March 2, 2022 – Photo of the Day – Tree Hugging Leopard

DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA: A CULTURAL COMBINATION FROM ASIA, AFRICA, AND EUROPE
What is it about South Africa’s third most popular city that draws people so much? Is it the vibrant waterfront, complete with street performers and sand artists? Is it the melting pot of ethnicity, with all cultures from Zulu to Indian finding a home here? Is it the laid-back lifestyle that has locals calling it simply “Durbs”? Is it the sweeping landscape? The clement climate? One visit to Durban will quickly make you see the reason people love it so is a combination of all of the above.

Durban has always been a beach city but it was the massive investment for the 2010 World Cup that really put it on the map. A huge revamp of the promenade has brought with it some fantastic eateries which serve up all kinds of “chow” from traditional bunny chow to bobotie, (a sweet spiced mince dish with an egg topping). Expect Asian influences wherever you go, too. Durban has the largest Indian population outside of India. Although there is little evidence, it is known that the city of eThekwini – Durban in Zulu – was inhabited by hunter-gatherers as early as 100,00 BC. It was first sighted by Vasco de Gamma in 1497, but it was not until 1824 that the British settlers raised the Union Jack. This was after King Shaka gifted a “25-mile strip of coast a hundred miles in-depth” to Henry Francis Fynn after Fynn helped him recover from a stab wound. It remained part of the British Commonwealth until 1960, when it became part of the Republic of South Africa. The city’s Euro-African heritage remains to this day.

TRADITIONAL AFRICAN HEALER
Traditional healers of South Africa are practitioners of traditional African medicine in Southern Africa. They fulfill different social and political roles in the community, including divination, healing physical, emotional, and spiritual illnesses, and narrating the history, cosmology, and myths of their tradition.

SIGHTS
• Vasco Da Gama Clock
• Durban Botanical Gardens
• Victoria Street Market
• Durban City Hall
• Natural History Museum
• Umlazi Township

WEDNESDAY, 2 MARCH 2022 DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA Arrival: 7:45 AM Overnight stay
TODAY’S WEATHER Mostly Sunny High: 84°F 29°C Low: 71°F 22°C
DRESS CODE: CASUAL
For Ladies: DRESSES OR BLOUSES AND PANTS
For Gentlemen: SPORT SHIRTS AND SLACKS
No shorts or flip-flop-type footwear after 6:00 PM in indoor venues

DAY TWO – WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2ND, 2022 – PHINDA FOREST PRIVATE GAME RESERVE

We awoke early this morning and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee with a rusk before heading out on our first-morning game drive. After a 3-hour game drive, we returned to the lodge for a hearty breakfast followed by a free morning to enjoy time around the pool.

We enjoyed a light lunch at the main lodge followed by more free time and a siesta prior to our afternoon game drive. Tea was served on the patio after which we departed on a late afternoon game drive. These are conducted in 4-wheel drive open vehicles, allowing for total freedom of movement and the ability to leave the road and track down Africa’s Big Five – Lion, Leopard, Rhino, Elephant, and Buffalo. After dark, spotlights are used, providing one with the opportunity to view nocturnal creatures and
carnivores on the hunt. Sundowners and light snacks were served at a clearing in the bush. We returned to the lodge for a delicious dinner and overnight.