HIBBERDENE -- SOUTH COAST

Hi all! A few folks have written asking for more local photos, so here we go! This won't be in any particular order (this is, after all, not a web site, but a blog -- so lots of artistic license, right?!).



Here are a few pics of the little break we took in January to Hibberdene, which is a small town about 100 km down the coast hiway from Durban. It's a very tiny place consisting of a small crowded shopping plaza, another strip of little shops and restaraunts, and a small community. Into the hills above the beach are both residential areas, and some nice touristy places: B&Bs, resorts and all.

We had the privilege of staying at the Hibberdene Children's Holiday Home, which is run and managed by some friends of ours. They are actually quite renowned in South Africa for their work with the poor and the underpriviledged children.



They hold camps for children, who come in by the busloads from Durban, Johannesburg, etc,. and get to spend a weekend or a week at the beach, enjoying the huge swimming pool, getting special attention, Christian classes, and just generally having a nice healthly atmosphere and fun while they are there. There was a camp going on at the time. We stayed at a little apartment just next to the main dorms, so it was very quiet for us, though we were able to come in for prepared meals, and eat with the children, which was very special. These kids are just sooooooooooo cute! One little girl saw me in the hallway, kind of between things (this was a group of orphans) and I gave her a little smile -- she broke out in a huge grin, ran to me, gave me the biggest hug! (I'm so sad I didn't take more photos!) So sweet, and so hungry for love and affection. Jim and I have been invited to go and help out around Easter time--teach a class spend some time with the kids and all. I'm REALLY looking forward to that. The kids are soooo appreciative. The kind of thing that makes like worthwhile!


Anyway, back to the travelogue -- here are some pics of the area around the camp:

Our friends, whom we traveled with: Dominic, Stephy and Marie.

Friday night Happy Hour at a nearby lodge. Cheers!

SUNRISE -- 5:30 AM! Remember we're on the East Coast, on the Indian Ocean -- took me awhile to get my brain bearings around that! Sometimes I'd wake up and wonder what continent I'm on, where am I, what ocean is this..... Kinda weird!

Every morning we would sit in our little room overlooking the ocean, and watch the weaver birds outside our window. They were building their little nests literally inches from our window! It was just fascinating watching them dart about, how they socialized with one another, watching the female get on the males case to get in the nest and give her a break so she could go outside and just chill while he tended the eggs! So cute! She would squak and squak at him, and he would zip back and forth between branches, just frantic. Finally he'd climb into the nest, and she'd pop out and stretch and enjoy the fresh air! This tree was absolutely filled with the nests hanging down, clinging to the branches. And watching them build those nests was amazing also: they pluck long leaves and grass and whatever works, and weave them together with their beaks, poking and pulling. It’s a fascinating process to watch, and we spent a crazy amount of time at it, taking photos, and Jim even did a water color painting!

Well, it was certainly relaxing. The male birds build the nest, and the female birds come by, to check out the nests. If the males wanted to mate, they’d better weave, fast. The has a go at it with lightly woven materials, as if the female doesn't like the nest, he'll have to redo it till she likes it, and then she comes along and does the interior with nice soft stuff. And if he just can't get it right, the nest is ripped apart, and he has to start all over! And the tree they choose will be just full of nests! Really quite amazing creatures!

It's interesting that you see a lot of baskets in South African. Not in use so much, but for sale. Women sit on blankets on the sidewalk, or on the boardwalk by the ocean, and they sell baskets. Baskets made from reeds, and fronds and electrical wire, of different colors and shapes and patterns. Guess they learned a lot from the weaver birds, and of course expanded on that, as there are some absolutely gorgeous baskets! I'll try to take some photos of them and post them sometime.

Here are a few more pics of a daytrip we took down the coast:

Lots of women selling theirs art and wares in the shade of the big rocks. I'll try to get closeups next time -- lots of beautiful arts and crafts.

Beautiful flowers growing wild along the paths. This stretch is called Hibiscus Coast, as so many beautiful Hibiscus grow wild in the area.

Local women selling vegetables beside the parking lot. Sorry it's not a better pic, I tried to be discrete and take it out the car window. Didn't want to be rude, but they were so beautiful with their colored aprons and big smiles!