South Africa (Durban)

After a great experience in Johannesburg, Bethel, and Ukutula Game Reserve, it was now time to board a bus for the 8-hour trip to Durban, a city on the coast of the Indian Ocean.

I arrived in the evening of August 26, and was picked up by a brother, Wayne, who was to be my host. I knew Wayne because he has come several times to Rwanda as part of his work. He is in a long line of Indian immigrants to South Africa, Durban in particular, which by the way is the city with the largest number of ethnic Indians outside of India.

Here is a list of things I did or places I visited over the next week:

aquarium, bird park, golf driving range, timeshare resort, water park, bowling

Oh, we also attended meetings at the Phoenix East Congregation and participated in the invitation campaign for the regional convention, to be held in mid-September. I saw the stadium where the convention would take place. It was located very close to the beach. Yes, the Indian Ocean!

Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban

Umhlanga Beach, Durban

Was the water warm, you may ask? Actually, South Africa was just at the tail end of winter, so the water was a bit cool (20 degrees Celsius). When you first get in the water, it feels chilly, but after moving around you get used to it. It is definitely not as cold as the ocean off Northern California.

I stayed with Wayne and his mom and three younger brothers. We ate plenty of seafood and Indian food, not surprisingly, including this dish called "Bunny Chow" at a restaurant. It consists of curried lamb tucked inside a cube of bread. You eat it with your hands. Mmm!

Then, on the first weekend of September, we went to a timeshare resort on the South Coast, about two hours from Durban.

Finally, on September 4, I returned to Johannesburg for the flight back to Rwanda.

Exciting trip!