24 hours in Durban

I was in South Africa in July and had very little time to see and do everything there is in this wonderful country. I decided this trip to focus on the big cities so of course I would spend time in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. Once the itinerary began to unfold, I realized it only left me 24 hours for Durban a city on the Eastern portion of the country closer to the Indian Ocean. Was it really worth it to go all that way for 24 hours? I decided to chance it since I was unsure when I would be able to return to South Africa and because it would help me know whether to visit the city again next visit. It was a great decision.

 

We chose a hotel close to North Beach and were able to walk down to the water shortly after our morning flight from Johannesburg. The flight was a little over an hour and very reasonable on South African Airways. I used my hotel points since we were there such a short time and to save. We stayed at the Hilton Durban, a nice hotel connected to the convention center. This is great because there is an ATM in the building next door, the staff is very friendly and you are just a few blocks from North Beach.

After spending several weeks in Johannesburg, during their winter months, the warmth of Durban was a very welcome change. The oceanfront is beautiful and you will find great cafes to sit and have a drink and food as you look out on the water. We took in the sites of surfers, swimmers and others enjoying the beach from our table at a local waterfront bar.

We then walked down the beach past more hotels and even a little park where a dance group was practicing. Our goal was to find a reasonable spa to have massages before our flight the next day. The Spa at Suncoast Hotel and Towers was amazing. The hotel is part of a larger entertainment complex with movies, casinos and restaurants. The spa with its large picture windows with views of the sea makes you feel as though you are having a seaside massage, allowing you to completely escape during your treatment.

For food, Durban is a seafood lovers dream. Also with the largest population of people of Indian descent outside India you are sure to find excellent Indian options. And let’s not forget that Kwazulu Natal ( the province where Durban is located) is the center of Zulu culture within South Africa. The choices for food throughout the city are abundant.

No trip to Durban would be complete without visiting Ushaka Marine World. Everyone ( and I mean everyone) suggested we visit it during our stay and it is the city’s main highlight. For dinner, we ate at the Cargo Hold. This restaurant has an open glass shark tank so you  feel as though you are eating underwater during your meal. It is a pricer meal option in Durban but worth the extra Rand. We had a wonderful bottle of white wine, shared a salad, lovely fish entrees and dessert for around $30 US per person. It is not to be missed.

Another great seafood choice is the New Cafe Fish Restaurant and Bar. Located in the Victoria Embankment next to yachts and the marina, you can enjoy an amazing lunch or dinner. We had lunch here before our flight and enjoyed our last bit of Kingklip ( a local fish) before heading back to the US. Great service and a great meal.

If you are headed to South Africa, do not forget to include Durban in your itinerary. It has a different feel than the other major cities with an emphasis on Zulu culture and the warmth of a beach city. I know I look forward to seeing more and spending more time there in the future.

 

Here is a brief video highlight of Durban

 

Spa- Suncoast Hotel and Towers

9th floor , The Towers
(031)314-7900
suncoastspa1@southernsun.com

 

The Cargo Hold Restaurant

Ushaka Marine World
1 Bell Street
http://www.ushakamarineworld.co.za/Dining-Out/dining-out.php

The New Cafe Fish

31 Yacht Mole
Victoria Embankment
(031) 305-5062

You Are Home Again

 

I signed up to host a basketball clinic in Ghana, in the Eastern Volta Region for 3 weeks.  I picked Ghana because I have known of so many people traveling to Ghana and they have all had such good things to say about their journey. Also because they speak English and there is a rich history of the slave trade and colonialism.

 

My volunteer site was an orphanage/school/church community.  The people were extremely nice and helpful.  I had a room, and 3 meals delivered to me daily.  Stuff like fufu, pounded corn, coco yam leaves, tilapia or tuna soup, fried plantains, and yams. Since it was their raining season, it took a bit longer than I anticipated to build the basketball court.  So, I spent the first two weeks working with the school to improve their teaching techniques, lesson plans, and assessment.  In the rural areas, there are not professionally trained teachers, most are mere high school graduates.  So, they were very receptive to my input.  I also taught the orphans games to play.  They LOVE dodgeball. Once the basketball court was built (cement, rocks, water, tree trunks, wood, and paint), I taught the orphans how to play the game.  I ran various drills on dribbling, catching, passing, shooting, and defense.  For many, not using their feet to make a basket presented a huge challenge, but overall they were excited to learn the game and adopted the techniques well.  It was imperative to get the girls involved, as gender inequalities are still prevalent in this area. 

