Sunday Funday: Durban and Lesotho

Greetings loves!

As many of you know, I am a frequent visitor of South Africa since 2009.  My traditional "playgrounds" in South Africa are normally, Pretoria, Johannesburg and of course, Cape Town!  But my friend, Ashlee and I thought it time to find a new South African destination and thus the idea of visiting Durban was born!

** DID YOU KNOW:  Outside of India, Durban is home to the largest population of Indian decent! **

Before visiting Durban we were told to find a hotel on South Beach.  Ashlee and I logged onto expedia.com, booked a gorgeous hotel and started looking for day tours to see all that Durban had to offer during our long weekend!  Well we attempted to book two tours of interest and were, unfortunately, declined.  No worries -- we would find a tourist office and attempt to book tours upon arrival.

** INTERESTING FACT:  After 16 years, The International AIDS Conference returned to Durban, South Africa. **

We landed in Durban and immediately went to the Tour Desk located in the airport. We called a tour company, ironically the same one that declined our tours originally.  We found out why:  our hotel was NOT in South BEACH but in South BROOM!  We were two hours down the coast from Durban! We canceled our hotel reservation in South Broom and booked a small guest house in the suburbs of Durban, the Sanchia.

An honesty bar

Pool and views

Our room

Once we re-booked our hotel the tour company agreed to take us on the two requested tours! 

On Sunday, Ashlee and I woke up early to dress warm and prepare for our trip to the Kingdom of Lesotho, my 15th African country!

Lesotho is completely surrounded by South Africa.  The Kingdom of
Lesotho is a mountainous country and guess what, there is SNOW! 

We left early as the tour was planned for 12 hours.  Ashlee and I wore warm coats, scarves and I also adorned mittens.  

On our way to Sani Pass and up the mountains of Lesotho, we passed through Pietermaritzburg, the capital of Kwa-Zulu Natal.  We actually made quite a few stops on our way to Lesotho, stopping along the way to breathtaking views, a small church from the 1800s with a tiny graveyard, more ... views, a grocery store, coffee shop, a small government housing compound and a small village at the top of a mountain in Lesotho.

 

Clearly staring at views ....

Our 4x4 for the day

After over 8 hours in a 4x4 landcruiser we made our way to one of the highest points in Lesotho!

 

Crossing into the Kingdom of Lesotho

Our fellow travelers!

After taking photos from this chilly point, we made our way to the highest pub in South Africa - the Sani Mountain Lodge! 

My main issue with the tour is I wish we spent more time in Lesotho and at the pub. We only had 30 minutes in the pub. I would have preferred to sit down, warm up, relax, have lunch and a few cocktails at this amazing pub. But alas, after 30 minutes we made our way down the very windy road and back to Durban.

It was our last night in Durban so Ashlee and I wanted to have a nice meal. We made reservations at The Grill Room at the Oyster Box (http://www.oysterboxhotel.com/food-and-drink/the-grill-room). This was a wise and delicious decision!  We were seated in a gorgeous dining room and immediately greeted to request our wine and appetizer requests.  The Grill Room is known for their 1920s 18 hors d'evours appetizer cart.  Ashlee ordered this decadent option while I enjoyed the bread and biltong butter (my GOD it was so good).  

Biltong butter ... so so good!

After enjoying our starters, we were prepared to enjoy the main courses.  Ashlee enjoyed a pork belly dish while I enjoyed steak medallions which was cooked perfectly table side. 

Steak medallions and potatoes

I was not ready for this dinner to end so I ordered raspberry sorbet and a glass of rose sparkling wine. It was divine! 

The perfect ending ...

Ashlee and I left completely satisfied.  If you are ever in Durban please make a reservation and enjoy the dining experience that is offered by The Oyster Box. 

A sunset in Durban

Overall, Ashlee and I enjoyed our Sunday in Durban and Lesotho.  It was an incredible experience and I am definitely a fan!  Hmmm Essence Festival will be held in Durban in November.  To go or not to go ...

If you are on snapchat, follow my travels and day to day life in Lusaka, Zambia: pmkenney79!