sri lanka: colombo

When you look up places to visit and things to do in Sri Lanka, the capital city of Colombo is almost never on any list. I had two reasons for putting it on my itinerary: one, it is the capital city, and two, I saw a couple photos on social media of sights that were different from what else I'd seen in the country.

Colombo isn't a city you think of when you think of Sri Lanka, or its culture. Over the days I was there I saw Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim worship places. I saw high end markets and malls, as well as street vendors. It's a city with anything you want, in terms of shopping.

Wikipedia tells me the Colombo metropolitan area has a population of 5.6 million people, while the city proper is just over 750,000.

The history of Colombo didn't seem very specific to me. That is, Wikipedia tells me traders from a variety of countries were aware of the area as far back as 2000 years ago, because it has a natural harbour. The first Portuguese arrived in 1505, which is the start of the colonial history. The Dutch came next, then the British.

Ceylon gained official independence in 1948, at which time pretty much everything about the city changed, proper names in particular. There were changes in laws and customs and clothing styles.

In 1972 the name of the country was changed from Ceylon to Sri Lanka.

As usual, it took me longer to get moving from my place in Galle than I'd imagined in my head. I ended up on an air-conditioned bus to Colombo. Normally I hate paying extra for that luxury, but since the bus was stuck in traffic for much of the ride, I was glad I did this time. It took nearly four hours to get to the main bus station in Colombo.

As I left the bus station a million tuk tuk drivers approached me, I chose one. He initially asked for 2000 rupees to get me to my accomodation, sighting all kinds of reasons: traffic, he is poor, it was a long way, etc... 

I agreed on 500 rupees, which he eventually agreed to as well. I knew this was a reasonable rate, I refuse to pay a tourist price if I know better. That didn't stop him from hassling me throughout the entire ride, even at the end. I pointed out to him there was none of the traffic he spoke about, it wasn't that far, and he agreed to the price. Sigh. I am not a human ATM and hate being looked at that way.

Checking into my guesthouse was easy. Like many business oriented Sri Lankans, the owner spoke really good English, which was convenient for me. I rested for a while, and charged the battery of my phone.

When I'd looked at the map before coming to Colombo I was excited to see one of my favourite brands had at least two branches in Colombo, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. I first had this brand when I lived in Seoul, and I've loved it ever since. They have fantastic chai lattes, made with actual tea. (Starbucks simply froths the milk and adds flavoured syrup, there is no tea involved.) Imagine my disappointment when I got there and they told me they were out of chai lattes. I could see the ingredients behind the counter, so I was a bit confused, but whateva. The chocolate mousse cake was everything I remembered it being.

I kept going, coming to a small lake, there was a small temple in the middle. The temple was quite nice, very simple. You have to take off your shoes to visit, which wasn't a problem, especially since I could see I wasn't going to be walking on hot sand this time.

This temple had a single stupa, and the main building was surrounded by rows of Buddhas. The small temple juxtaposed with the modern skyscrapers behind was impressive.

Futher along the banks of this lake was a park in the middle of the lake. It was quite lame, though I liked the way the bridge to get there looked. 

As it was hot and humid out, there weren't many people hanging out, even though part of the park was covered.

I stopped at a random place for food, and ended up paying what I thought was a ridiculous price, 280 rupees. I don't know if I overpaid, or they charged me for two separate things even though it was served as a single meal. By comparison some of my earlier meals had cost me 120 rupees for the same food, or even more.

It took quite a bit of walking to get to my next destination. The walk took me through the city itself, not the touristy areas. That didn't stop someone from trying to chat me up and direct me to a specific shop. 

When I said I had no interest in shopping he was quite offended. He said he worked for the government tourist office, then told me the place I was intending to go was behind security walls, and not safe. I've heard that before, almost always false. I hate this kind of tout more than others. Don't present yourself as something you're not. I have no idea if Sri Lanka even has a government tourist office.

I passed a black and white painted lighthouse, which was quite small, and looked like it wasn't still in use. There was a memorial on one side, the whole thing was very photogenic.

The place I'd wanted to see was finally in view at that point: a Buddhist temple that looked more like a rocket ship than anything else. The top was a curved dome, and it was on stilts, so a visitor has to climb a number of stairs to get to the entry door. It was open, and no one was around, so I don't know how often the temple is used. Unique architecture, to say the least. The views from the top of the stairs were great.