 

Aside from my volunteer experiences, I had a chance to explore the rich culture of Ghanians.  I visited Cape Coast.  I went to Cape Coast castle and Elmina castle.  To walk on the floors where my ancestors were held captive, beaten, and sold was an experience. Humbling. Grounding. Solidifying.  Horrific.  Informative.  Course Changing.  I saw male and female dungeons, the door of no return, the water they were taken to and everything in the castle. A must do and see in Ghana.  I also went to a place called Kankun National Park. It has tons of plants and animals in the rainforest.  I walked across the longest canopy walk in the world, some places, over 100 feet high, through the trees. It was amazing.  I also went to a local soccer game in Cape Coast.  Another memorable experience was going to the monkey sanctuary to feed the monkeys.  The monkeys ate the bananas right off my hands.  So cool!  Wili falls was another spectacular attraction - the longest waterfall in West Africa.

 

In summary, my trip to Ghana was very memorable and life changing.  The motherland is so beautiful.  My words will not compliment my experiences.  You have to go for yourself! 

 

Check out my website at: www.togethereachachievesmore.org for more information on sports in rural areas.

 

Blessings,

Davi Afi (traditional name given to woman born on Friday)

Back to DC - a few great DC hotspots

Spending the week in DC in between performances of FlagBoy at The Capital Fringe Festival was quite daunting because I really didn’t know what I would do. My only plans were to come down and perform the show on the weekends and then head home to NYC during the week. Looking over my budget (yes I got recession heart palpitations) I decided to park it and shack up with friends and family, to avoid spending all my cash on traveling. Well, I realized there was much needed writing and reading I could get caught up on along with checking out new spots for eating, lounging, and cruising (did I say cruising? - Cruising: a popular spot where one goes to check out the alluring and titillating HUMAN landscape).

Here are few spots I ventured to:

Coffee Shop/Lounge:

Sidamo Coffee & Tea - located at 417 H Street NE, it’s the perfect spot for breakfast, lunch, coffee, and tea on the go. They have a huge selection of exotic teas and coffee. This particular day - The Coffee of the Day was Ethiopian Lima and Tanzania. Not on the go? Take some time out, by making yourself comfortable at a private table for one, two, or three. Sit back and enjoy a breakfast sandwich, grilled chicken salad, or a chicken salad sandwich, and more. (Chicken salad sandwich…awesome!) Want to enjoy the sites of H St. and get your cruise on? Just take the storefront window seat located on the inside of the coffee shop. If you just want to work or read make yourself comfortable, no one will pressure you to be on your way, or to turn turntables for new customers. You’re on your time there and the owners of the coffee shop are so welcoming and humble. Oh…don’t forget to bring your laptop…FREE WIFI!!!

This place is very cool! Very community friendly. People greet you and genuinely ask how your day is. Very nice!

Sidamo Coffee & Tea

www.sidamocoffeeandtea.com

417 H St NE

Washington, DC 20002-4335

(202) 548-0081

Restaurant/Bar/Lounge:

Vapiano Pasta | Pizza | Bar - located in Chinatown at 623-625 H Street NW, this is the perfect after-work spot for socializing over cocktails and dinner (light or small). This spot is so reasonably priced and the service is quick. The ambiance gives you the feel of an upscale lounge, with a casual ‘laid-back’ feel. There’s a real food bar where you actually walk to the food counter and place your order with a trendy and clever personable “chip card.” You can also use the “chip card” to order your drinks from the bar. The food preparation takes place right before your eyes, by some extraordinary chefs, in very short minutes. The clientele is very trendy and affluent young to middle aged professionals. And there’s definitely a lot of “eye-candy” for your cruising appetite!

Check out Vapiano…you’ll Love it!

Vapiano Chinatown

623-625 H Street N.W.

Washington, DC 20001

There tons of locations nationally and internationally including two more in the DC Area:

Vapiano Ballston

4401 Wilson Blvd

Arlington, VA 22203

Vapiano M Street

Dupont Circle

1800 M St NW

Washington, DC 20036

Log on to www.vapianointernational.com for a location near you.

