Durban --- South Africa

  The Drakensberg area is northwest of Durban, along the border with Lesotho, and claims to have the highest points in S.A. These rocky peaks are part of what is called "Giant's Castle". If you look hard enough in the center right of the rock face, you should be able to find the door of the castle, a black square spot. What's on top of the rocks? Yes, it's that white stuff! Only occasionally can South Africans see snow in this area but we were lucky enough to be there at the right time.

   This is a beautiful area. Again, S.A. has a national park here with full facilities provided year around. Hiking trails will make every hiker drool.

  What makes this area famous, however, are the "bushman cave paintings". This is one of the examples, with animals, bushmen etc.

   Some Zulu villages are along the last part of the highway to Giant's Castle. Yes, some homes do have electricity as the wires in the fore ground show, but there is no water provided to the homes.

   On the edge of every big city in S.A., there is a shanty town, this one is outside Durban, it is the neatest shanty town we have seen on this trip.

   Howick water-fall is 196m high, located only a short distance from the city.

   At Durban Botanical Garden we encountered this cannonball tree. The big cannonball size fruits are growing on the large branches.

   At the Botanical Garden, we also encountered a lady from Taiwan, who married a South African in 1984, when mixed marriages were forbidden during the apartheid years. She was volunteering her time to serve lunches in the park for charitable causes. (She and her husband had to fly to Taiwan to get married.)

   Durban has the largest number of Indian people outside India. There is an Indian market in the center of the city. This is the spice store in the Indian market.