I got back to the main roads of the city, and stopped briefly into one of Colombo's million and a half tea shops. Though the tea is grown in the mountains, the main sales points are in the big cities. I realized there were plenty of flavours available, and made a point to come back when I was more in the mood to shop. 

Plus it was getting late and I wanted to keep going.

More walking took me through a market area I hadn't been aware of ahead of time. People on the streets moving merchandise around. Stalls selling everything on the streets. Stores lining the streets. Gajillions of people walking everywhere. It was super crowded, but I didn't feel hassled for being a foreigner, which was nice.

I finally got to the second place I'd really wanted to see, the Red Mosque. Also called the Friday Mosque, as it is one of the main mosques in the city. Unfortunately, I'd taken too long to do various things during the day, meaning I arrived at the mosque a few minutes after visiting hours for tourists were over. 

The guy working the reception desk assured me I could come back the next day, no problem.

I walked home, getting to see a beautiful sunset along the way. The full rainbow of colours, including purple. That's something rarely mentioned when Colombo is presented. On the way back I stopped in another coffee/tea shop and took my chances with a chai latte, which turned out to be amazing. Their cake was pretty darn good too ;)

When I got back to my accomodation I discovered the power had gone out. It ended up being out most of the night, which made it a very long night. 

No power means no fan, which is tough in a hot, humid country. I can deal with heat, but without the fan it was really hard. The mozzies had a field day with me. Sigh.

The next day I went to the other branch of Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, they said the same thing about not having chai lattes. I was frustrated, since again I could see the ingredients on the shelves with the barista.

Oh well, I went back to the same place I'd had success the night before. Yay!

From there I walked back to the Red Mosque, only to be informed that I couldn't visit until 1500, because it was Friday. I'm fully aware that Friday is the most important day of the week for Muslims, but being told yet again to come back later had me irritated. Just in case, I wrote down 1500 and asked ok? The guy said yes.

From there I walked toward a series of three Hindu temples. All three were very colourful, with both paint and offerings creating all that colour. There were stalls outside the temples selling offerings, in case I wanted to add my own. I didn't, but still took a minute to enjoy the atmosphere inside and outside each temple.

The streets of Colombo are busy. All the time. Busy busy busy. Sometimes it is more vehicular traffic, sometimes it is more pedestrian. But either way, heaps of people all the time.

I walked to a touristy area, meaning the business comes from foreigners, not locals. I saw a whole lot of white folks, not many locals looking around.

The old Dutch hospital has been redeveloped into a market and restaurant area for foreigners. I was rather disappointed, there was nothing particularly unique to see. Just shops and cafes.

Since I was relatively close at that point, and didn't want to walk too far away, I went back to the tea shop I'd stepped in quickly the day before. I bought two tins of tea, hoping the flavour taste turned out as good as it smelled. (Side note, I had it when I got back to Moscow, and it was.)

I went back to the Red Mosque at 1500, they told me to wait another hour. I admit it, I got mad at that point. I told my story of being told to come back several times, and each time being told to come back later. 

I don't mind having specific hours to visit, but why didn't the people telling me this have their stories straight? It can't be that hard to sort out a clock.

I was allowed in, after donning a full body robe. The ironic part is that I was only allowed into a small area of the mosque. A very very small area. I could see nothing new from where I was allowed to go than I'd been able to see from the reception desk. So annoyed. I didn't see a prayer area, so letting me in earlier wouldn't have interrupted anyone. Sigh.

While walking out of the area I stopped for snacks. Snacks are always good, though not always necessary.

I had two pieces of burfi, an Indian sweet. I also had a fruit salad with ice cream, and a fish roll. Good food, but probably not the best idea to eat a fish roll right after dessert.

I went to another major city sight: another Buddhist temple. Gangaramaya temple is on all the tourist lists, but I wasn't as impressed as I wanted to be. To me it just seemed like a big collection of Buddhas. The actual prayer area was quite small, the rest was just rooms with religious painting and Buddhas everywhere. I was probably just in a bad mood by then, but it didn't stick well in my mind. It didn't help that security on the way in took everything out of my purse, then got upset when it took me a minute to put it all back in the way it had been.

On the way home I stopped by a war memorial, which was an obelisk in a small park. Not a whole lot of people seemed interested in this one, but that's probably because the park was in the middle of traffic.

Thank goodness my guesthouse had power that night. A properly turning fan felt soooo good.

