Another Stop on the Journey

We are in Durban! What I have seen of the city leads me to believe it is like many large coastal cities; there is beautiful waterfront, skyscrapers that mark the presence of large businesses, commercial centres (big malls!), and a noticeable divide between rich and poor.

The area around the ship yard is unsafe and so the way our lives work are very different than they were in Madagascar. Instead of being able to walk out of the port and catch a ride (or just walk) you have to put on your hardhat and walk 2 minutes or less to get into a taxi. Don't worry, we don't tote around the hard hats like off duty construction workers, there is a bin to drop them off before exiting the ship yard. Once you get in the taxi you can go wherever your heart desires (within your financial restrictions). Thankfully there are lots of people who like to run so a shuttle has been arranged for anyone who wants to run in the morning. On Friday we drove about 15 minutes and got to what looked like a good place to run. On our route we found an even better place; hopefully we can start there next time. There was even a hill involved! I got particularly excited about the hill because, while Madagascar is quite hilly, there are no hills in the immediate vicinity of the port. 

The repairs have started so there are people working all the time (even on the weekend) and the ship is a little messy with all the insulation being taken out of the ceiling and set on the floor to give the workers access. 

While the inside of the ship is a mess, the view from deck 8 is just beautiful day and night.

Another nice thing about being in Durban is the food! I am getting my fill of green salads. I even got to dine at one of the nicest hotels in Durban. A few friends were staying the night and so I tagged along to have dinner. It was gorgeous! The rooms were beautiful and the view was amazing.

I felt so lucky to have been included in that excursion because it was just such a treat that I would never have indulged in if it were just me.

Apart from that, work is busier than I expect but it helps me stay out of trouble! I am done with my cleaning for today so I am off to try and make sure I don't revert back to my extreme whiteness that happens during winter. Oh yeah, "winter" in Durban is not winter at all. It is more like fall at home, and I LOVE fall, so I am thoroughly enjoying myself.

As an extremely random aside: I was especially pleased with the piping job that  can come from a plain old plastic bag! 

Have a wonderful week!