Durban, South Africa

I did spend some time editing the photographs yesterday. I’ve interspersed a few with the texts and started a new yahoo album. For the time being I have two London albums – the new ones are in London 07. I have not started a Durban album yet – not enough photographs.

I spent about four hours at the refractive meeting yesterday. It was much better than I anticipated. I would have stayed longer, but jetlag got the better of me – my entire system is out of joint. I went back to the Hotel, planned on returning for the Mayor’s reception but never made it. I went back to the room, planned on resting and reading, could not read, watched a movie – terrible movie, but my energy would not allow anything else.

So far, I’ve only had a glimpse of Durban. Between the jetlag, work, and crime problem I haven’t seen much. Nevertheless I do have a few impressions. Durban is a mixed bag. It is the largest port in Africa; you can see the ships lined up waiting to unload from the beach. It is a tourist destination. It has miles of beautiful beaches; I’ve been told that it is a favorite of Brits. Yet there is the crime problem; my driver said that it is driven by unemployment. I would think that it would kill tourism, but apparently not. Maybe the problem is exaggerated. I’ve been told the beach is safe during the day, and in the morning I see joggers on the road. The beach seems remarkable empty. It is summer here, a couple of weeks ago Durban hosted a Formula A race (Formula A is a step down from Formula 1). In fact, the route passed in front of the Hotel – the temporary circle is still in place.