The next morning I went back to the same place as the day before for breakfast: Tea Avenue. Who says there is anything wrong with double chocolate cheesecake and an (unsweetened!!) chai latte for breakfast?

After eating and drinking I walked to the national museum. It's an impressive building, definitely built by colonialists.

I didn't go in, as I've seen history museums of places with colonial history. None of them are that different from each other.

From there it wasn't far to Independence Square. It's an impressive open air pavilion built to commemorate national independence in 1948. It is built at the official spot where the formal ceremony marking self rule took place. Go figure, this ceremony involved a British official opening a new Sri Lankan Parliament session. 

As the day was hot and humid (as is every day in Sri Lanka,) there were lots of people taking advantage of the shade, relaxing and hanging out with each other. 

The entire base of the pavilion was surrounded with stone carvings of elephants, which reminded me of the big temple in Anuradhapura. There was a museum in the basement area of this pavilion, but I skipped that too.

I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt. I point this out because my next interaction was with a lady telling me to wear more clothes. We were not in a religious setting, I was just on the street. I was annoyed because it felt like she was telling me this for safety reasons, not religious reasons. I don't know how to describe it, but it felt like she was victim blaming me for being a foreigner, and not covering myself enough, even though I was not a victim. Sigh. 

When women themselves blame women for what they're wearing, rape culture will never end. Sigh.

After another long walk, I got to a shop run by the Sri Lankan Tea Board. I ended up buying just two tins of tea, but I wanted a lot more. I saw many of the brands I'd already seen, as well as heaps more. So many choices. The only thing stopping me from buying more was the awareness that it takes a while to get through 100grams of loose tea leaves, especially when you drink just one cup a day. I love seeing tea from single estates, and smaller companies.

At that point I was basically done with everything I'd wanted to see/do in Colombo. The rest of the day I just wandered. My dinner came from several different places, and I took photos of street life. Eventually I got to the coast, which is where the train tracks run. I've heard that the train from Colombo to Galle is very scenic, maybe I'll get to ride it one day. I've also heard that I need to book it well ahead of time in order to have a seat that allows me to see the beautiful scenery. All those social media influencers and people who properly plan their holidays take the good spots well in advance.

On my way back to my accomodation I stopped in Tea Avenue for another visit, to pick up goodies for the road. I got slices of cheesecake, not really thinking about how much they'd melt when not kept in a fridge. (I discovered that mess when I got up in the middle of the night to catch a taxi to the airport.)

Getting to the airport was easy, as was check-in. The lady said my carryon weighed too much, so I took stuff out of it to show her, then put it all right back in. The people before and behind me in line did the same thing.

The flight took off late, but what did I care?

I would love to come back to Sri Lanka, but I don't know when it will happen.

the States: illinois: chicago and the burbs

The start to this time in Chicago was a bit more stressful than usual, what with Kelley's phone needing to be dealt with immediately. After she and I came back from Indiana, we talked with Jon and figured out what we do that evening and how to do it.

Fortunately, there was an Apple store not too far away, so that was the first stop of the evening. It being an Apple store it was also a bit of a playland for lots of adults. (Side note: these stores turn into total chaos when a new iPhone version comes out, do NOT go shopping for anything Apple during that time.)

Kelley was told she would be called soon, and she needed to show up within 15 minutes of the call. We also needed to do some grocery shopping, and that was too far away to guarantee getting back within 15 minutes. So Jon and I went off to do the shopping at Walmart while Kelley waited in the Apple store.

Grocery shopping with a list of items needed by Kelley at work is an adventure. Normally I'm not a fan of places like Walmart, but her list was so varied that this is one of the few places that has everything on the list. Plain Greek yogurt, coloured aquarium rocks, vegetable oil, bird seed, etc... It was fun, and we cleaned out the plain Greek yogurt section.

We got back to pick up Kelley with perfect timing, only having to wait about 10 minutes. From there the two of them picked up dinner (I was still full from my Fair Oaks stop earlier in the day,) and we drove home.

The next day I did a whole lot of nothing. When Jon and Kelley left for work (at different times,) I was either still asleep or on the couch watching a marathon of Law & Order: SVU. When they came home, I was on the couch, still watching episodes. Cable TV is great.

Somehow, I managed to do the same thing two days in a row. I'm sure whateva show I was watching was different, but I was still sitting on the couch much of the day. Now I'm fully aware of how it is sooooo easy to gain weight in the States. It's a lot harder to be active, to move around. It's a lot easier to sit around and not do much of anything.

