Waves,
Waffles and Wet things …
3 – 7 March 2011
In the 20 years that Hein and I have known each
other – we have never, ever gone to Durban
for a weekend / breakaway/ holiday. It
had to change …
3 March 2011
The alarm went off at 05h20. After a few snoozes, I jumped up, showered
and started to pack. Hein made us some
coffee. The kids were already in their
posh hotel – you should see, they even have small garden benches in each
‘en-suite’ garden! Soooo gorgeous!
See how small the bench is.
With everything packed, we left home at 06h30.
Escaping the traffic, we drove to Heidelberg for
breakfast. When we asked Lizzie, our
GPS, for a coffee shop, she directed us to ‘Die Plaasstoepkombuis’. (The Farm Patio kitchen) (http://www.diamanteengoud.co.za/indexengels.html) It’s a wonderful curio shop, filled with all
kinds of amazing things. They even have
a jewellery counter to clean your rings, etc.
Outside under a vine pergola, we sat down next to a water fountain. Unfortunately, we had to move inside because
they wanted to wash the verandah.
???
After we ordered 2 strong coffees, we had a
look at the menu and decided on a chicken pie.
A few sips of coffee however revealed it too weak, so we ordered double
espresso’s – or more commonly known as ‘Americano’. The pies were ok, but the pastry was
soft. The new stronger coffees were
magic though.
Deciding to play ‘tourist’, we stopped on Van
Reenen’s Pass at ‘the smallest church in the world’!
The
Little Church (Roman Catholic) was built in memory of Llandaff Matthew who was
killed while trying to rescue others in a mining accident in 1925. When the dad
wanted to honour Llandaff with a plague in the church, it was denied on the
grounds of them being Roman Catholic. He
then decided to build his own church.
With a full house, the church can only seat 8 people!
Next door to the little church is
a tea garden. But on our way to tea, a
gentleman with this lovely old Austin
7 car pulled up. Tea was served in
paper-light teacups and the one guy took a pic of us. I had a lemon meringue, but it was ok. (My taste buds are seriously out of
order.) In the little shop, I bought
Aloe and Orange Marmalade, Aloe and Apricot Jam and ‘Nastergal’ (Msobo)
jam. They are deep purple berries and
the consistency of Mulberries.
Arriving at Nottingham Road after lunch, we drove to
the Rawdons Pub. Hein had some of their
light beer and bought some to take with.
He also bought a small ‘beer cheese’.
The seed bread they gave us before lunch was sooo yummy, I found a
ziplock bag in my handbag and hid the rest of it. Hein had steak, egg & chips, I had penne
pasta with veg.
Around 3pm, we arrived at Hein’s
dad in Pietermaritzburg.
The
garden is visited by loads of small birds, some for a water bath, and others
for the fruit. Although the rest of Natal is lovely and
green, Pietermaritzburg is very dry. The
grass is nearly dead and we got quite excited when the clouds went dark …. But
it cleared up after a while.
Hein and I made turns and took
some lovely photos. Later that evening,
we tasted the ‘beer cheese’ with cucumber slices & cherry tomatoes – it was
very good. Hein put a flat ‘honey & mustard’ chicken on the Weber, I
microwaved corn on the cob, made a small salad and we had ice cream for
dessert.
4 March 2011
After a lovely night’s rest, we
had coffee on the patio and the camera was busy once again. As soon as it was 7am, Hein drove to the
neighbourhood Spar, bought Grabouw sausage & rolls while I made a tomato
relish. Oh gosh, it was just soooooo
nice!
Last year Hein’s dad bought a 2nd-hand
Audi from Hugo, Hein’s younger brother.
But now decided he wants to sell it – Hein looked at his dad, looked at
me and said ‘I can do with a nicer car than a 2002 Corolla. I’ll buy it.’
Ok, this is another example of how we work – Hein has been talking about
another car for quite a few months – and he knew our 1 friend wanted to buy
Hein’s Corolla. So when the opportunity
knocked, he went for it. The transactions were finalized, so this
coming weekend Hein will have his newer car.
After a shower, we packed the car
again, said goodbye to Hein’s dad and drove off to Durban.