Banana Café & Piano Bar - located in Eastern Market at 500 8th Street SE, renowned for its Cuban, Mexican, and Puerto Rican Cuisine it definitely lives up to its name! Banana Café is such a warm and colorful restaurant. It’s no surprise that owner, Jorge Zamorano who is a self-taught artist, chose to design the restaurant with authentic art and colors representing his South American cultural influences from Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. It makes this restaurant a stand out in the Eastern Market community. I think you will enjoy the all around ambiance and comfort of the restaurant, whether your sitting inside or outside…you’ll love it. The food is plentiful and delectable. I ate with a friend this day and we shared the Ropa Vieja and the Carnitas Cubanas. Awesome! For drinks - The Black Traveler’s signature: Mojito!!! Yes, Banana Café’s Mojitos get an A. You should also try the Tropical Margarita. Don’t have too many, you may leave in a drunken stupor. Unfortunately I can’t speak much on the Piano Bar because I wasn’t there during those hours, but I’d say it’s worth featuring. However…cruise away because there are definitely some beautiful folk from all walks of life. To add to that, the clientele is quite gay friendly!!!

Definitely check out Banana Café…you may run into me there.

Who’s Your Daddy?

Cape Town is a wonderful city filled with beautiful scenery, amazing sites, and luxurious hotel accomodations. As in any metropolitan city, the accomodations selection is diverse wth everything from low end hostels to five star hotels. I am a fan of finding unique, but still comfortable, places to stay that provide a different experience than I would get at home. Well the Grand Daddy Hotel has set the bar on “unique experience”.

Picture if you will several airstream silver trailers, each uniquely designed by a South African designer to reflect a different theme, placed together to create a cute little trailer community or neighborhood. Now place them on the roof of a boutique hotel and you have just created the trailer park at the Grand Daddy Hotel. It is a one of a kind experience that visitors to Cape Town should try for atleast one night, just like I did.

The trailer park has its own bar and you feel like you are in your own little world perched above Long Street. You can see the buildings around you and hear the traffic below as you sip on cocktails as the sun sets.

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Natural Beauty

The National Park of the Chapada Diamantina is one of the most fascinating natural parks of Brazil. The mountain scenery contains an extraordinary variety of ecosystems, like Cerrado, Mata Atlantica, and Stone fields, Caatinga. The bromeliads and orchids find a privileged ambiance, adapting themselves to the differences in climate and altitude. The mountain tops reach a height of 5,660 feet and they offer shelter to the Jaguatiricas (local breed of feline) pumas, mocós (local rodents), deer’s, teiús (local reptile) and seriemas (local little ostrich) .

The massive quartz pieces, have undergone and resisted erosion, forming towers of minerals known as “TEPUY” by the local Indians of the Maracas and Cariris tribes, who dominated the region before the arrival of the first settlers or bandeirantes, around the year 1750. The most astonishing tepuis reach a height of 4,830 feet and they run across the municipalities of Palmeiras, Lençois e Mucugê . Read more

New Orleans and Essence Music Festival

The 2009 ESSENCE Music Festival was successful yet again, with sold-out audiences and heavy-hitting performers that included Beyonce, Robin Thicke, Ne-Yo, Lionel Richie, Al Green and Teena Marie. In addition to celebrating its 15th anniversary, this year’s festival was stocked full of tributes, from Bishop T.D. Jakes to Frankie Beverly and Maze and continuous homage to the King of Pop Michael Jackson whose sudden death occurred just one week before the festival opened.

In continued fashion, the City of New Orleans is the best place suited to host this annual event. The hotels line Poydras Street, the festival’s main thoroughfare, which houses the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center just off the Mississippi River on one end, and the Louisiana Superdome on its opposite end, where the nightly concerts are held.
Some of the more popular places to stay in the city for the festival include Harrah’s New Orleans, the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, the W Hotel New Orleans and the Intercontinental New Orleans. Less traveled places of repose for the festival can be found on St. Charles Avenue, with favorites Courtyard by Marriott and Royal St. Charles Hotel.

To continue a party after each night’s concert, you can never go wrong with the city’s famously infamous French Quarter. This area of the city is home to a plethora of night clubs, pubs, restaurants and other after-hours excitement for all levels. A couple of restaurants to try are Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House (www.bourbonhouse.com) and the historic Cafe du Monde, at its original French Quarter location. Make sure to stop by the Cafe for the traditional New Orleans beignets.

A few other culinary favorites around the city include Cafe du Monde’s second location in the Riverwalk Mall next to the convention center, Mother’s Restaurant on Poydras and Dooky Chase’s Restaurant. Make sure to get to Mother’s Restaurant early. During the early lunch hour through mid-afternoon, lines are outside the building with people patiently waiting for a taste of ham-fused breakfast specialties, grits and biscuits, among so many other filling entrees.