On the 8^th of July I decided I should actually do something, or see something. At some point I'd searched on a travel app and found that there is a cafe named after me in Chicago, so that seemed like something I should do.

I went with Kelley to work, then hopped on a metra train from there. When I use the name Chicago, I'm referring to the city, and usually to the suburbs as well. It's a HUGE area. Only people from this area, when talking to other people from this area, make the distinction as to which suburb or neighborhood they're talking about.

I could've taken a train from their suburb, but the timing was far less convenient. About an hour later I got off the train at Clybourn station, and started walking. (Google maps told me I could catch buses from the metra station, but I wanted to walk.) It took me a while, but I got to Eva's Cafe easily enough.

I wasn't as impressed as I'd hoped to be. Other than the name on the sign out front, there wasn't anything with 'my' name on it. No cups as far as I could see. After asking how it was made, my chai latte came in a paper cup with a generic logo, not an Eva's Cafe logo. Darnit. While I was waiting I asked how the name is pronounced, and found out that the owner says it the same way I do, but most people in the shop say it with a long E sound, because that's what Americans do. Argh.

After my drink I kept walking, and made my way to downtown Chicago. I aimed toward Lakeshore Drive, one of the most identifiable parts of the city.

There are tiny beaches there, but I'm glad I hadn't brought my bikini because the place was super packed. How is that fun for anyone? I've been on crowded beaches before, but at least the beach itself is big, or has something else going for it. This was just small, and crowded. I wouldn't even have been able to lay down and soak up sun!

There is a road along the lake, (Lakeshore Drive,) and there is a path along the road. The path is for walking, running, cycling, etc... That's where I walked. My original plan had been to follow the path to Navy Pier, but I didn't leave myself enough time.

While I was walking I noticed at least one group of people I'm assuming were a bachelorette party group.

Instead of walking out to Navy Pier, I walked under an underpass. There was a sign under there, something about creating or building a new Chicago. I like this Chicago well enough thanks, no need to change it.

At this point I realized I would be cutting it really close on time to make the train I wanted. In other words, uh oh. I walked quickly, but it ended up not being quite fast enough. I shouldn't have taken so long in 'my' cafe.

Downtown Chicago is a land of skyscrapers, the skyline is on many a postcard or photo. There is a river running through this part of the city, which is turned green every year on the 17^th of March, and was turned blue after the Cubs won the World Series of baseball. There are shops and cafes and offices and construction.

I ended up missing the train I wanted by just minutes, so I found another that would get me close to home. (I'd originally planned to go back to Kelley's work.) Thankfully, that train ran on time and there were no delays in route. Kelley picked me up at the station, it didn't take long to get home.

That evening we went out with friends of Kelley and Jon to the neighboring town of Libertyville. The food was pretty good, but I still have a hard time finding a small taco to be worth $5. Oh well, I'm glad I went out with them. After eating they dropped me off at home and went to a microbrewery with fun sounding beers. I was exhausted, (doing very little somehow managed to exhaust me,) and since I couldn't have any of the beers, I opted out.

The next day we all took our time getting moving, just because we could. Eventually we got ourselves together, and started the day with Portillo's for lunch. I know I've said previously that I don't like to support national chains, but this one I do support because it started in Chicago. Kelley spent some of her younger years near the very first Portillo's. There are franchises in other states now, but it is still seen as a Chicago place. Despite being crowded most of the time, everything is always efficient, and you never have to wait long to get your food. Obviously I didn't need the lemon cake shake, but it was soooo good.

After lunch we drove to another suburb called Bartlett. Not too long ago I'd seen a picture online of a Hindu temple near Chicago, and the photo was beautiful. I wanted to see this temple for myself, Kelley and Jon were curious as well. It's always good to be a tourist and get to know your own area a little better.

Go figure, we visited the temple over a weekend that was a holiday for this temple. Kelley had looked online and seen that there would be services all day, so we hadn't expected to be able to go inside. We didn't realize that would be police managing traffic on the streets nearby, and the need for parking far enough away to require a series of shuttle buses!

After going through the temple we chatted with someone who told us as many as 15,000 people were expected each day of the weekend. Wow.

The temple is gorgeous. There is a gate near the front, with heaps of carvings, with a couple elephants carved out and standing in front of the gate. This isn't the kind of gate you drive through, it is the kind of gate you walk through to enter temple grounds. Not too far behind the gate was a long fountain with blue water.

