March was an awesome month and with it came a fantastic visit from my mom and dad all the way from Canada. With the itinerary in hand and several reminders from dad that "I would be there to pick them up"......you guessed it…………. I had my dates mixed up. A surprise call on the cell phone (confirming the worst) while grocery shopping for food from a rather surprised dad, wondering why we weren't at the airport.....aghhhhhhh! This was the beginning of a rather rocky (for me!) beginning to the visit along with three days of intermittent water and power! My perfect visit was dashed by my expectations and lack of control! Oh so much to work on...........
Three weeks zoomed by and the kilometers just clicked along. A highlight of some of the places we went were; Hluhluwe/iMfolozi game reserve, St Lucia park and 2 hour hippo and croc boat tour (this was exciting), Amatikulu park, Howard Johnson park overlooking the Tugela river, Umlalazi nature reserve, shaking Shakaland and our first sighting of 4 young male lions lounging in a huge tree, now this was phenomenal!
The second weekend with Mom and Dad we ventured to Hill Top, the top of the world overlooking beautiful Hluhlewe/iMfolozi park. We had a three hour night tour in the open top truck and ate our hearts out at the gourmet buffet. Wow, could we pack the food away and not one piece of it was torture I assure you!
From peace and tranquility to rushing and chaotic, we took our live in our hands and visited downtown Durban’s Victoria Street market. What an awesome array of cultural arts and crafts though the walk to get there almost overshadowed the crafty experience!
Ok, lastly we had lunch/brunch dinner……..? at the Prawn Shack. This was a new experience for all of us and we had little idea what to expect. I can honestly say we DID NOT send Mom and Dad home with empty stomachs or thinner for the ware! The Prawn Shack experience is to enjoy a traditional Zulu type lunch…..(relaxed, relaxed and relaxed) in a relaxed, rustic setting with an awesome beach and ocean view….( did you get the relaxed and layed back part?) Lunch began with the first course being served at twelve and the seventh and last course served around 4pm. In between we enjoyed watching the ladies skillfully bar-b-que huge prawns and enjoyed an ambling walk to the beach. Here, mom dipped her foot in the Indian Ocean and can now profess she has “dipped” in The Arctic, Atlantic, Pacific and………!
I can say that this was an experience of a life time for us to have the opportunity to host and explore with my family. I can see at times that the proverbial apple does not fall very far from the old tree! Frank can see that some of my more “colourful” parts I come by honestly…………….even though I told him so! Mostly though I can say that life is very short! Living each day as if it were your last and extending as much grace as unhumanly possible can go a long ways to loving and being loved! As they say here in South Africa……go well with you (you supply the accent!)
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