I remember that night. The meeting time at the airport was 11 p.m. but at 7 p.m., I was still in Ayutthaya. My bag wasn’t packed. I was so drowsy. With all pressing schedules, most of my work and leisure trips have gone off unprepared lately, but for this trip I was less prepared than ever. I didn’t even have time to do any research about this place called Durban, my destination. But on the upside, it might be better this way, because the experiences are as pure as it gets, and all you have to do is just go with the flow.
After visiting Morocco two years ago, I have to admit that this is not what I expect from Africa. And even when I heard something like the Zulu Kingdom before, I imagined the place to be more…rustic. More ethnic. But it turned out to be something very different.
Although we didn’t spend so much time in the city, but from our excursions, I can say that Durban has something for everyone. It is also a good start for those who want to experience every aspect of South Africa, from the safari, the game drives, the surf, the vineyards, the hippos, the zulu, the nightlife, and the luxury… everything you imagine about this country (well, except for the Table Mountain, that one you need to head to Cape Town). You can actually wrap them all in just one trip here. Plus the zegways!
And it’s actually greener than you think 🙂
(And since we went with Qatar Airways this time, we also had a quick stop in Doha, which seem to have a lot of cool architectures. Have to come back some time soon to check this place out)