Behind the fountain was the actual temple itself. More beauty, heaps of it. The man we talked to afterward said the whole thing had actually been made in India, then shipped here in 44,000 pieces.

I'm amazed it was all put together this well after being shipped so far. The entire building was carved with really intricate designs.

The visitors center is next door, this is where we found out we could go in the temple. I had to borrow a wraparound skirt, as my dress wasn't long enough. We took off our shoes (there were several places for all the shoes that had to be taken off,) and went downstairs into a tunnel that came up into the inside of the temple.

The inside of the temple was just as amazing as the outside. It wasn't big, but the carving everywhere was stunning.

The ceiling itself was a series of mini cupolas, each carved with a different design, with the center one being the biggest and most intricate. Along the edges were places for different Gods. There were columns every so often, holding up the roof I assume. In front was a GIANT display of some of the offerings brought by pilgrims over the weekend. A buffet for the Gods I suppose.

Obviously, I'm not Hindu, or Indian or Pakistani so I wasn't wearing a sari, but it felt as though nearly everyone there was. Such beauty and colour in that clothing.

Getting out of the visitors center was easy enough, but figuring out how to get to the area for the shuttle bus involved going back through the visitors center, all the way to the other end of the building on a different level. While making this walk we passed the cafeteria, where we could've had a lassi or other yummy food.

The exit at the back of the building brought us to the sidewalk where a couple volunteers were directing traffic (before parking in the lots where shuttle buses picked up, nearly everyone drove around the temple area first,) to keep accidents from happening. Given the number of people there, I was thrilled to have the volunteers. It was kinda funny to watch them yell at someone who felt he could cross the street when he felt like it instead of waiting like the rest of us.

We hopped on the shuttle bus, which took us to near where we were parked. This was actually at a nearby high school, and the shuttle buses were school buses! In other words, the holiday weekend for this temple was a really big deal, and took a LOT to organize and support.

After that we went home. Later in the day we went grocery shopping, which I always love to do.

That night I reread the directions for the application for my Russian work visa and realized I needed a blood HIV test, not an oral swab. This was not a fun realization, since it happened in the evening, and I had no idea how to go about doing this. Kelley gave me a suggestion, and I thought I had it sorted to happen the next day.

Monday I went with Kelley to work again, then walked to the place I thought I could get my test done. It turned out, they needed a doctor's order to do this test. Of course, I didn't have this kind of order. Since I don't live in the States, I don't have a doctor, let alone the ability to get an order. Argh.

The front desk manager felt sorry for me, and let me use the phone. I tried calling family members, hoping they could somehow help me out, but the American medical system is beyond ridiculous. I walked back to the library, where Kelley set me up with one of the reference librarians, and lent me her phone.

After calling a gazillion numbers (and dealing with waaaaay too many of those stupid automated menus which never had the option I wanted,) I finally figured out where to go.

I had to wait for the next metra train, but eventually took that and two buses to get to the medical clinic. At the clinic my blood test was done really fast, yay! From there I walked to Union train station, not as short a walk as I'd originally thought, whoops. Fortunately, I didn't have to wait long for a train going home.

The train brought me home, the walk from the train station wasn't long. It was a stressful day, and my last in Chicago, booo.

The next morning Jon drove me to the airport, which was amazing. Of course, I found out my flight had been delayed, argh.

I will always be happy to come back to Chicago and the surrounding area.

south africa: durban

Getting to Durban involved another couple passport stamps, yay!! The shuttle (which was actually just a car, with two other passengers and a driver,) ride from Mbabane, Swaziland to Durban, South Africa was around 7 hours. We stopped at the border (of course,) and a couple times for snacks and petrol, the ride was quite smooth. At one point I looked out the window and saw a giraffe. Just cause, you know, this is South Africa. When we crossed the border I found out that the stamps you get when crossing a land border in this area is not the same as what you get when you enter a country through an airport.

The shuttle dropped me off at a McDonalds outside the city center of Durban. My first adventure was figuring out where I was exactly, and where I needed to go. I opened up google maps, then started walking in the direction I needed.

Google maps wanted me to walk on a busy highway at one point, I wasn't keen to do that in a city I didn't know at all. I changed my path, of course. Unfortunately, while that made my walk a little safer, it didn't make it any easier to figure out where I needed to go.

I was looking for Berea Road station, and eventually I got there. Eventually. On the way, I walked across a bridge going over train tracks. I walked through Victoria Market. I walked around a cemetery. Then I walked the wrong way on a street.

