Durban, South Africa

January 22^nd, 2025

This is our second visit to Durban. And a chance to get together with friends we had missed the first time we were here.

When I tried to look out to see what the weather was doing outside, it was hard to look though the window, it was caked in sea spray from the storm last night.

The Nelson Mandela Cruise Terminal is a beautiful modern building. However, there are no shops or an ATM machine, and all of the signs make it look like an MSC building, there is no mention of any other cruise lines. We feel like interlopers here.

We were greeted by Zulu dancers as we left the terminal.

Back in the 1980s when we lived in South Africa, we used to go and hear a band called Jaluka. Their lead singer, Johnny Clegg, always did some wonderful Zulu dancing. We were lucky enough to hear Johnny and his band at several venues around the US and Canada. I always loved his Zulu dancing. Johnny has gone now, but it was wonderful to see the dancers and it brought back very happy memories of Jaluka days.

Our friends picked us up from the port, and we stopped by an interesting little café on the Durban waterfront

Before heading north to a fantastic seafood restaurant, Jack’s Salmon, in the suburb of Glen Ashley. The prawns were excellent, but still not the peri peri prawns that we are searching the world to find. Still the view of the ocean and the great company were  wonderful so we had a good time, and managed to stay out of the rain. There is something incredibly special about spending time with friends who you have known since childhood. The connection remains so strong.

It was a very rainy day, so no chance of a walk along the beach before heading back to the port.

The rain continued as we got back to the ship and we had to splash through the puddles. We were totally soaked by the time we got back on board.

The rain showed no signs of stopping, so the planned deck party was moved indoors to the Club.

I love deck parties, dancing the night away under the stars is hard to beat. But as I love to dance, after dinner we joined the party in the Club. We must be getting old as the music in the Club was way too loud, and it really wasn’t enjoyable. We had met up with another couple by the pool a few days ago and they joined us for a drink, but it was impossible to talk, so we abandoned the non deck party and retired to the Observation Bar.

In the Bar Robert was playing the guitar and it was great to sit back, enjoy the music and talk. All very civilized.

We had a spectacular view of the lightening all around us and the torrential rain outside the windows.

Sail away was planned for 10:30 PM, but by 11:00 it was still raining and we showed no signs of moving. We sat talking in the Bar until way past midnight, and then finally off we set into the very dark and rainy night.

We found out that the delay was because the road to the port was flooded, and the linesmen could not get to the port to let go our lines. So there we were stuck in Durban.

We couldn’t see anything out of the windows as we sailed away, the rain was still coming down in torrents. I looked forward to another stormy night at sea.