Ethekwini | Durban Have the Most Enchanting Moments & Cultural Feeling
Flying to Durban for the first time
Flying to Durban for the first was a real thriller. We Took off with a 11:00 flight to Durban, from OR Tambo International on t Thursday morning. The flight was 55 minutes long, but because it was my first time, I think it was a bit longer than tha t !
Before
I went to KwaZulu Natal I had researched what to look for and the
places to see and visit, that's what made the hole trip
exciting. But most of all my heart was set to seeing the Indian
Ocean.
Planning for a Durban holiday
Before going for such a holiday , it advisable to make proper planning, especially money wise. For example if you want to stay next to the beach, the hotels there cost a little, but you can choose from a few of them like the Garden court, Protea hotel, Balmoral and Southern Sun (Elangeni, Durban). All this hotels have got a nice view of the Ocean, which you will very much enjoy every moment of looking outside.
Durban is not expensive but you have to have enough money to cover your stay and see surrounding places like uShaka Marine, Crocodiles Creek and Ushaka Village. Always look out for promotions and specials that they offer on the internet, so you can make some cut out on other things.
Also leave out some money to buy some of the hand crafted wooden and painted art on the market. Durban holds a lot of hand made things all sold by Zulu men and women on the market street. We bought a captivating zulu hand painting, that was raging from R100 to R300. They also sold some astounding house decoration zulu art, I bought key holders engraved with the Durban name created in a African and sandals form.
I love this one, I also got myself a King Mswati shawl (a body rap around) there were many being sold around and great designs.
The great KwaZulu Natal
When approaching Durban from the sky, you get to see the
essential part of KwaZulu Natal. The
hut houses and small gravel roads, the fire that people make to
prepare food and hot water, the long distance separated house, the
farms and fields, the kraals. In zulu we say "emakhaya" (Old
cultural homes) the way the houses are built on the mountains its a
spectacular view from up there. 
I believe even if development can come and be able to build fancy houses for ourselves, we should at least keep this part of our land, to remind us where we come from. We can still be able to go visit this places and see how our forefathers lived. Or even better, this structure of "emakhaya" reminds us of the way the Zulu people use to live long time ago. People lived further away form each other as a sign to show ownership of the land. And when I saw this from above, I felt South Africa still has that spirit!!!
When we landed at the Durban International Airport the first thing I noticed was the difference in the air from Johannesburg's one. You could smell the sea water, which for me was very difficult to handle at first, I felt like I was in th is deep salty water and fighting to breath. But after an hour of driving to the hotel and checking in, I adopted.
After a small rest , I saturated the Indian Ocean big time, we spent the hole hour adoring the hand of God. I was even reminded of the time Moses and the children of Israel crossed Jordan.
Durban's beach pier are well built to give you a more personal touch and feel of the Ocean ,they are very long and run down to the sea. Next to the Southern Beach there is a harbour entrance, which also gives a chance of seeing those long metre ships. There are also 2 lighthouses on the Durban Sea that warns ships and boats about rocks and reefs underneath the Indian Ocean.
Other facts about lighthouse;
Lighthouse uses flash light directed out towards the sea as a signal
Each lighthouse uses a different flashing pattern or speed of flashes
We spent the hole day crushing around the beach and got a chance to ride on a KwaZulu Natal's Ritchie. Never go to KwaZulu and don't get a ride. The Fascinating Story of the Zulu Warrior & Shaka kaSenzangakhona