Day 1 and 2: uShaka and Tala

On Sunday, S and I drove to uShaka Marine World, a huge marine theme park with aquariums and live shows. There's a touristy feel here, with the retail and restaurant area done up in "African" theme (thatched huts, etc.). On entering the park, we saw two shows: a mid-morning feeding of African penguins (who knew they aren't strictly South Pole dwellers?), and a dolphin show where they do tricks. The main aquarium is beautiful, set inside an old cargo ship with huge floor-to-ceiling windows that feature all manner of aquatic life. Particularly beautiful were the jellyfish in cylindrical glass tanks.

As it was sunny and humid, we decided to go to the wet-and-wild side of the park. Tip: if you go, bring your own lock for the storage lockers. The lazy river is fabulous, lying on a figure-8 shaped inner tube while the slow current takes you around the park. We also tried some of the waterslides and wading pools. A nice way to beat the heat.

S took me to Gateway, a huge mall in Umhlanga that's just as shiny and nice as malls in Canada. It's in stark contrast to the townships nearby where huge numbers of people live in shacks made from corrugated tin. We did some grocery shopping at Woolworths, an upscale supermarket with organic produce and a lot of tasty prepared food. Prices here are high by local standards but still cheaper than in Toronto. Back home, we prepared a couscous salad and ate dinner out on the balcony overlooking the Indian Ocean.

The next day, S was working at the university, so C and I made a day trip to the Tala Private Game Reserve, about an hour north of Umdloti. At the gate, a big sign said "Cash not accepted" so we had to pay the entrance fee with a credit card, then received a map. The “roads” are mostly dirt trails and our little Chico hatchback bravely handled the bumps and ditches. Keeping an eye out for animals was easy as there weren't a lot of trees; within a half hour, we saw antelope, zebras, warthogs, ostriches and giraffes! The building next to the Aloe Lodge features a restaurant (which was being renovated) but we ate in the adjacent room where they had set the tables. I had a nice grilled kingklip fillet and tried malvah pudding, a traditional South African dessert. It's a spongecake made with apricot jam.

One thing you immediately notice when driving on the highways are the people walking along the side of the road. Many minivan taxis drop people off on the side of the road, because that is where the trail is up to their township. The speed limit is 120 km/h and the right lane (the fast lane) is filled with crazy drivers who come right up behind you and make you pull aside. Another novelty are the people sitting or standing up in the flatbed of trucks on their way to work. Needless to say, all this combines into a high pedestrian-vehicle accident rate.

Complete set of South Africa pictures in my Flickr set.