Woohoo!!!
I found a lovely 1-bedroom flat
in The Point Waterfront for R550/night. (http://www.pwaccommodation.co.za –
Tel: (031) 332 4450.) They have numerous
accommodation options – but for us, 1 bedroom was perfect! It is walking distance from UShaka Village
and looks out over the harbour. But
checking-in time is only 2pm ….
A quick phone call and yes! We could book in earlier. Although we found a few ‘broken’ things in
the flat, it was absolutely perfect!!!!!!!!!!
Very modern décor – 1 bedroom with aircon, small but adequate open-plan
kitchen with microwave, washer/dryer & dishwasher. Lounge with comfortable sofas, coffee table,
TV and a balcony with table & chairs.
A gas braai can be hired for R60/day.
While looking out from the balcony, we were fascinated with walls, being
held upright by support ‘pillars’ – but there was no building – just the
outside walls. Think they use it for movies.
I quickly unpacked all our
clothes and our coffee plunger, filter coffee and sugar, sprayed on suntan
lotion and walked to UShaka
Village for lunch. It’s about 10-15 min walk alongside a
canal. Our destination – Moyo
Restaurant. With a lovely seaview
window, we sat down and had a look at the menu.
They seemed to have updated the
menu with some absolutely scrumptious and very affordable dishes! I ordered a chicken burger on a pumpkin &
sweet potato bun with roasted pumpkin seeds.
Hein ordered a prego roll & chips.
The waiter brought us a flat
bread to nibble on with a small bowl of oil for dipping – but how cute is
this! They have actually cut out a hole
the size of the bowl in the flat bread!
It was soooooo yummy!
Although it
was Friday, people were enjoying the sunshine and warm water. Hein spied this one guy in a costume – just
standing and prancing – this side, then that side.
Our burgers were soooo delicious!!!!! While eating, we saw one of the MSC ships
leaving the harbour. It is a massive
ship – that’s an item on our bucket list – a 4-day cruise on one of those
ships.
Playing ‘tourist’, we have
decided to watch a dolphin show at 3pm.
It was lovely! The dolphins are
so clever and agile and must have eaten kilo’s of little fish snacks during the
show.
With the show over, we watched
the penguins and had a look at the ‘Ray pools’ – stingrays in it. They are so lovely and I was allowed to touch
the back of one stingray. Soft as
velvet.
The aquarium is an absolutely
must to visit – you feel like you’re walking inside an old ship. We saw some of the funniest-looking fishes,
the tiniest seahorses and Nemo!
The Moyo restaurant has a small
‘bar area’ out on the pier. Sitting
there, you have to hold onto your glasses, hat, handbag & camera because
there’s just water below you. One guy was
sitting in a canoe with 2 fishing rods.
Look at this creative ‘chandelier’
made of plastic bottle tops and paper!!!
For dinner we decided on Cape
Town Fish Market – but I was disappointed.
Their sushi was ok and Hein’s rice tasted quite funny. Children were riding bikes and playing ball. It was nice and balmy and we felt truly
relaxed and on vacation. It also felt
like a totally other world.
At the flat we realized they haven’t
supply us with toilet paper, so Hein drove off to an Engen garage. When Hein offloaded his photos, he had taken
500! Luckily we have a digital – can you
imagine the costs of developing so many photos!
With tired ‘touristy’ bodies, we called it a night.
Saturday, 5 March 2011
Our room had dark blinds to the outside
hallway, so we only woke at 6h45.
Sipping our hot filter coffee, we looked out over the harbor and checked
out our opposite neighbors. A shower,
fresh clothes and we were ready for breakfast.
How far have you driven for
breakfast? Our destination was Ramsgate
– 140 km from the flat.
Why? Because of the famous ‘The Waffle
House’. (www.wafflehouse.co.za – Tel: (039) 314 9424 – Hours are Mon – Sunday, 9am – 5pm.) We heard they can be so popular, queues are
long …..
Around 9h30am we
arrived at The Waffle House. And were
delighted to see only a few cars in the parking lot. It’s a big restaurant with loads of seating,
next to a small canal.
