Happy Gatherings

After nearly two weeks of travelling through this most fascinating, friendly and beautiful country it was time to head to Durban for the real reason behind this adventure odyssey, the wedding of my mate AB. After the short flight from Port Elizabeth (or PE to the locals), it was really great to be met at Durban airport by AB, especially considering he had so many things still to do for the wedding. 

Our accommodation for our brief one night stay in Durban was the Anstey's Beach Backpackers in the Bluff, the beachside suburb south of the city where Collette's parents live. Now I remember staying in backpackers in '91 when I travelled through Europe with AB and Robbo. They are not necessarily the most upmarket of accommodation options available to the world traveller, especially for a family so I wasn't sure if he was trying to relive old times or what! Needless to say, the name (and its associated connotations) meant that any concerns we may have had were unfounded. Our flat (no dormitories for us here) was clean, well appointed and had views of the ocean. There was also a wonderful cafe owned and run by Heidi, a 19 year old surfer who has turned here hand to catering with exceptional results - Leanne and Ash said her cupcakes were to die for. 10 points to AB and Collette for finding it for us! 

Dinner that night continued the theme of uncertain expectations. Collette had arranged for everyone to meet at her favourite restaurant, Buds on the Bay. Being so many of us, taxis had been arranged to pick us up and take us there. Now the uncertainty started with the taxi drivers and their complete lack of knowledge of where we were going! Guided by Rob and his (hopefully) knowledgeable iPhone GPS, we found our selves battling with container trucks, forklifts and NO OTHER PUBLIC TRAFFIC WHATSOEVER down by the docks. I'm not talking Darling Harbour or V&A, more like Port Kembla or Port Botany! Convinced we were about to hand over a kidney at the end of our journey, I could only hang on to the slim advice AB had given us that if we think we were in the wrong place then we actually in the right place. With this in mind (and ONLY this), I was convincing myself  that we absolutely had to be in the right place!! Sure enough, Rob and his GPS prevailed and we arrived at our destination, kidneys intact!! 

I was expecting to see pirates and brigands there and despite its rather dubious location, we had a great evening catching up with friends old and new. I tried a Durban specialty, Larney Prawn Bunnies. The dish originates from times when the local indian population were not allowed to eat at restaurants so they had their curries served to them in hollowed out loaves of bread. Larney is a South African term for posh or expensive (relating to the prawns in the curry). Apparently the dish I had served up was not the best example of a bunny but it was tasty all the same (and as we were starting to learn about South African dining, everything is served with chips!!) 

The journey home was far less nerve wracking as our taxi drivers arrived on time and seemed to know their way home. In all a terrific start to what was going to be a terrific weekend.