferring instead the quietude and serenity of the small village of Umdloti Beach.

The smooth sand, ebb and flow of the waves, the winged clouds and the fire of life of the plants holding on to the slippery sands of the dunes
©2017 Regina Martins

The village has changed little over the years but the beach has changed significantly. The beautiful tidal pool most parents felt safe allowing their kids to frolick in is not so safe after all. The promenade has subsided in places because of soil erosion caused by severe storms over the years. When Che and I were last there, in August last year, the tidal beach was closed off for rehabilitation, with a huge bulldozer in the middle of the sand.

Storms have slowly eroded the dune, collapsing the pavement
©2017 Regina Martins

Away from the tidal pool, avid residents walk the beaches at sunset, wielding metal detectors – I wonder what they find…?

Metal detector on a beach
©2017 Regina Martins

Things to remember when holidaying in Durban:

  • It’s on the Indian Ocean coast so the waters are warm.
  • There are amazing dive sites further north, close to Sodwana Bay.
  • There are game reserves with the Big 5 just 2 hours to the north.
  • uShaka Marine World is a haven for kids – the waterpark is a lot of fun.
  • It has, in my humble opinion, the most beautiful aquarium in South Africa.
  • The Durban Botanical Gardens is one of the city’s best-kept secrets.
  • It boasts a large international airport, the King Shaka International Airport with daily domestic flights, and international flights from Istanbul, Doha, Dubai, Mauritius and other African destinations.
The sun rising over the sea ©2016 Regina Martins
A gorgeous seashell ©2016 Regina Martins
The sea, sand and surf – previously published on Instagram ©2016 Regina Martins
The sea is mesmerising as always – previously published on Instagram ©2016 Regina Martins
Solid black rocks, standing firm against the sea ©2016 Regina Martins
Rocks, eroded slowly by the sea and yet they still look so solid ©2016 Regina Martins
Looking through and over the railing of the deck towards the sea with its ships awaiting entry into Durban harbour ©2016 Regina Martins

It’s a different experience to Cape Town. I don’t venture into Cape Town’s frigid waters but Durban is my happy beach swimming place. And it has great surfing too.