<>  VISITING DURBAN IN SOUTH AFRICA <>
This entry is about: Let's Share Our Differences | South Africa | Cultural Diversity & Equity

≤≥≤≥    VISITING DURBAN ≤≥≤≥ 
IN SOUTH AFRICA
≤≥  It was a dream, down there.  <> 
<> That waves and warps through clear shallow water <>
<> Yearning wonder at all the beauty that is out there. <> 
<> But it is vibrant and real and alive, <> 
≤≥ WET YOURSELF ! ≤≥
<><> A whole New world more fun. <><>
 <><><><> <><> <><><><>

<><>  Durban's latest tourist attraction is an
aquatic wonderworld of thrilling theme
parks, breathtaking marine life and
dreamy underwater adventure,.

<><> If you get eaten by a shark, don't come crying to me,
I said, blushing furiously as I realised immediately what I'd said.
If you substitute 'fall off that bike
and break your neck' for 'get eaten by a shark',
I might have been my father, 25 years ago.
Still, kids will be kids.
Or maybe boring grown-ups
will just be boring grownups.

<><> I was talking to Eid, my eight-year-old nephew,
who was clambering on the low wooden fence
surrounding the surface of the shark tank at
uShaka Marine World,
the new and rather thrilling watery theme park
that opened this year at Durban's Point.

 <> Formerly the seedy, seamier part of town,
the Point is being renovated with restaurants,
sundowner bars and now uShaka,
the world's fifth-largest marine park,
in which the municipality has invested
R 735m in the expectation of
generating 1,5 million visitors in the first year.
None of which was of the slightest interest to Eid ,
<> Eid wanted to see sharks. <>

<> 'It's a bit unsafe;
said a woman pushing a baby in a pram.
'Your son could fall in.'
'A couple of bites and he'll learn his lesson;
I assured her, trying to sound like a parent.
She gave me a peculiar look as I dragged- Eid
toward the Phantom Ship. uShaka
<> is actually three theme parks in one. <>

<><>  First there is the Village Walk retail section,
a kind of Lost City by the sea without the casino.
Themed to suggest a Zulu village
(with what is proudly described as 'the biggest thatched roof in the country'),
Village Walk is the kind of large-scale retail heaven
the rich and famous would feel at home in,
with metal Zulushield light fittings
and banisters shaped like geckos.

<><> The second park is Wet 'n Wild,
with its water-rides and super-tubes,
but it was an uncharacteristically chilly day in Durban,
so we skipped Wet 'n Wild.

<><> Besides, there are no sharks there
and E i d had only one thing on his mind.
Entrance to Sea World,
the third and best part of the uShaka complex,
is through the Phantom Ship,
an extraordinary 80m replica of a 1920s cargo steamer
whose hull I had to physically touch before
I would believe it wasn't an actual ship driven ashore
by an Indian Ocean tempest and
rusting in stately retirement amid the palm trees.

<><> The upper decks and stern are
home to a variety of restaurants
with views into the tanks,
but we raced down the staircase,
down below the water line,
down to where the fishes live.
 <> It is wonderful down there. <>

  <>≤≥  The aquarium spreads out through tunnels
and ghosdy blue chambers.
Atmospheric maritime sounds play over the PA -
gurgles and creaks and moans;
morse-code transmissions;
<> distant eerie music,  <>
as though from some spectral Marie Celeste.

≤≥≤≥ The galleries resemble the holds of ships -
you walk between coiled ropes and hawsers,
cargo in wooden boxes,
rivets in the grey-steel walls and water-tight doors, and
you don't have to be eight to dream you are in a sunken ship,
saved by a trapped air bubble,
looking out through the portholes at the bottom of the ocean.
<>   E I D's eyes were wide. <>

≤≥≤≥ He stared for hours at the eels and the octopus,
and for days at the turdes in their large tank,
those wise old men of the sea
who always look as though they're taking their morning dip
before retiring to the nearest teashop to smoke pipes and play dominoes.
E I D stared agog at the devil firefish -
the gauzy, red-white-and-black phantoms often found haunting actual wrecks.

≤≥≤≥ Their tank is designed like a flooded cabin on an old liner -
they hang against the walls and furniture like hellish
Christmas decorations in the Bermuda Triangle.

≤≥ But it was the sharks that held E I D ,
as they hold us all.
uShaka has the largest collection of sharks in the southern hemisphere,
even after the unfortunate recent events
when a number died in one of the tanks
after teething problems with algae control and oxygenation. yap..

≤≥ One tank holds the reef sharks -
fast, darty, nippy, like terriers on a Sunday walk -
but it is the big fellows that hold a dark fascination.
We stood in the blue gloom,
staring out at the heavy solemnity of the Zambezis
and Ragged - Tooths.
<. > E I D held his breath and his eyes shone darkly. <>

≤≥≤≥ Finally we made our way up to the light like returning deep-sea divers,
not rushing up too fast for fear of the bends. Outside,
Sea World is a sprawling series of interconnected lagoons -
the surfaces of the larger tanks -
winding between green grass and walkways and palms.

≤≥ We wandered to the penguin enclosure,
where the birds stood dolefully like London commuters at a station,
then to the 1 200-seat canvas-topped auditorium for the dolphin show.

≤≥ When I was E I D's age, <>
<> I used to visit the old dolphinarium to watch Gambit,
the world's largest captive dolphin. He's still there,
still breathtakingly massive,
still displacing vast amounts of water
onto the first 10 rows of the auditorium,
to the amusement of everyone sitting further back.
Of course we sat in the front row.
There is something about an eight-year-old's cry of delight
when he is unexpectedly drenched by a dolphin
that simply should not be resisted.