When I got to the station, it wasn't easy to figure out how to get in. Once I got that settled, I had to figure out where to find the ticket window, and where to find the tracks. Maybe it was just me, but those places weren't easy to find.

I actually walked all around the station and back out, thinking that it was closed, and just a place for a market. FINALLY i figured out where to go, and when I got to the right track I only had to wait around 15 minutes for the next train.

As I was on the train, I got a call from the host of my very first AirBnb, which was a relief.

We arranged that she would pick me up at the metro station where I needed to get off the train, which was easy enough. I found her, and she drove us to her home. Along the way she stopped at a mini mall of sorts, so I could pick up some food and get money from the ATM.

Her home was gorgeous. I had a private room, complete with big screen tv with satellite channels. I was enjoying relaxing so much that I didn't go out again for the rest of the day. After a long day of traveling I was happy to be at my next destination.

The next morning when I woke up I got to meet a couple family members of my host. It turned out that around noon they had a birthday lunch planned for my host's grandmother, at the house of the grandmother. I really enjoyed interacting with the ladies while they prepared food. I chatted with the three ladies, and learned a bit about their traditions, especially in terms of family. The three of them made three large platters of food, and they said everyone else attending would be bringing that amount as well. In other words, there was going to be a lot of food at this party!!

I used one of my travel apps to figure out a walking path for the sights I wanted to see that day, and headed out the door. The walk to my first sight wasn't short, and took me through a couple places that maybe weren't the safest. I was well aware that I was the only white person walking along the street, walking through the area, not stopping at a local business. I was well aware of all the eyes watching me. I had this feeling for nearly the entire trip, all through July and August.

As I walked under a bridge one man came out to ask for a donation, and wasn't thrilled when I said no. He said he needed help to go to school, which seemed perfectly reasonable, but my personal policy is that I don't give money to strangers unless they're doing something to earn it. Play music, draw, etc... He seemed as though he would walk with me for a while, but thankfully he gave up after a couple hundred meters.

I walked to an area called Clairwood to see a Hindu temple. There are more Indians in Durban than anywhere else outside of India, so there are a few Hindu temples and heaps of Indian food all over the city.

The temple I was looking for wasn't located where tripadvisor said it should be. Thankfully, the other travel app I use, triposo did have it marked correctly. The temple was surrounded by a security wall (as is almost everything/place in the country) but the gate was open.

It wasn't just one temple, but actually a temple complex. When I approached the entry of the first temple, the guy inside reminded me to take off my shoes. I felt silly that I hadn't done that automatically. I walked through everything I could, taking photos but trying to be respectful at the same time.

After leaving the temple I walked to another metro station, called Rossburgh. There was no one in the ticket window, which was really annoying. The security people at the gate said I needed a ticket, but they didn't seem to notice or care that I had no way of buying the ticket. Argh.

Fortunately, the lady came back after five minutes, and I didn't miss a train. (One going the other way did stop at the station while I was waiting.) When I asked her which track I needed, she said it would be on one of two tracks. She said I had to wait by the windows and watch where the incoming train came in.

I took the train to Berea Road station, it was easy to figure out how to get out of the place after the adventure of figuring out how to get in the day before. While I was still in the train station I stopped for lunch at a random 'cafe,' choosing chicken curry on rice, with a couple portions of side salad-ish food as well. YUM, and cheap.

I followed my map around the cemetery, and followed the road to where I thought I needed to go. There were a LOT of people out on the streets. Not only were there stores on both sides of the street, there were also street vendors all over the sidewalks. I walked through the entire area, holding tight to my purse and walking with confidence.

At one point I walked past an entrance to a mosque, it had lovely mosaic decor on the entry walls. I had a head scarf with me, but I didn't think that was the female entrance, so I didn't go in.

I tried to find another mosque that was actually listed on the travel app and in my guidebook, but I never found the entry. I saw the building from the outside, but I couldn't figure it out. I walked across the street, and looked at the building as a whole, but it didn't seem to be separate from the stores I was walking by. Argh.

Eventually I made my way to the convention center. This wasn't a place I was aiming for, but it was on the way to my next sight. The convention center itself is a modern building, I liked it. Very big. Near the convention center were a couple long walls, painted with murals depicting issues currently facing South Africa: civil rights, racism, politics, etc...

