September 28, 2009 - Sani Lodge Fireplace

Woke up at 4:30AM to check out of the lodge and head over to the Natal Sharks Board boat at Wilson Wharf. We were scheduled to accompany one of the Natal Shark Board's teams on an expedition to check the shark nets and release any sharks/dolphins/etc that may have become entangled in the nets. Of course, the weather was so incredibly bad that the boat trip was canceled!! :(

We finally did some proper laundry and chilled out at Europa café in Durban while updating the blog. While we were there we caught up with a local newspaper. One of the front-page headlines was about a local man who married four women in one ceremony over the weekend. The groom said it saved him a lot of money. Sami thinks that's pretty ridiculous. If he really wanted to save money, he wouldn't have gotten married at all! ;)

The weather is expected to be windy, cold, and rainy for the next few days, and unwilling to let that slow us down, we are making the drive over to the mountainous country of Lesotho and the infamous Sani Pass.

We arrived at Sani Lodge, which is located on the South African side of the Sani Pass. Too cold to go outside, and too tempted by the warm fire in the living room of the lodge, we spent the entire evening and late night drinking wine and talking to the various travellers, including a couple of Danish guys coming in from Lesotho, and a couple of Aussie girls coming from Joburg. We shared tons of travel stories and talked about general world affairs. It was nice to be able to spend so much time with a group of friendly folk.

September 27, 2009 - Shark Dissection at the Natal Sharks Board

Today we returned our beloved car, Popo, at the Durban international airport and picked up VeeToo, an identical VW Polo Classic (hence the name V.2!).

We decided to stop by the Natal Shark Board again to see if a shark dissection was happening today. Luckily, it was about to begin in a few hours and after a very disappointing Indian lunch (Durban is supposed to have the largest Indian population outside of India and its Indian food is supposed to be excellent), we returned to see the presentation.

It started with a video explaining the numerous shark attacks of the 50's that led to the wide spread public fear of sharks and the eventual installation of shark nets. We were surprised to learn (and Gen was horrified) that shark nets don't actually prevent the shark from accessing beaches, but rather lures sharks towards the nets where food is also trapped (hence no need to go further).

Another interesting fact we learned was that shark attacks are most commonly a case of mistaken identity. Surfers wading on their surfboards look almost exactly like tortoises from below. Divers act and appear just like dolphins, another shark delicacy. And finally, swimmers treading water can be mistaken for seals, a shark's favorite meal. This mistaken identity is best demonstrated by the fact that no one has ever been eaten alive by a shark. It's almost always called a "shark attack", where the shark has taken an "exploratory" bite out of someone in order to determine if it is food or not. Research has shown that sharks do not find humans appetizing at all.

Overall, we walked away with a much greater appreciation for these incredible fish. How they have remained unchanged for thousands of years is a testament to just how well they are adapted to their environment, and the Natal Sharks Board is one of the only organizations of its kind dedicated to the preservation and understanding of these highly misunderstood creatures.

We then watched the dissection of a Dusky Shark, which was both fascinating and utterly revolting! The first organ that was removed was the liver, a giant dual-lobed organ that accounts for 25% of a shark's overall weight! The dissector removed the stomach and other organs as well, but the second most-fascinating organ was definitely the heart, which was incredibly small given the size of the fish. A very simple, tiny, two-chamber heart is all that a shark needs to pump blood throughout its entire body.

The presenter had a very good sense of humour, which made the presentation that much more enjoyable. And even though our stomachs were a bit uneasy by the end of the presentation, we were really, really glad we were able to check it out.

September 26, 2009 - King Shaka Day Celebrations in Zululand

Today marked the date of the King Shaka Day celebration! We were excited to head back to Zululand and see this much-anticipated event. We got there early and met a Canadian couple (the only other non-Black people at the grounds). The main grounds were full of people dressed up in lively and colourful beaded outfits. It was interesting to see how they had adapted the traditional garments to make room for the more commonly worn Western clothing. Giant buses delivered thousands of energetic youths to the grounds, where the current Zulu King and the President of South Africa (Jacob Zuma) were expected to speak.

We spent the better part of the morning there, watching the locals perform traditional dances and sing. The other Canadian couple was worried about being spotted by the camera that projected onto the jumbotrons on the side of the stage, and sure enough they were the first ones to show up! We were caught on camera shortly after, and Sami gave the crowd of thousands a polite wave while Gen hurriedly walked in the other direction.

At one point, a group of bare-breasted traditionally-clothed Zulu girls started dancing, and two of them confidently walked up to the Canadian man we met and offered to take some photos with him. He shyly walked up to them as his wife snapped a photo, and the girls giggled excitedly as they walked away. It was all very cute! They were surprisingly comfortable around cameras and encouraged us all to take photos while they performed their traditional dance, which featured high kicks in the air to show the young men how flexible they are. The young men would often stand up and perform a similar dance to show off their own flexibility - apparently a very attractive trait in traditional cultures here. We noticed the same style of dancing in the cultural village in Swaziland.

One of the most interesting traits we have noticed in this region is how friendly everyone appears to be. Oftentimes, random children and even adults will approach us with big smiles just to say hello, ask where we are from, and welcome us to their country. It is very heartwarming. Even among locals, it is as if there is no such thing as a "stranger". Two unacquainted locals appear to greet and talk as if they were long time friends, particular between men and women, which can be quite fun to observe given the overtly flirtatious way they sometimes communicate.

After standing in the sweltering heat in Zululand, we decided we couldn't wait for the honored guest speakers to approach the podium and left to head to the beach to enjoy some cool ocean water. We headed to the beach near our lodge and enjoyed some time tanning and bathing (well only Sami bathed, Gen does not like heavy waves or sharks!).

Once the wind started to pick up at the beach, we headed poolside at the lodge and enjoyed a relaxed evening and early bedtime (as usual!)

September 25, 2009 - uShaka Marine World

Today's event was the uShaka Marine World, where we got in touch with our inner child. uShaka is a large theme-park and aquarium where you can see and learn about hundreds of sea creatures. We watched a Dolphin Show featuring the aerial acrobatics of a number of resident dolphin, and then hurriedly found some seats at the Seal Island, where staff performed a cute little play involving the audience and starring a resident Seal. We were probably more excited than all the 3-year-olds in attendance!

Afterwards we walked by some of the amazing aquariums featuring exotic South African marine life including a number of large sharks.

Then Sami snorkeled in one of the aquariums! It had tons of exotic fish and even small sharks, which he was happily able to take photos of using his new underwater camera casing!

After a long day at uShaka, we ventured to The Secret Spot surfing lodge, where we had booked accommodation for the night. Apparently, a surfing guru lived there, and Sami was hoping to take some surfing lessons as well. The Secret Spot turned out to be a heavenly oasis, and we immediately booked two extra nights! With lots of greenery, three friendly lodge dogs, a nice pool, free internet, and other very friendly guests, we just had to extend the stay.

We spent the evening getting to know some of the other guests and enjoying a few bottles of wine.

....don't ask about the last one!!