27 June 2011

{Guest Post} Taryn Leigh

I was so happy when Taryn from Taryn Leigh agreed to guest post for me while I was away.  Taryn is one of those people whose positivity and zest for life shines through every aspect of her blog and I love reading about her opinions on fashion, fitness and travel (both in South Africa and abroad!).  She's currently living and working in Cape Town with her boyfriend, but is originally from Durban so I thought she would be the perfect person to recount some of her favorite things about the city.  Thanks so much for posting Taryn!

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Hi there J I’m so excited to be guest posting today while Jenna’s away in Natal! She asked me to post about Durban as she will be down there for a holiday and so here goes…
I grew up in Durban, and although I now live in Cape Town after going to university here at Stellenbosch University, and staying on for career purposes, I still go home every couple of months to see my parents and family who all still live there J
I loved growing up in Durbs, it has the most gorgeously tropical weather all year round and it’s always the warmest place to be in winter with lovely sunny days!  It’s on the East Coast of South Africa and so it’s lucky enough to be on the Indian Ocean, with beautifully warm water too (unlike much of the rest of the country)! I’ve put together a list of 10 of my favourite places in Durbs, some are old favourites from childhood and some I love going to on my visits home – all of them though are a must if you happen to visit one day!

1. Ushaka Marine World – this combines Wet ‘n Wild (which is a collection of water slides much like Sun City), The Aquarium – with some great shows(including dolphin's, penguins and seals) and a daily shark feed; as well as a varied selection of restaurants!

2. Moses Mabhida Stadium – this played host to many of the Soccer World Cup games and has now been turned into a huge tourist attraction! You can either take a walk up the arch that goes right over the top or jump off “the big swing” from the top of the arch into the stadium!

3. Umhlanga Main Beach – this is still my favourite beach of all, but then I am biased as I grew up in Umhlanga, which is about 20 minutes north of Durban city centre!

4. Durban Botanical Gardens – this plays host to some great concerts on Sunday afternoons, but even if there are no concerts on, it’s always a beautiful spot to have a romantic picnic at.

5. Mozambique Peri Peri – this is by far my favourite restaurant in Durban! It’s in Durban North and they serve a choice of either Mozambique peri peri prawns or chicken – simple yet awesome!

6. Florida Road is one of my favourite streets in terms of restaurants – they have some of Durban’s greatest restaurants, my favourite of which is an age old favourite called Spiga D’Oro!

7. Gateway Theatre of Shopping is a must visit! At the time it was built was the largest shopping centre in the Southern Hemisphere – I’m not sure if it still is or not but it has Durban’s best shops and is beautifully laid out and it’s still one of my favourite shopping centres.

8. Have a good old Durban Curry!

9. Enjoy a leisurely breakfast at Circus Circus Café on the beachfront!

10. Watch a Sharks rugby game at Mr Price Kings Park Stadium – there is honestly nowhere in South Africa that can match it in terms of post-match festivities!

3 comments:

  1. Food from Mozambique?! I'm dying to try that!
    Taryn great post! This just confirms yet again why i NEED to visit your country :-) And of course check out Durban :)

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  2. Seems like a lovely city. I'm jealous of the weather and the warm-water beaches!

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  3. Oh what memories this brought up for me. I grew up in Scottburgh (45mins from Durban) and am a VERY long way from home, now living in New York. My family and I used to eat at Circus Circus ALL THE TIME and I still remember the meringues they used to put in the chocolate milkshakes!
    GO SHARKS!

    www.saffakate.blogspot.com

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Thanks for the love!