Close to the convention center is church square. Just like the church square in Pretoria, this one didn't have a church along it's border. At least, not one that I could see. Just like the church square in Pretoria, there were people out relaxing, having picnics, etc... Not too many, but there were a few.

I headed to my next destination, the old courthouse museum. Unfortunately, when I arrived, I found a sign listing opening hours, and I was not there during those hours. Darnit. A museum closed on Saturday and Sunday? This was one of my first indications that this city doesn't really encourage people to get out into city properties during non business hours. In my experience, the day museums are closed is Monday, but that definitely wasn't the case in Durban. (And all over the country in general.) Why is it so different?

I walked down the street to another spot I wanted to visit. The Indian Spice Emporium. Go figure, that was closed too. Argh. I'd planned to get lunch there, so I ended up eating in some random convenience market. My lunch was a food only really found in Durban: bunny chow. It's a quarter or half loaf of bread with the middle scooped out, and filled with curry. Choices are usually chicken or beef curry, or bean curry. Good food.

I walked to city hall, only to find the front area blocked off. It appeared that some sort of VIP was expected, though I don't know for what. Too bad no one showed up while I was there.

In an area to the front of city hall I saw the cenotaph. It is the WW1 memorial for the city. It's not as big as other cenotaphs I've seen, but it's still really impressive.

There is a small gate in front of the memorial area, but it was open, so I walked in to get a little closer. The quote inscribed on the cenotaph says 'tell the generations following.' I like that quote, and hope it is followed.

There is a roll of honour, mostly listing names from WW1, but a few from WW2 added later. In South Africa, WW1 is memorialized a lot more than WW2, but you see memorials for both. The cenotaph is painted yellow and blue, I don't know why.

My next destination was yet another bust. (This day wasn't turning out well.) I showed up at KwaMuhle Museum, which is supposed to be a really good museum. It is supposed to tell the story of apartheid, and how it worked in Durban. Unfortunately, it was closed. Argh. The sign said it would be open again Monday.

From there I walked to my second Hindu temple of the day. When I arrived I noticed a whole bunch of people REALLY dressed up. I asked someone if it was still okay for me to enter, they said yes. I remembered to take my shoes off before going into any buildings, and was able to see a few altars.

As I was leaving one of the buildings I decided to ask one of the fancy people what was happening. It turned out to be the end of a wedding! The people who told me what was happening then insisted I come meet (or at least shake hands with,) the bride and groom. They were beautiful, in full red and gold wedding regalia. AMAZING. I was encouraged to take a photo, and I'm glad I did.

As I was walking back into the city center I passed a protest parade. I have no idea what they were protesting, but I liked watching for a few minutes.

I walked back to berea road station, then took the metro to the station I needed, then walked home. Overall, I think it was about an hour and a half, give or take.

The next day I didn't get out of the house until noon, eeek. I have no idea why I took so long to get going.

As I was walking to the metro station I passed a couple houses with monkeys lounging around the yard. Of course, as soon as I took out my camera, they moved. Argh. I'm guessing the people in the houses didn't love them as much as I did.

I walked from Berea Road station to Moses Mabhida football stadium. The walk took me through the same city center area I'd seen yesterday, across a bridge or two, and down streets that were totally new to me. It was a long walk, but I didn't really care.

My plan was to climb the 500 steps to get to the top of the stadium. It's one of the stadium visit options for tourists and guests. Unfortunately, I got there too late in the day. (Obviously, I need to get going earlier in the morning.) The last tickets for the adventure walk were sold out. Argh. The ticket price sign said the adventure walk was only offered on weekends, but I took a chance and asked about the next day.

It turned out that another options usually available (the cable car,) was closed for annual maintenance so the adventure walk would be available all week. I asked about times and prices, and told myself I would get going earlier the next day.

I walked back toward the city center, and got to the Natal Maritime Museum about 40 minutes before it closed for the day. The entry fee was only 5 rand!! (That's about 30 US cents!) They have three or four ships available for visitors to walk through and explore. I really liked it. Some of the steps on those boats are really steep, and with my level of coordination, I'm amazed I didn't fall.

From the museum I walked to the beach, stopping at a convenience store on the way for snacks. The beach in Durban is long, and nice. It is well maintained, with sevearl boardwalk areas and piers. There are heaps of people out on the beach, from all walks of life. Going to the beach is definitely a thing to do in Durban. I walked, all over. I walked on the boardwalks, on the sand, and on the piers. I was lucky enough to be there during sunset, which was absolutely beautiful. I stood out on a pier while the sun went down behind the city. So pretty.

