Travel to South Africa 2011- Beginning of trip with Maya

Woo hoo I'm finally on Spring Break!  It's the first time since I've been in Singapore that I'm staying put.  I'm happy with that choice. :)

Two years ago for Spring Break, I made the trip on Malaysia Airlines to Johannesburg, South Africa.  Johannesburg was my connection before I took a commuter flight from Johannesburg to Durban, South Africa.  In Durban I met Maya, who was working on a Fulbright Scholarship in South Africa at the time (March 2011).  The flight from Singapore to Johannesburg was great.  It was a 10 hour trip that connected in Kuala Lumpur, Mayalsia and then flew straight across the Indian Ocean to Africa.  Malaysia Airlines was a much better flight option to me than other airlines that connected in Dubai and then flew to Africa.  At one point in our mostly direct flight to Africa, the pilot suggested we look out the window at Madagascar as we were flying over it.  How exciting it was to be traveling to Africa for the first time and seeing places I've always wanted to see!  I let the guy next to me on the plane know of my excitement.

It was wonderful to have Maya meet me at the airport in Durban (East Coast of Africa).  She had rented a car to drive back to where she was staying in Durban and the drive from the airport to her place was an interesting one.  We passed through what I guess you would say is "downtown" Durban and two years later, I remember the scenery looking dingy and very different than Singapore (of course).  Whenever you're in a different country, there is always a different "feel" as an outsider, and the feel of Durban was new, a little dreary, and also a place I was happy that I didn't have to live alone.  At one in the afternoon on a Saturday there looked like there were shops that were closed/gated up, people and trash on the streets, separate buses for black and white people (Maya explained this to me), and then on the side streets, gated houses.  As we approached Maya's cute ranch-looking house, all the houses around, including hers, were gated and alarmed due to high crime.  As I had heard about high car thefts and violence in South Africa, I inferred that this was the reality of living here.  Just watch out and be safe.

Maya's house was lovely!  A nice little kitty greeted us when we drove up and it looked very healthy and friendly.  Maya had wanted to keep the cat, but we think it was the neighbor's.  I was exhausted from the jet lag and traveling, so we chilled together, caught up a bit, and Maya prepared some yummy South African dinner that's like a stew and I'll have to remember what it's called- I think mutton bredie.  There was a lot of great food along the East Coast of Africa, including many Indian influences like curry because of the proximity of India to the East Coast of South Africa.  A lot of the food was rich and fattening, so by the end of the trip, it was a bit much for my system.  The rooms in Maya's house were lovely and it felt really nice to be in a house with your best friend in a different country!  Maya was sharing this house with another Fulbright recipient and her sixteen year old daughter.  I was glad Maya had other people in the house with her to share in her Fulbright experience (the house did get broken into later on, but luckily nothing happened to anyone).

Setting out on our road trip along the The Elephant Coast 

The red soiled earth

After rest and recuperation, Maya and I set out for a road trip along the East Coast, called The Elephant Coast.  The Elephant Coast runs from the iMfolozi River in the South to the Mozambique border in the North. It's called the Elephant Coast because this area, also called KwaZulu-Natal, has the highest volume of elephants in South Africa, outside of Kruger Park (another game reserve in the Northeast corner of South Africa and on the border of Zimbabwe and Mozambique).  This road trip was amazing!  Maya and I had loaded up the car with "mix tapes" and my favorite CD was "The Lion King" musical since I had just seen the musical in Singapore with Nadiah the week before I set out on this trip.  I had also purchased a new camera so I was playing around and documenting just about *everything* as we drove, including the long stretches of smooth highway (courtesy China and putting money into South Africa for the World Cup), the circular huts, the skinny trees, and the red soiled Earth.  There were new sights all around.

The circular houses

Skinny South African trees

Our first destination by car (Maya was an excellent driver and tour guide) was the Hluhluwe/Umfolozi Park/Game Reserve, where we would go on safaris and stay in huts on the campground.  I'll write about that next...just to prepare you, the weather was nice and dry, there were a lot of bugs and monkeys, and there were *so* many stars in the sky.  Being in the African savannah did feel like the Lion King...and it's something to do in your lifetime, if you enjoy nature and animals.  Will write more about this next time!  So far....South Africa....an amazing place.  And that's only the first two days.

Our hut on the Hluhluwe/Umfolozi Game Reserve