Our tour guide/driver picked us up at the port at 9 this morning. He took us on a city tour of Durban, the third largest city in South Africa, with 3.5 million + residents. Durban’s port is the busiest in South Africa. It’s subtropical climate and miles of wide, white sand beaches make it a magnet for tourists. We drove past several historical monuments, City Hall, and the Post Office. We walked about the beautiful Botanical Gardens seeing a cannonball tree for the first time, and enjoying the cycads, lotus, and beautifully landscaped themed gardens. We drove through the most expensive neighborhoods in the city, which reminded us of Southern California neighborhoods. We saw monkeys playing in the parks.
We walked about the Moses Mabhida Stadium, home of the 2010 World Cup, and saw Kings Park Rugby Stadium across the street. The whole sports corridor, along the waterfront was impressive, with a golf course, archery, horse racing track, and more. We drove along the 7 km waterfront from the Stadium back to the port entry, past the former Apartheid Beaches and the Golden Mile. The waterfront is beautifully landscaped with a wide brick walkway that runs the full 7 km, a series of swimming pools, wide white sand beach, and with every convenience imaginable for beach goers, bikers, walkers, and families. We walked along the boardwalk and enjoyed seeing Durban families spending their Sunday afternoon at the beach. Durban’s skyline is beautiful and extensive. It is a clean city. There is a lot of renovation and new construction. It can compete with any city in the world of a similar size, in amenities and beauty. We felt they had “dotted their i’s and crossed their t’s.” Durban is beautiful!
We walked about the Moses Mabhida Stadium, home of the 2010 World Cup, and saw Kings Park Rugby Stadium across the street. The whole sports corridor, along the waterfront was impressive, with a golf course, archery, horse racing track, and more. We drove along the 7 km waterfront from the Stadium back to the port entry, past the former Apartheid Beaches and the Golden Mile. The waterfront is beautifully landscaped with a wide brick walkway that runs the full 7 km, a series of swimming pools, wide white sand beach, and with every convenience imaginable for beach goers, bikers, walkers, and families. We walked along the boardwalk and enjoyed seeing Durban families spending their Sunday afternoon at the beach. Durban’s skyline is beautiful and extensive. It is a clean city. There is a lot of renovation and new construction. It can compete with any city in the world of a similar size, in amenities and beauty. We felt they had “dotted their i’s and crossed their t’s.” Durban is beautiful!