From there I did the same thing I did the day before. I walked back to Berea Road station, took the metro to my stop, then walked home.

The next morning I made good on my goal to get going early. I left the house at 0750, yay! I did my normal transport: walk to the metro station, take the metro to the city center, then start walking. I did the walk back to Moses Mabhida football stadium, (which was pretty much deserted in the middle of a weekday morning,) and bought myself a ticket for the first available adventure walk. Fun fact: it costs more for you to walk up those stairs, than it does to take the cable car to the top. Argh.

To do the adventure walk, you have to sign a risk waiver, and wear a safety harness. Since the safety harness isn't exactly comfortable, I made the choice to leave my purse in the locked office. I did choose to bring my iphone with me, as well as a bottle of water.

I made my walk with a German guy, and since we were the only two people, we rode to the starting point on a golf cart. Normally everyone has to walk around to the other side of the stadium. At the starting point, our guide hooked us both to the railings on the stairway by the safety harnesses.

I went up first. Along the way, there are markers on the walls on either side of the stairs telling you what you can see in the city at that height. We stopped a couple times, but not because we were out of breath. At least, that's not why I stopped. I stopped so I could take photos.

When we got to the top, our guide removed the safety connection as we stepped into a gated area. We spent about 20 minutes up there, enjoying the views all around. I could see the rugby stadium, the beach, and back into the city center. Lovely views, and great weather.

Getting back down the stairs was easy, though the muscles in my legs weren't feeling so strong. (Coming down hills and stairs is harder than going up.) As we ended the 'walk' by one of the entry areas of the stadium, I asked if I could take a few photos of that area. It's a pretty stadium.

Afterward, I walked to the beach with the German guy, which was pretty much across the street. I decided to walk back into the city center along the beach, while the German guy had some other plans for his day.

I loved my walk along the beach. Loved loved loved. I love being in or near water, so this was amazing. I took off my shoes and socks so I could go in the water a few times. There were signs along the way showing where swimming is allowed, and where it isn't. I saw a few people out fishing, a couple people surfing, and a few people like me who were out for a walk. The weather was perfect, the sand was perfect, I could've walked for days.

Eventually I got back to close to where I'd been the night before. I walked from there back to the Indian Spice Emporium, which was finally open. Unfortunately, the lunch counter. When I asked if it would be open the next day, no one seemed to know, or care. Argh. I wandered through the sales area, and while there were a lot of items available, I didn't find masala chai, which is what I really wanted. Argh.

I ended up having more bunny chow for lunch, this time with mixed vegetables as the filler. I liked the beans better.

I went back to the old courthouse museum, which was open. It isn't big, but I enjoyed it. One room on the ground floor is devoted to a journalist who ended up having to leave the country and live in exile. There was a lot of documentation of his early life and writings, but nothing after he left the country except the basics like where he went, and his disappointment afterward. Apparently he moved to New York City, and was even more disappointed at the racism he encountered there, since it was supposed to be so much better than South Africa.

I liked this museum for another reason: cheap postcards. Really really cheap postcards. They weren't any good, but they were cheap. I bought a lot. Which was a good thing, since I didn't find any other postcards in the city even though there are plenty of beautiful views.

I went back to KwaMuhle Museum, which was open as well. Unfortunately, the exhibit for which the museum is known (the apartheid exhibit,) was still closed. There was no entry fee that I could see, and the back area was being set up for a special event. I was sorely disappointed in this museum.

At that point I realized it had been a long day out and about in the city. Even though it was still daylight, I started making my way home. The standard 90 minutes later I was home and relaxing for the rest of the evening.

The next day I took foreva to leave the house again. Why can't I make early mornings a habit? I'd get to see so much more of a country/city. I got back into the city center, having curry for lunch at Berea Road Station.

I walked from there to the bus station, and bought a ticket for the next day, since I'd finally figured out where I was going next. The ticket was cheaper than I expected, yay. And it left early in the day so I wouldn't waste a day in transit.

I took one more shot at KwaMuhle Museum, but the exhibit I wanted was still closed. I have no idea why, or when/if it would be opening again. Argh.

I made my way back to the beach, just because I could and had no other places I wanted to go. I walked a bit, then made my way back home again, for my last night in the city.

The next morning my host drove me to the bus station, and I left the city. Despite all the disappointments, I liked Durban, it was worth all the time I spent there.