SOUTH AFRICA TRIP DAY 9: To Durban

HAKUNA MATATA: A long, beautiful drive from Johannesburg to Durban. The mountains are beautiful. Our original plan was to drive to Rorke's Drift to see the famous Zulu War battlefield, but unfortunately South Africa is much bigger than it appears on the map. Instead, we did a drive by of some of the Boer War battlefields, took the Midlands Meander route, checked out a big waterfall, and then got ourselves to Durban.

Durban is a lot like Miami - great in the winter, awful in the summer. Art deco abounds. On the other hand, it is also a huge port city with all of the attendant commerce and crime and thus has a bit of a Baltimore feel as well. This is where Ghandi and the indian population makes its home. They also have the best signs, welcoming all of the teams playing in the area with their country's version of hello - such as Australia, which receives a 'G'day'.

We drove over to the famous blue lagoon and picked up some Indian food, then took a walk along the beach. Then we headed off to a fun little aviary with exotic birds from around the world. Unfortunately, Durban was pretty dead on a Friday night, so after a bit more exploring, we turned in early.

OH, AFRICA: South Africa no longer accepts its own 200 Rand note because it was so easily and commonly counterfeited that it was impossible to continue its use.

WORLD CUP TIP: Fan fests are apparently for the POST game. We went tonight, the night before the game, and there was nobody there.

JUSTINE'S SOUTH AFRICA TIPS: When swiping your credit card, they must bring the swiper to you. Don't let anyone wander off with your credit card.