After ordering
Americano coffees, we looked at the menus and I was drooling ….Both of us chose
the Breakfast Waffle - Crispy
Belgian Waffle served with scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, fried mushrooms and
grilled tomato ...with cheese & spring onion baked into your
waffle. R65-00. Oh
gosh – it was absolutely delightful! Not
a huge portion per se … but the flavors were perfect and I was in Waffle
Heaven! I knew I HAD to have a sweet
waffle, so I only ate half of my breakfast waffle.
Deciding on a sweet waffle wasn’t easy – they
have ones with Macadamia nuts in the batter, some with choc chips in the
batter, a Banoffee waffle (bananas & toffee sauce), some topped with choc
mousse, other topped with lemon meringue …
My decision was between Hot Dutch Apple - A traditional recipe with apple wedges
poached in a light sauce of cinnamon and raisins and Spiced Fruit Waffle - Mixed dried fruits baked into a waffle and
sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.
I chose the Spiced Fruit with ice
cream, cream & macadamia nuts. And
syrup of course. Heck, I’m on vacation –
let’s make a big deal of it! Oh my word
– it was absolutely divine!!!!!!! Out of
this world!!!!! It also gave me some
fabulous new ideas … have to buy a waffle pan now!
I
bought a waffle pan 3 days later and have made my own savory waffles with
different ingredients baked in the batter.
It worked fabulously!
Driving back slowly, we stopped at
The Western Saloon Bar. At the patio, we
sat and watched a few horn-bill birds hopping up and down the branches. A big potbelly pig was covered in mud at the
bottom of the garden.
While we’re
admiring the horn-bills, 2 donkeys were led to the tables. We were given chopped carrots to feed them
while taking photos. On our way back, we
stopped at a Second-hand Bookshop and bought 3 books. When she told us they’re
going to The Waffle House that afternoon, I enthusiastically told her about the
ones we enjoyed.
Back at the flat, we rested for an
hour, then showered and got dressed. I
booked us a Sundowner cruise in the Durban
harbour – R145 for 2 hours (4pm – 6pm), snacks included, cash bar on deck! Hein has never done anything like that
before, so we were quite excited.
As we got onto the Allan Gardiner boat (www.allengardiner.co.za) Tel: 084
456 4500), there were 2 sides – one without a roof, one side with a roof. We walked to the side with the roof, met 3
other Afrikaans couples there and decided this is ‘our side’. Hein also knew one of the girls’ bosses from
Midrand – small world! It was also right
next to the bathrooms. Glasses of bubbly
were served and then we ‘reversed’ and were off.
It was lovely! It was the most perfect day, the water was
calm and Hein took another 500 photos! The snacks were absolutely scrumptious –
pastry rounds with boerewors, potato Samoosas, fish balls, pizza squares and
choc-coated marshmallows at the end. It
was lovely and filling and when Hein asked for more pastry rounds with
boerewors, they made some for him.
After a delightful 2 hours, we
were back in the harbor. I was a tiny
bit queasy, but Hein loved every moment of it.
While walking back to the car, I browsed through some shops and Hein
bought himself a stunning white African shirt!
On our way back to the flat, we
bought bread, cheese and bottled water at a Spar. Hein tried to watch DSTV, but something was
wrong, so I read my book and he watched SABC.
We were not hungry, so we watched the harbor lights from the balcony
and went to bed.
Sunday 6 March 2011
Hein had a restless night. I woke up at 6, Hein only after 7. This morning it was real Durban weather – humid and sticky, even early
in the morning. After a lovely cup of
coffee on the balcony, we showered, got dressed and walk to UShaka Village
for breakfast. Moyo’s. Again!!!
When our strong Americano coffees arrived, I
smilingly asked the waiter ‘where’s the
cookie? In Joburg we get cookies.’ He returned with 2 crunchie cookies. Sometimes one just has to ask! Moyo’s usually have ladies asking if you want
to wash your hands. They have a bowl and
then slowly pour scented water over your hands; sometimes they have a little
song with it. They also ask if they can
paint your face. Hein was wearing his
African shirt, so he had his face painted.
