UShaka Beach and Moyo Durban- Easter Saturday

We spent the second day of our easter weekend out at the beach- this time it was UShaka beach...

For a great vibey weekend afternoon, UShaka is a gr8 place to visit- even if you dont plan on getting wet. You can easily spend a full day at the aquarium & waterpark, but we didnt go in today. We took a walk past the Phantom Ship, but chose to crash at Moyo. The Phantom Ship houses the aquarium, as well as two fantastic restuarants- The Cargo Hold(one of Durbans best- the food is great, but the company is even better- imagine fine dining in front of a massive shark tank- its even better in real life at The Cargo Hold!); and The Upper Deck(A buffet restuarant, with live entertainment). For beach side chilling, theres Cape Town Fishmarket and Moyo, both of which are great for an afternoon or evening lunch or drink.

 Put your feet up on the couch at Moyo's outdoor lounge/bar, and chill out with a cocktail[or a non-alcoholic virgin Strawberry Daquiri:-) ]... Check out the great view of Durban stretching before you, wave watching, people watching, feeling the sea breeze in your face :-)  The food is decent, the position is fantastic... and its apparently going to get even better in the coming months- Moyo is opening a satellite part of the restuarant at the end of the UShaka pier- the perfect view of Durban, and the perfect place for a sundowner...

We didnt go into UShaka's Wet n Wild water park- it was way too busy(Gauties!), so after chilling at Moyo, we ambled through the Village Walk, and then past the new(or not so new anymore) canals lining the development on Durbans Point. Theres a small line of giggling couples waiting to hop onto ''gondolas'' that ride around the canals. I wonder if they run during the evenings? (Mental note- chk before next Valentines Day).

We get caught in traffic on the way home, and it so happens that we're in the lane behind one of the ISKCON chariots- the ''Hare Krishna'' Chariot Festival is on, and the street chariot procession was on - in our lane- we stopped and walked around the festival ground and also got a plate of delicious free vegetable biryani & soji from the Food for Life tent(yummy). The place was beautiful and buzzing, tents of amazed people listening to spiritual masters discussing Vedic philosophy, stalls with interesting books, music, tasty food, and even live cows(the kiddies favourite). The festival runs over the Easter weekend every year and is well worth the visit- its a fantastic cultural display, and serves food for the soul.. and the stomach - and its free :-)

Umhlanga Beach - Durban

GOOD FRIDAY  02 April 2010

Another bright warm blue-skied day in Durbs!
We hit Umhlanga Beach by 10am... the streets already busy- GP number plates are all over the place(as with most Easter weekends/school holidays, Durban is packed with Gauties and other assorted local holiday makers). Its only about a 100m down the walkway betwen Cabana & Edge of the Sea to get to the beach.
The suns high in the sky, theres the beautiful sea breeze thats ever present, and the place is already buzzing-
didnt feel like dipping today so we strolled along the waters edge instead(We regretted not carrying our swimstuff- the water was perfect for a dip!).
Umhlanga beach has to be one of the more popular beaches north of Durban- its proximity to hotels and the suburbs makes it a perrennial favourite. I suppose golden sands, good facilities n security help too:-)
Its nice to visit out of holiday season, in the afternoon when it isnt so blistering hot! On Sundays it turns into a dog show with local pooches strutting there stuff and taking a dip :-)

Today its filled with people relaxing, tanning/sunburning, kids with buckets and nets catching crabs, afew guys trying to snorkel along the rocks(God only knows what they expect to find here), daschunds and dobermans and afew other weird nameless dogs doing even weirder things...

For those who want to go for a stroll theres a promenade that runs about 2 km north starting at the lighthouse. If you choose the sand(like we did today)- good on you- theres nothing like warm waves lapping at your feet as beach sand massages your soles... If you keep going north the beach gets abit quieter and the hotels come to an end. For another km or so, you're flanked by beautiful dunes on your left, crashing waves on your right... and then you get to the lagoon. Ive noticed that theyve now got security guards out here- not sure if its just for the holidays?

A note about the lagoon: Do not be surpised to see naked old ladies lying around the place. This spot happens to be one of Durbans unofficial nudist beach areas- (And no, I dont know where the others are!Nudism isnt too popular down here).

Coming up this far along the beach, you'll definitely leave the crowds behind- the beautiful scenery, stretches of open shoreline, the sound of crashing waves... its perfect for romantics, dreamers and soul-searchers.
The only problem is that eventually you'll have to walk back!

On the way back the beach is fulll- people everywhere. By 13h00 we're back to beach central, and peckish- you would expect there to be more bars n restuarants along the promenade but the only real restuarant on the promenade is La Spiaggia(which lies at the bottom of the walkway mentioned before)- its a fantastic place to relax and unwind with a smoothie, or a glass of wine accompanied with a pizza or pasta after a day on the beach. Its also a gr8 after work stop to grab a cappie and watch the waves.
There are a number of restuarants, mostly tucked away in the hotels that line the promenade- some with decent seaviews, but most tucked away from the beach.(Theres money to be made if someone would just pop up a beach cafe down here!)

The crowds now grown, and its not worth sticking around anymore, so with a pizza down the hatch, it was time get outta here. Not a bad start to the Easter weekend  :-)