Surprise Trip Through Durban

Took a different route through Durban today to get somewhere and... WOW.
I never knew there was a whole upper street area filllled with car stores on Dr Pixley Kaseme (West) Street?! Saw a cute lil' SUV for R1599 per month! Even came across that place where they sell fake versions of popular cars imported from Japan (I'm not joking) and its For Export Only sign is evidence our government just wont let us South Africans be great:(
Did you know we have a beautiful building cal...led the Zulu Jazz Lounge right next to the Playhouse?! I wanna go in there one day.
And if you just lift your eyes whilst walking down old Smith Street the view of our mini skyscraper-like buildings will take you by surprise...
 
Looked left down a crowded alley and made a note to see what's on sale there one day(without any valuables on me haha)!
A tailor from Congo taught me that Swahili is not just a Kenyan-Tanzanian language but a Southeast African one:)
And lastly but definitely not least I saw that that area at the Market (eMakethe) where all you see are herbs and traditional medicine and animal skins and some Sangomas has a huge, very official sign with HERB MARKET(like, official) printed on it which makes SO much sense now...
We have SUCH a beautiful city. If I had any doubts, I definitely now know it's not my time to leave just yet...
There's so much to still explore! My hope for 2016 is to find a like-hearted person who'll join me for it-including the dodgy alleys:)
‪#‎Durbanmycity

VB's- Virginia Beach

Had the absolute pleasure of being invited to a foodtruck-restaurant spot called "vb's on virginia beach" in Durban North this weekend! We started off by sitting at the tables right outside the truck but were eyeing the table on the beach until the family occupying it finally left (yay!) and we got to hang out with the beach right behind us- and warm sand under our feet- while we waited for our friend, who is aaalways late, to arrive. Fiso, who'd suggested we visit the place mentioned how the area used to be quite a dump before they gave it a face lift and I must say, whilst sitting there with a soft breeze easing the scorching Durban heat and having security usher cars in and out of the secure parking lot a few yards away I couldn't imagine the place ever being anything but safe.
We finally ordered our meal; three of us had the burger of the week- it had guacamole and sour cream so I was sold- and two other friends tried the other two burger options they had.
Loved it! Other than wishing it had had a bigger beef patty I thoroughly enjoyed my burger-and-shoestring-fries experience, finger licking and all:)

We ate, we talked, we took pictures and last- but definitely not least- we all got some great exfoliation for our feet- who needs spa's when you can just go to vb's, huh? Music eventually started playing from some portable speakers which was all the place had been lacking up 'til that point.

Overall I'd say vb's is a refreshing and different experience which I'd encourage people to go and check out. I love that vb's sells itself as "beach grub" and they actually mean it- you eat on the beach! Case in point: whilst we were eating an elderly lady and her mother laid their towels out on the sand and ordered some food which was brought to them where they sat- because who needs tables right?
I loved being close enough to nature  to hear the waves crash and plants gently blowing in the breeze and the laid back atmosphere makes you stay longer to just soak it all in.
I think our rugby friends would've liked bigger portions in general(typical men) and I do believe that a menu with more variety will become necessary as time goes on but that will come in due time, the place is still relatively new. At times it did get a bit tricky trying to keep our cooldrink cans and straws from blowing away as soon as we were done with them but our waiter was very attentive and promptly removed anything that could make us all end up playing a game of litter-tag:)

I'd go again, my friends would go again, so get to vb's nice and early next time you're in Durban North. The nice thing is even if all their chairs are taken, a towel or a beach blanky will do the trick too;)