Both of us decided on the
breakfast Tagine with lamb sausage. Then
the breakfast arrived. Oh my gosh! A small cast-iron tagine – thin potato slices on the bottom, tomato relish on top, lamb sausages and 2
eggs baked in it. What a smashing idea!
And it’s a very ‘thin’ dish, so not too filling. Now we have to find a similar tagine back home!
The breakfast was absolutely
delightful! From the window, we could
see people already swimming and walking on the beach. After breakfast, Hein said he wanted to watch
the cricket at the Moyo’s bar on the pier. I was going to browse the shops.
There are shops with handbags
& clothes, curio’s, jewellery, kids’ stuff, sweets, etc. I walked into this shop that sells t-shirts
with naughty quotes on. After browsing
through them (some are quite obscene, other funny), I bought 2 t-shirts with
relatively ok-ish quotes on.
At an Indian shop, I saw a
miniature mortar & pestle. I’ve
always wanted one, but a big one takes up too much space. This one was the perfect size, although I
couldn’t see the price. I left it and
browse further through the shops. When I
passed the Indian shop again, other people were also looking at this miniature
mortar & pestle and I saw a price tag.
R25! I bought it. I’ve
used it a few days later and it worked smashingly.
I walked back to Moyo’s bar, had
a ‘Pineapple Punch’ non-alcohol cocktail and read my book for a few hours while
Hein watched the Springboks’ defeat. This one guy was flying his kite and it lifted
him straight from the sand!
With lunch looming, we ordered
something small. I had 2 huge deboned
chicken wings, stuffed with spicy prawns, with a lovely marinade sauce. R50.
It came in a cute little pan.
Very yummy!!! Hein had a ‘mini cig
cig wat’ – Ethiopian braised beef
marinated in fenugreek, cloves & allspice, wrapped in roti with avo, sesame
& yoghurt sauce. R40. He
enjoyed it, but I preferred my choice.
2 Weeks ago my friend, Ant, made
her 1st baked cheesecake for dinner.
That triggered my taste buds and I’ve been looking for a slice of baked
cheesecake since then. On Moyo’s menu I
spied – Butternut Baked cheesecake with
crystallized pumpkin and chocolate splinters served with custard. I decided this is it. Butternut cheesecake?? When I asked the waiter, he wasn’t sure if
they had any – oh my word – I nearly throttled him!!!! Why do these places have choices on their
menu when they don’t have it in stock??????
The waiter strolled back – they
have a slice for me! Oh my gosh – you
can’t really taste the butternut, but it has the color and was absolutely
deliciously scrumptious!!!!!!!!!!! A
must try at home! When I googled a butternut cheesecake, it sounds like you only add 1
cup of smooth, cooked butternut to your normal baked cheesecake mixture. And choc splinters of course. Woohoo!!!
When the cricket ended in a
disappointed final, we strolled back over the pier. At Steers, we bought 2 soft serve cones and
slowly walked back to the flat.
After a few hours’ of lazying in
the flat, we decided to drive to ‘The Wheel’.
A shopping centre in Durban. But when we got close, we decided to give it
a miss … It’s now ‘The Chinese Mall’ and
looked run-down. We drove past the new
stadium and wow! What a lovely building.
For dinner Hein suggested Spur at
UShaka Village.
He had a pepper burger and just laughed at the size of the burger &
bun. It has shrunk considerably over the
past few years. I had some yummy porky
ribs and the basting sauce tasted exactly as I can remember. And their fried onion rings … with that pink salad dressing dribbled over …
Monday, 7 March 2011
The alarm went off at 5 am. After a few snoozes, I jumped up at 5h15,
showered, dressed, packed and at 5h59 we closed the flat’s door behind us.
Deposited the key and drove back
home. It really was such an amazing
weekend! And something worthwhile to
explore if you’ve never been to UShaka
Village.
Escaping the morning traffic, we
decided to breakfast at Montrose
Village, just before
Harrismith. We were starved when we
arrived – Hein ordered an English breakfast and I had a delicious rye bread
topped with avo & haloumi cheese.
And strong coffee of course.
Back home before 2pm. Unpacked, fetched the kids and settled back
into routine. What a fabulous weekend!
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