25 June 2011

{Guest Post} Second Floor Living

I'm so excited to have Megan here today from Second Floor Living posting on one of the recent trips she and her boyfriend took to the east coast of South Africa (where Jurgen and I are headed now :)  Megan has quickly become one of my bloggy besties and I love her positive, yet hilariously sarcastic outlook on life.  Funny enough, Meg and I have recently discovered that we actually live just about 30 minutes drive from eachother so we are planning to meet up one of these weekends - I have a feeling that we'll hit it off right away :)  Thanks so much for posting Megan!

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Hello there all you lovely people who enjoy reading Home Away from Home.
I am thrilled to be here today. Really, I'm squealing with joy. Luckily you can't hear me.
Jenna here asked me to write something about travelling. 
I'm an avid wayfarer.
 like Johnny Appleseed.
without all the walking.

Me and two of my besties

A while ago, over Easter, my boy/best friend and I went on a trip to Umhlanga, KwaZulu-Natal.
We flew down to the coast, so unfortunately I don't have any tall tales about all the sights we saw, or what we would have seen if we had roadtripped.
But a place to stop along the way is most definitely Harrismith, the tail of the Drakensberg.
The surroundings are gorgeous and a stop at the Wimpy for a coffee is a must.
But take something fairly warm, because no matter the time of the year, it's always nippy.
Photo by Biebie de Vos
 Okay, so now we have fast forwarded quite a few kilometres, and we are in Umhlanga. It's about 15 km outside Durban, and not as bustling as the much larger city.
Fast forward a few days, and you will find me in tears,
sobbing
because somehow, all our photos from the trip got deleted.
But I still have all the memories imprinted on my brain's memory card.

A must see is the lighthouse! It's beautiful, especially early morning or late afternoon, with the sun glowing a gorgeous magenta and coral hue, with hints of periwinkle.
It's such a treat to wake up early, like 5:30ish at the sea and watch the brilliance as God paints his canvas across the dark sky.

Photo by Alan Kolnik. Probably mid-afternoonish.

But a person's got to eat right?
And I have learned not to judge a book by its cover.
We ate at Hooters. Yes, Hooters Hooters
And it was delicious!
And it being the coast, we indulged in our fervor for seafood.
We also pigged out at Lord Prawn and Box on the Beach, which are in close vicinity to each other and the lighthouse. (I couldn't find any nice website to link to)
We had a toothless old and deaf waiter at Lord Prawn, who was difficult to understand, but trying to decipher what he said provided some great entertainment.
Speaking of entertainment, if you grow tired of sunbathing and swimming, Ushaka Marine World is not too far away.


It has a massive aquarium inside a 'shripwreck' and an amazing waterpark. You also have the opportunity to see a dolphin show and a seal show. I got quite emotional when we watched this, it was staggering!
Lastly, a must see and do is the Moses Mabhida sky car ride. I have a bewildering fear of heights, but I did it, just for the experience. I believe that everyone should try everything once. I would also recommend taking a rickshaw ride, which is super fun!

And that's a wrap on my very first ever trip to Durban, where memory could serve.

4 comments:

  1. I following 2nd floor living and through this post I found your blog. I love that our "stories" are so similar, except totally switched around. I am a travel addicted South African who came to the states and ended up staying once I found the love of my life.
    I love your blog!

    www.saffakate.blogspot.com

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  2. I just started following Megan's blog and found myself here! I'm also from Southern California and am very jealous you are living over seas :)

    That was one of my dreams too, but I ended up marrying a fellow Californian, so we'll be staying in the states.

    I'm your newest follower!

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  3. hi Jenna, i've just come over from Megs blog and have loved the guest post sesh total. so exciting that you will be there too, it's a dream for me that one day i'll step on that soil and witness these magical spots 1st hand. and Megan, i've had the same thing happen with photos, it's heartbreaking for sure but you're right the memories live on and those you can "see" whenever you want! cheers girls, great collabz. ♥

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  4. Hey Jenna, thanks so much for having me over. Hope you guys are having a killer time. And I can't wait to finally meet you one day.

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Thanks for the love!