I’m really enjoying our time in Durban. Between boat projects and errands, there’s plenty to do during the day, and although it’s not safe to leave the marina area at night, we have several friends here at the marina (some old, some new) to keep us company. For example, our friends from S/V Marionette are here. Yes, they managed to hand-steer their way across the Indian Ocean! Markus’ girlfriend, Cathi, returned from her two-month hiatus in Sweden and is being visited by her best friend, so I’ve had opportunities to hang out with other women for the first time in quite a while.

I also had the opportunity to get in a bit of exercise. My afternoon run to the beach was my first foray into the city alone, and my adrenaline was pumping, leading me to run faster than I normally would. Couple that with the fact that it has been months since I’ve had a chance to run, and I think that explains why I’ve been aching ever since! The scene at the beach was a nice reward, though. There were numerous families taking advantage of the summer school holidays, and many of them stood watching a group of teenagers perform traditional Zulu dance near the public pool. The teens stood in a cluster and chanted while one of the older boys played a large drum. One by one, the dancers would emerge from the group and perform in front. The girls kicked their legs up to their ears several times, and at the end of their performance, they threw both legs in front of them and landed on the ground on their rear! Ouch!

Central Durban

As I ran back to the marina, I passed by three older teenage girls walking down the street and observed their suggestive clothing and manner. I couldn’t help but think about the HIV/AIDS epidemic here in South Africa. This country is ranked 5th in the world in terms of prevalence (18%) and is #1 in terms of the number of people with the virus (around 5.7 million!). I’ve seen several murals and posters around Durban about the problem, and I’m sure that teenagers are a group that is highly targeted by prevention programs, but considering that the last president of SA (Mbeki) did not believe that AIDS was sexually transmitted, I can imagine that there are still some myths and misconceptions out there.

The American dollar goes pretty far here, and as usual, we are using that to justify spending more than we normally would. Most of these expenditures could be considered investments, though. (Dallas’ daily “bunny chows” probably don’t count, but they’re very cheap!) We decided to ask Clyde, the sailmaker who is working on our jib and trampolines, to make us a new mainsail cover and sun shades and to sew up the bimini. Pura Vida should be departing Durban looking new and improved.   

The “bunny chow” – curry inside a hollowed out bread loaf

Dallas has devoted some of his time each day to boat maintenance and has checked several things off of the list. Two young SA guys who are taking a class to become certified as crew have begun to hang around the boat in the afternoons to learn a thing or two and have even offered to do some work, so we’ll see how that works out.

The SA guys also showed up last night (along with two friends) for an impromptu party aboard Pura Vida. Word of something happening spread like wildfire throughout the marina, and in the end, we had 10 different nationalities represented: American, Chinese, Australian, Swedish, Belgian, Brazilian, French, Chilean, Indian, and of course, South African. Although it was not the first language for most of those who attended, everyone spoke English very well.

Diogo (Brazil), Markus (Belgium), and Cathi (Chile)

T’is the season for Christmas parties and of course, for shopping. If anyone is interested in purchasing a 2011 Pura Vida calendar for themselves or a loved one for $20, please shoot me an email (lricherson@hotmail.com). Thanks again for your support!