Our third day in South Africa, we took an early flight to Durban, where we met our guide for the area and the vehicle to transfer us to the St. Lucia Estuary for a game viewing cruise, before continuing to Hluhluwe for the night.
The drive from Durban to St. Lucia was approximately three hours, so Im not sure whether the flight to the Durban airport was because its the only available major airport in the area, or if it was to provide us with a tour of the area. I have to admit that being in Zulu country was exciting, the Zulu having been such a major influence in this part of the country, and Shaka having been such an unforgettable character. I understand that hes still revered in these parts.
Although beautiful country, the pastoral countryside was not what I was expecting. But there were remnants of some of the old customs in the small round huts that are occasionally seen. According to our guide, they are still preferred by the old generation who believe that in a round building spirits cannot trap them in a corner. Makes sense.
by an advertisement for Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. Wow! Its not that I would be so selfish as to wish to deprive the Zulu of yummy doughnuts, but it brought home the fact that globalization is more spread out than we realize.
Our first sightseeing stop after landing was a short stop to view the Indian Ocean. The beach was beautiful, but we were warned not to dip more than our toes. The surf was strong, as was found out by one of who didnt pay enough attention and ended up sitting in the water. There was also always the possibility of unfriendlies lurking in the shallows. After all, supposedly some sharks even make it into the estuary.
It was also windy, enough to make the powdery golden sand swirl and fly around and, as we saw in the Peninsula, some of the trees had that sideways lean from growing in constant strong wind.
After our short beach visit, the lunch break was on main street, St. Lucia. My friend and I were not hungry, so we decided to explore a cute shopping square, and to relax in the sunshine. At 2 oclock we headed to
the nearby dock to board the two level boat that was taking us on our game viewing cruise of the St. Lucia Estuary.
The cruise was our first close encounter with some of the wildlife in South Africa in their natural habitat. We were excited as children as we spotted first some yes, a head, and then more and more until whole pods appear in front of our eyes. We didnt see any out of the water, probably because the grass was very high and obscured the shoreline.
Although the main attraction was the Hippopotami that were abundant in the water, we found ourselves often distracted by the land animals on the extensive Savannah beyond the waters. Distant views of elephants and zebras were scintillating reminders of what was in the following days. Alas, we didnt see any crocodiles this time, probably for the same reason that the grass along the banks was too high. We did see some large lizards that are supposedly a favorite meal of crocodiles.
Afterwards, and excited about what lay ahead of us, we continued our journey towards Hluhluwe and our hotel for the evening, The Anew Hotel Hluhluwe
