EASTER 2014

This year ranks up there as one of my more unusual Easter weekends.  One of the best was in Paris with my dear friends Don and Nancy Hamilton in 2008.  Many, many fond memories of childhood Easters with my siblings coming home with their kids, and we'd color eggs and hide them all over the front yard for my nieces and nephews to find.

I was in Durban three years ago with my friend Linda and sure have a different perspective of the city this time.  I stayed in a backpacker's place near the strange shaped high rise, near Ushaka Marine World.  Great location, very close to the beach.

My room at the "Happy Hippo"

My room was a private en suite (that means bathroom in your room, not shared), which was pricey by hostel standards, but about 1/3 of what I would have had to pay at a hotel, especially for a holiday weekend.  I bought groceries at a nearby store and ate numerous meals there, in addition to going out in the area.  On Friday I met a guy staying there from Joburg and we walked the beach area for about an hour.  On Saturday I went to the hotel where I had stayed previously and indulged in their great breakfast buffet, and that afternoon I did the three-hour bus tour of the city, and had fun with some of the other tourists on the bus.  That evening I had a great visit with a group of PCVs staying at the hostel from Lesotho.  Learned about that country, their work etc.  One of them was a young man from Fargo, who plans to learn how to sail and then spend a year sailing the oceans when he is done with service.  Ya gotta have a dream!!

The people at the reception desk strongly discouraged me from walking to church, so I took a private taxi there.  During tea following the church service, I was visiting with a woman who worked at the Y, and she kindly gave me a ride back.  Random act of kindness, yes?  Then I went to the beach and played in the ocean, then walked down to the soccer stadium.  I had an idea to climb the stairs to the top of the arch (you can also bungee jump or take a "sky car" rather than do the 536 steps) but no go as there was a soccer match going on and they close the arch during that time, so I didn't have to make a big decision on what to do.

If these photos look unlike my other photos, it's because I forgot my camera at home and so took these images from the internet!

I did feel a bit lonesome and missing my family, but was glad to have beautiful weather on a lovely beach with a few friendly faces around the hostel to brighten my Easter weekend!  I likely will return here once more before I leave.