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Blue Waters, Durban, South Africa

When I visited Durban last year, I had yet to have visited Miami; this is the type of hotel architecture I might have assumed would be found there. (I did end up visiting Miami for one night this past February, but that's a story for another time). The hotel rests across the street from the beach, towards the end of the boardwalk. The beach itself is a fine stretch of sand, and while I dipped my toes into the water, I wasn't prepared to swim.

I spent two nights in Durban, the first of which was a question of just getting situated after arriving from Port St. Johns. The less said about the guesthouse in which I stayed, the better; the second night I moved to much better accomodations. I spent the one full day I had walking about the city, through the botanic gardens, past the bus station and markets, en route to the city center and the museums contained therein. In the afternoon I made my way past the Durban soccer stadium to the beach, in time to catch the sunset. The World Cup had ended, and area in front of the stadium had been turned into a staging area as the city prepared to clear out the space.

For dinner, I ate at a delicious Indian restaurant where I met a charming couple who welcomed me to Durban, highlighting its best features. I lamented that I was moving on the next day to Pretoria. They offered to drive me to my guesthouse, but I told them it was just up the hill, a short walk away. They cautioned me to stay safe. We lingered at the front door to take in the night air, a brief respite before we each continued on with our evenings and our lives.