I have finally reached Durban, South Africa! What did I learn after 22 hours of flying?
First, flying Emirates is awesome. They offer individual entertainment systems, lunch and breakfast, blankets, pillows, socks, eye masks, and travel-size toothpaste and toothbrush. 13 hours from JFK to Dubai, was almost enjoyable.
Second, having layovers at very nice airports is great. Dubai International Airport is probably one of the nicest shopping malls I’ve been in. Marcus (a fellow DukeEngage-r traveling on my flights) and I walked around gawking at all the high-end duty-free shops and restaurants (including Pinkberry, Cosi, Kiehls and Starbucks) crowded with foreign customers. Another 8 hours from Dubai and Durban!
We (eight other Duke students and our two coordinators) are staying (for the next 10 days) at the Le’Horizon Guest House right on the shores of the Indian Ocean. Due to the lack of Internet, all of us are sharing two mobile modems each loaded with only 300MB, so my posts will be mostly descriptive (I will post a larger photo album when I return). We are staying at this super nice bed-and-breakfast run by the very knowledgeable, community-conscious Praveen Maharaj and his very welcoming wife Meera. We had a lovely dinner of mash-potatoes, vegetables and fried fish. Then it was off to bed, though I didn’t sleep much due to the 6-hour time difference.
Third lesson? Jet-lag.
Hi Sunshine,
ReplyDeleteWe love your descriptive post. Please keep posting and here we'll keep praying that you'll have a healthy, safe, productive, fun, and memorable experience. Hope there will be a church you can worship in too.
With our love and prayers,
Mommy
Christina,
ReplyDeleteI'm just glad that you have arrived safe in SA. As you probably know, I spend a lot of time in that country and I love it so much! Durban is very beautiful, the beaches and the streets look pretty. I know you have been told this a thousand times but I want to repeat: Please be smart, SA can be a very dangerous place, keep yourself in company and avoid wandering alone at night, otherwise I know you will be safe. I know Dukies in Durban too, you might wana hang out with them if possible. Wishing you the most fabulous of all summers,
Love....
Josh