Category Archives: Umdloti Beach

A to Z Challenge, Durban, Umdloti Beach

Blogging for A to Z: U is for Umdloti Beach

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Oh, this is one of my favourite beaches! I’ve been going to Umdloti Beach just north of Durban since I was a kid. The shallow tidal pool is a favourite of families because it’s relatively safe for small kids. Just don’t get too close to the enclosing rocks because a large wave could suck a person beyond them. By and large, it is safe and lifesavers are close by.

A to Z challenge Umdloti Beach
©2021 Regina Martins

It’s still a favourite getaway spot for Chè and me, and we have a favourite Airbnb we usually stay at. It’s a small village with a supermarket, coffee shops, some good restaurants, and takeaway places. Just remember not to leave any windows open because the monkeys will climb in and steal all your food. The last time I got to the window just in time before the little thief could climb in through the shutters – they will squeeze in, lured by the anticipation of a tasty meal. That’s them in the photo below …

A to Z challenge Umdloti Beach
©2021 Regina Martins

The last time I was there dune rehabilitation was in progress. The beaches had been eroded by particular severe storms in recent years. Parts of the promenade was also damaged at the time.

A to Z challenge Umdloti Beach
©2021 Regina Martins

The southern part of the long beachfront is wild and the beaches are not guarded by lifesavers. The currents are strong and the seabed drops rather dramatically close to the surf line so you got to be a really strong swimmer and know how to navigate the waves to swim at this part of the beach.

A to Z challenge Umdloti Beach
©2021 Regina Martins

The walks along the beach are marvellous and sunset brings out the collectors with their metal detectors, scouring the wave line for trinkets, coins and … (?)

A to Z challenge Umdloti Beach
©2021 Regina Martins

Kite surfers love the wild part of the surf.

A to Z challenge Umdloti Beach
©2021 Regina Martins

I just love this place 🙂

A to Z challenge Umdloti Beach
©2021 Regina Martins
Blogging from A to Z posts – my favourite ones so far are D is for Durban, J is for Johannesburg, R is for Raleigh and S is for Sagres:
T is for Trou au Cerfs
S is for Sagres
R is for Raleigh
Q is for Quatres Bornes
P is for Port Louis
O is for Okahandja
N is for New York
M is for Marrakesh
L is for Lisbon
K is for Kanchanaburi
J is for Johannesburg
I is for Istanbul (Magnetic Istanbul)
H is for Hua Huin (party town)
G is for Ghent
F is for Flic en Flac
E is for Erawan Falls
D is for Durban (Memories)
C is for Chiang Mai
B is Bangkok
A is for Ayutthaya

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.