Huge waves...sorry no diving, but there is still amazing golf!

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I've just spent another great week in Congo. Good news, it seems they have finally changed the laws...and that it is now legal to take pictures in the street. Well, changing a law and having it properly applied is something else. I guess it is going to be a while till I can safely take my camera out. Till there, I'm not really ready to blog much about RDC, even if I'm spending a full month per year here, having a great time at each of my visit.

But back to South Africa! I've just spent three nights and two full days in KwaZulu Natal around Durban, but not in Durban. This is my second visit here, my first was back in June 2010. If you want to see what I came to do, but didn't do, refer to my last blog. Protea Banks...shark galore...and no cage! The good news is I'm back again in November this year, hopefully for a proper shark galore this time.

So you are going to ask me...why no diving? The answer is simple, a cold front has hit South Africa. Durban still enjoys a very nice 20 degres, but with the cold temperatures, winds have also brought some spices. Little problem, if you want to dive here, you first need to launch the zodiac, and guess what, we are "enjoying" waves of up to 4 meters high hitting the beaches. It is simply dangerous to launch a zodiac through those kind of waves...so no diving...2 days in a row. I'm not lucky as they could launch the day before and the day after (today) I was there. Well, as we can say, this is life, and there is always a plan B! For info, I have dived prior to this trip with Aqua Planet, and will dive again with them in November out of Shelly Beach on Protea Banks, and used them for Aliwal Shawl out of Umkommas. These places are very high on my prefered dive sites in the world.

So if no diving, there is always some golf. The place is amazing when it comes to golf courses. They are everywhere, cheap and of the highest quality. I actually think you are better off playing golf around Durban than around Cape Town. The choice is impressive.

On my first day I ended up at San Lameer, south of SouthBroom. Great course, but had to play between wind, rain and sun...an experience by itself! For info, these are on the South Coast, roughly 150km south of Durban. Yesterday I played Zimbali. Oh Zimbali! The course is ranked in the top 10 in South Africa, and it is a true jewel. This time it was 40km north of Durban on the Dolphins Coast and next to the airport.

So two days of golf, I know, few of my firends where expecting pictures of sharks...wait November for this.

As usual great food, at a really cheap price. I love all those steaks, seafood, and where esle can you find a decent glass of wine for 1.1usd! I also had a huge 400gr prime rib steak in Umhlanga...for a simple 12usd! Not the place for a diet, but I came exactly for this.

Umhlanga is a nice tranquil little place to stay next to the airport, with a lot of restaurants. In Shelly Beach, south of Durban, the place to stay is Tropical Beach B&B...5 rooms, right on the beach...if only the weather could have been nicer, but hey, don't forget, this is autumn here!

And for the diving, well...next dive is only around the clock, on Wednesday, with Mari and Leslie. The sharks will wait, I'm going home to drop my bags, back on a flight to Saigon to go to pick up Tiffany for few weeks with her in Thialand, and yes, not few days, but few weeks!

Life is good, the weather is not always the one we want, but at the end of the day...life is good.....

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Comments

[Chris and Nikki]

Great pics
and the GPS is so cool!