Finding time to travel can be a challenge while studying abroad because there are times when school work is overwhelming and there is lots to do! So every time there is a break during school — GO SOMEWHERE!
My friends and I decided to go to Durban, South Africa for Easter break. Unfortunately we didn’t buy bus tickets to Pretoria far enough in advance, so the bus to Pretoria was full and our combi rental to Durban fell through, but somehow we made it! Even though some travel issues arise, I have never had to cancel a trip and everything turns out fine.
Our journey started at 5:30am when the combi driver picked us up. While I was waiting a couple minutes from my host family’s house in the dark for the driver to arrive, two guys pulled over and decided to wait with me to make sure I was safe. I have encountered this frequently in Botswana throughout my travels, making it evident that Batswana care for each other. When we arrived in Pretoria, we went to the Union Buildings. I would highly recommend going, as you can high-five Nelson Mandela (his statue), take pictures of beautiful flowers and architecture, and lay in the grass! OH THE GRASS! I missed grass so much; I took off my shoes and rolled around in it.
Then we were off to DURBAN! On Saturday we ended up just walking around, looking at street vendors and cool city buildings. We also went to a rugby game, the Durban Sharks against the Cheetahs! The game was really fun, and a couple people I was with knew how to play rugby, so I was able to learn much about the game. After the game, we ate Indian food by the waterfront. Durban is known for an Indian street food dish called bunny chow. It is curry that is served in a portion of a loaf of bread.
Easter Sunday we went to a market with both African and Indian shops. We were recommended to eat at an Indian restaurant nearby. We looked up the address, but still got lost! Apparently they changed the road names and we were going in the opposite direction. This is also a common issue I have encountered while traveling: getting lost. When there is a certain place you want to go to, many people may not know where it is, and some people may give you wrong directions just to be polite, so ask often, get directions, and get a map. We ended up going to a different restaurant, and then spent the afternoon at the beach which was wonderful!