Western Cape to KwaZulu Natal

On Wednesday, a week ago, I said my goodbyes to my younger brother and departed to Durban, KwaZulu Natal.

While the Cape has its charms, it is Natal that truly warms my heart. As the plane descended over the Eastern Coast and my eyes swooped over the luscious green, my heart leaped. No other part of South Africa speaks to my soul in the same way than Natal’s subtropical scenery. The lusher, the lovelier it is for me. The Cape’s twiggy fynbos has little appeal to me. The broad leaved tropical flora of Natal, on the other hand, lifts my spirit like the Gospel.

I’m happy to say that I have a number of friends that share my passion for Natal. When I told one friend the other day how I prefer Natal over the Cape he exclaimed his relief for not being the only one and added that Table Mountain is a mere hill compared to the Drakensberg mountains. I have to concur. As a landmark, Table Mountain is an interesting phenomenon, but as far as mountains go, the Drakensberg mountain range is numinous. And to add, there is nothing as nourishing for the soul as broad strokes of green, which is in surplus in Natal. On the other hand, the mountains I saw in my Cape visit were far too dry. This is probably the key reason I enjoy Natal – it stays green all year round.

I wouldn’t mind to go settle in Durban one day, or to retire in Mtunzini when I’m old. But then again, if it is tropics I want, why not retire in Thailand? Always green, and with a meagre retirement fund one could live in Thailand like a rich man. Or at least, that is what I’ve heard; I’m yet to visit Thailand.

Speaking of Mtunzini, I visited there on Saturday with my friend Joa. Since my first visit (probably around 1999) to this little coastal town I’ve been in love with it. I’ve returned there many times and even had the opportunity to live there for a year in 2003. I rented a rondawel and taught Tai-Bo and Taekwon-Do to survive. It was a wonderful experience. I went to the beach often, experiencing kilometres of open sandy beaches, sloping dunes, and fertile groves. My stay in Mtunzini is a valuable chapter in my life and I often think back to it when I daydream of escaping from my normal routine.