Respite in Richards Bay

After a lovely beach-filled week in Zinkwazi (you can read up about where I stayed here), I have been fortunate enough to be invited to Richards Bay for a 10 day sojourn with fellow Canadians, Leah and Kern.

Richards Bay is a 45 minute drive north from Zinkwazi and about 10 hours in car from Joburg. It's nestled on the coast of the Indian Ocean in the province of Kwazulu-Natal and is home to around 350,000 people.

It's a harbour town that is known as the industrial hub of SA, as its sand dunes and forests are incredibly rich in titanium, coal, zircon, aluminum, iron ore, rutile, and paper pulp.

 An arial shot of Richards Bay from Google  

Richards Bay is found on the right-hand side of the SA coast. Zinkwazi is an hour's drive south of Durban, which is also shown on this map. 

You may be wondering who Kern and Leah are and why I am staying at their home.

Anyone who knows me well (or has creeped my Facebook page over the last two years) knows who Sarah Von Hagen is. She's a fellow English major from Acadia, one of my very bestest girlfriends, and is an all-around superstar.* Kern and Leah are her wonderful parents. 

*Sarah: you can pay me later :) 

Exhibit A: Me... Sarah... and a red plastic flip-cup cup...

The Von Hagens hail from Yellowknife and work in mining & education. Two years ago they were offered the opportunity to transfer to South Africa on a work contract. 

Bravely, they packed up 20 years-worth of their Northern belongings and left the icy tundra for tropical paradise.

Meet Leah and Kern! :)

From what I've gathered, the Von Hagens are absolutely loving their SA experience. They have even opted to extend their original term of stay by another 12 months. 

It is easy to see why. 

Not only does their location in Richards Bay offer a plethora of game reserves, boat outings, hippo sanctuaries, and wildlife all in within a couple hours' drive, but their home itself is lovely. 

 Back deck overlooking the canal. Its mouth opens to the Indian ocean

 Garden/patio

 Fresh herbs! Mmm

 Lounger with a lovely view

They live directly on the harbour, with majestic sailboats and deep-sea fishing boats sitting only a stone's-throw off their back deck. 

                                       

Sailboats!

They also have the unique advantage of living on a body of water that is fed by both the ocean and a fresh water lake. What does this mean? That hippos, sting rays, sharks (eep!), and crocs (double eep!!) have all paid them a visit. 

My first night here, we spotted a group of bottle-nosed dolphins off the deck! We were also blessed with a stunning strawberry-sherbet sunset complete with a double rainbow that arched perfectly from left to right over the harbour sky. Pure magic. 

Only one half of the rainbow is visible... but I promise you the other half *was* there!

Monkeys make a regular appearance as well, much to the Von Hagens dismay. They chew furniture and steal food (yes -- sometimes from INSIDE the house!). Kern has threatened to buy a pellet gun to teach them a lesson, but Leah's staying true to her Canadian peace-maker roots and refusing to allow it.

They've been generous enough to offer me a stay their guest cottage, where I am spoiled with space all to my own. It is a welcome place of rest, reflection, and independence.  Take a look for yourself:

 Bedroom

 Living Room

Kitchen (not that I need/use it -- the Von Hagens are amazing cooks!)

Bathroom

My first night with the Von Hagens was nothing short of a breath of fresh air. 

It's been a challenge adapting to the SA ways of life. To share a meal with fellow Canadians was such a treat. After a while in SA, you get used to having to speak slowly and listen with focus, navigating accent and vocabulary differences. Finally I was able to relax during a conversation and not have to worry about jokes, references, or pronunciations getting lost in translation. 

As much as I love the immersion effect you get while living with a local family, the primal comfort I have been feeling while at the Von Hagens has been invaluable. 

It is fostered in simple things like a meal of chicken Caesar salad (romaine lettuce is difficult to find here and not commonly eaten), an inukshuk sitting in the garden, a casual comment of "fill yer boots", a tobogganing painting hung on the wall... all of these things scream "HOME" and have plastered a smile on my face.  It's allowed me to recharge my batteries and access inner stores of energy and intrepidness which will fuel the next 6 months of my trip.

 An inukshuk outside my front door... couldn't ask for anything better :) 

 Mountie teddybear and two reindeer - a perfect Canadian trio!

 Wishful thinking...

Photographs of Canadian landscapes (taken by their talent son, Aaron) are complimented by African decor sitting below

 This painting illicits immediate pining for snow-filled activities 

A Christmas snow village -- typical. (Kayla and Allan, I'm talking to you!)

It all really kicks into high gear when Sarah and her boyfriend, Jason (who is also a good friend of mine), arrive here in SA on the 19th. 

I cannot wait to sip cosmos with her on the deck and gossip, giggle, and bitch about life, love, and men just like the old days in Wolfville down at the Lib Pub. :) 

Pictures taken by the Von Hagens: 

 Their house is the unit is on the end, farthest to the left