Yesterday we went to uShaka Marine World in Durban. We were apprehensive about it because in general we tend to avoid "attractions". Some of you may have visited uShaka. It's a huge complex partly dedicated to raising awareness of marine life and conservation issues but also to parting you from your hard-earned. To get to the ticket desk you have to walk a gauntlet of glitsy shops, but once through there is a lot to do and countless families of all colours were enjoying themselves there. It's evident that there are plenty of families here with money to spend on having a good time. We didn't try the "Wet 'n' Wild" area, but the dolphin display was wonderful (although I haven't decided whether I approve) and the vast aquarium - with sharks - kept us mesmerised for ages.
Driving through Durban you begin to get an idea of the scale of difference between rich and poor. We have seen several Rolls Royces and at least one Aston Martin. At traffic lights we have also encountered guys who collect your in-car litter from you for a small donation. This seems very enterprising but also pretty desperate to spend your day in the middle of a busy road wearing a sign saying "Mr Bin".
Some people here are working extremely hard to earn their pay. The cook/cleaner/waitress at our first guesthouse told us that she gets up at 3.30am to be at work for 5.30am. She works flat out until 2pm (B saw that she was having to jump to wipe down the shower cubicle), then she goes to bed at 6pm. She does this 7 days a week for most of each month, then gets 5 days off. We thought she was amazing - she was tiny, but able to lift our 25kg suitcase onto her head and carry it upstairs. And she still had enough energy left over to joke with us as we gave our breakfast order. Sue.
Driving through Durban you begin to get an idea of the scale of difference between rich and poor. We have seen several Rolls Royces and at least one Aston Martin. At traffic lights we have also encountered guys who collect your in-car litter from you for a small donation. This seems very enterprising but also pretty desperate to spend your day in the middle of a busy road wearing a sign saying "Mr Bin".
Some people here are working extremely hard to earn their pay. The cook/cleaner/waitress at our first guesthouse told us that she gets up at 3.30am to be at work for 5.30am. She works flat out until 2pm (B saw that she was having to jump to wipe down the shower cubicle), then she goes to bed at 6pm. She does this 7 days a week for most of each month, then gets 5 days off. We thought she was amazing - she was tiny, but able to lift our 25kg suitcase onto her head and carry it upstairs. And she still had enough energy left over to joke with us as we gave our breakfast order. Sue.