During the day, those who want to indulge in the city’s rich culture outside of the festival can visit the French Quarter that is filled with historic homes and town squares. Also, the Riverwalk affords tourists the opportunity to take advantage of boat tours to the swamps, plantation homes and post-Hurricane Katrina sites. All in all, coming to New Orleans is loads of fun during the ESSENCE Music Festival or any time during the year. Just be sure to have good dancing and walking shoes and a camera to capture all the memories.

Roscoe’s House Keeps on Cooking

It’s like putting the best part of a Sunday morning breakfast and a Sunday afternoon picnic together on one plate. The last time I was in LA at Roscoe’s House of Chicken & Waffles, I was a pescetarian, and let me tell you that fried fish and waffles just don’t taste so great together.  But chicken, well that’s just downright delicious and I couldn’t wait to taste theirs.

Trying to beat the Sunday church crowd, I treated my family to brunch at the Roscoe’s in West Hollywood around 12.30pm. No reservations are accepted, but they do have seats, so we waited outside, in a half-standing, half-seated line for at least 20 minutes.  We all should have been doing jumping jacks and push-ups to preempt the calorie attack we were in for.

Inside, the restaurant was cozy, the music was pumping, and people were having a good time. The waiter took a little longer than expected.  He actually skipped us and took another table’s order before ours. It could have been a race thing, but we didn’t let it bother us. We were too focused on the food.

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Hot Wheels

Looking for a cheap way to travel? If you’ve already realized renting a car is the least expensive and most efficient option, you might be able to save yourself extra money by NOT renting a car from the airport.   I’m talking discounts greater than 50%.Airports are easy to get to and around, but they are also costly. Car rental companies charge additional “Airport Service Fees” of around $10-15, to say nothing of how much it costs you to get there.   At the airport, the companies are all competing with one another and with such high consumer demand, they can all pretty much agree to charge the same high prices. Off-site rental companies are looking to do business and might have a special discount in addition to much lower standard rates.

For a weekend rental (Noon Friday-Monday) of the same Standard car, at the same company in the New York City area, here are a few calculations… Read more

The New Shockoe Bottom

I remember growing up in Shockoe Bottom, located east of downtown along the James River, in my hometown of Richmond, VA.  Before the millennium ages, Shockoe Bottom was the more industrial part of Richmond, where many goods were loaded and unloaded.  Apart from the industrial feel, for me, Shockoe Bottom was like a gregarious countryside Caribbean Island.  Within a five block radius you were surrounded by several small family owned businesses and the largest Farmer’s Market.  There would even be, on rare occasions, a man on a mule or tugging a cow, passing through.  The people of Shockoe Bottom were a community of friends, whom bonded well and supported each other’s businesses. And I remember my Dad’s business, Pacific Seafood Market, located at 19 18^th St. 

 

On a recent trip home (to lend a hand in my mom’s latest entrepreneurial venture) my burning desire led me to revisit Shockoe Bottom, the community which felt like immediate family during my adolescent days.  It’s been over 17 years, since my Daddy, sold his Seafood Market, and that was probably the last time I visited the neighborhood and stepped foot into the market, and boy has a lot changed.

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Ayê orum - Sisterhood of the Boa Morte Celebration in Cachoeira

Central to a program composed of all night vigils, masses, processions and Samba de Roda, is the sisterhood of Nossa Senhora da Boa Morte in Cachoeira. The commemoration is held annually beginning on the 13th of August and continues until 17th. The festival of Nossa Senhora da Boa Morte, founded in 1821, is one of the most important religious traditions in Brazil, which represents today a living document of the African experience in the new world.
The commemoration was begun at the beginning of Abolition and preserves those ties to the motherland which are characteristic of freedom-seeking African-descendent people. The ceremonies are rare and very rich, from the clothing and jewelry the women use in each ceremony, to the food offered at the house of the sisterhood, and the Samba de Roda which personalizes the non-religious part of the festival.
This devotion of the Sisterhood of Boa Morte was begun in the senzalas where the slaves came together at the end of day and seized the the opportunity to the discuss abolition, and to pray for the slaves who died during the struggles for the freedom. They asked Nossa Senhora to end slavery in Brazil.
Want to see this celebration in person? Email tbailey@escapetogether.com or call 1-877-980-1717 to get more information.

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