≤≥ Besides, we were going to get even wetter.
Best of all at Sea World is the opportunity to snorkel in the coral lagoon -
the huge tank with reef fishes and man-made coral,
fronting through a glass window onto the reef-shark tank.
R40 affords 45 minutes of snorkelling
and there is no better way to introduce a small child
to the giddy delights of the marine world.

≤≥  Supervision and mandatory buoyancy vests cuts out safety worries;
within mere seconds you are drifting weightless
in a wonderworld of angelfish and triggerfish, p a r r o to f i s h and rays.
Of all the modern innovations that would have enlivened my own youth,
it is the snorkelling lagoon I envy the most.

≤≥  It is designed to resemble the reef around
a desert Indian Ocean island
where pirates have scuttled their treasure.
On the seabed there are chests overflowing with jewels and doubloons,
replica ivory tusks and gold ingots strewn across the white sandy "'bottom,
and even, for some reason,
a World War II jeep rusting away in sunny silence.

≤≥  It was a dream, down there. <>
I bobbed and breathed and watched E I D
while he giggled underwater at the fish brushing against his feet.
He would have stayed there all day and through the night too.
For E I D it was a new world,
a day his horizons not only broadened but deepened,
when his eyes lit with the light that dances on the sea,
<> that waves and warps through clear shallow water <>

≤≥  I doubt he will ever get over it.
For me it was a day of being eight all over again
and rediscovering that aching,
<> yearning wonder at all the beauty that is out there. <> 

≤≥≤≥ To compare uShaka Marine World to the V&A Aquarium
is like comparing Durban and Cape Town themselves -
some parts are a little tacky, even kitsch.

≤≥≤≥ Sophisticates may smirk and snoot.
But it is vibrant and real and alive,
and it quickens the pulse and
inspires daydreams far more than Cape Town ever does.
Cape Town may be more elegant, more ethereal,
but Durban is, quite fiankly,
<><> a whole world more fun. <><>

≤≥≤≤≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥ END

≤≥≤≥    VISITING DURBAN ≤≥≤≥ 
IN SOUTH AFRICA
≤≥  It was a dream, down there.  <> 
<> That waves and warps through clear shallow water <>
<> Yearning wonder at all the beauty that is out there. <> 
<> But it is vibrant and real and alive, <> 
≤≥ WET YOURSELF ! ≤≥
<><> A whole New world more fun. <><>
 <><><><> <><> <><><><>

<><>  Durban's latest tourist attraction is an
aquatic wonderworld of thrilling theme
parks, breathtaking marine life and
dreamy underwater adventure,.

<><> If you get eaten by a shark, don't come crying to me,
I said, blushing furiously as I realised immediately what I'd said.
If you substitute 'fall off that bike
and break your neck' for 'get eaten by a shark',
I might have been my father, 25 years ago.
Still, kids will be kids.
Or maybe boring grown-ups
will just be boring grownups.

<><> I was talking to Eid, my eight-year-old nephew,
who was clambering on the low wooden fence
surrounding the surface of the shark tank at
uShaka Marine World,
the new and rather thrilling watery theme park
that opened this year at Durban's Point.

 <> Formerly the seedy, seamier part of town,
the Point is being renovated with restaurants,
sundowner bars and now uShaka,
the world's fifth-largest marine park,
in which the municipality has invested
R 735m in the expectation of
generating 1,5 million visitors in the first year.
None of which was of the slightest interest to Eid ,
<> Eid wanted to see sharks. <>

<> 'It's a bit unsafe;
said a woman pushing a baby in a pram.
'Your son could fall in.'
'A couple of bites and he'll learn his lesson;
I assured her, trying to sound like a parent.
She gave me a peculiar look as I dragged- Eid
toward the Phantom Ship. uShaka
<> is actually three theme parks in one. <>

<><>  First there is the Village Walk retail section,
a kind of Lost City by the sea without the casino.
Themed to suggest a Zulu village
(with what is proudly described as 'the biggest thatched roof in the country'),
Village Walk is the kind of large-scale retail heaven
the rich and famous would feel at home in,
with metal Zulushield light fittings
and banisters shaped like geckos.

<><> The second park is Wet 'n Wild,
with its water-rides and super-tubes,
but it was an uncharacteristically chilly day in Durban,
so we skipped Wet 'n Wild.

<><> Besides, there are no sharks there
and E i d had only one thing on his mind.
Entrance to Sea World,
the third and best part of the uShaka complex,
is through the Phantom Ship,
an extraordinary 80m replica of a 1920s cargo steamer
whose hull I had to physically touch before
I would believe it wasn't an actual ship driven ashore
by an Indian Ocean tempest and
rusting in stately retirement amid the palm trees.

<><> The upper decks and stern are
home to a variety of restaurants
with views into the tanks,
but we raced down the staircase,
down below the water line,
down to where the fishes live.
 <> It is wonderful down there. <>

  <>≤≥  The aquarium spreads out through tunnels
and ghosdy blue chambers.
Atmospheric maritime sounds play over the PA -
gurgles and creaks and moans;
morse-code transmissions;
<> distant eerie music,  <>
as though from some spectral Marie Celeste.

≤≥≤≥ The galleries resemble the holds of ships -
you walk between coiled ropes and hawsers,
cargo in wooden boxes,
rivets in the grey-steel walls and water-tight doors, and
you don't have to be eight to dream you are in a sunken ship,
saved by a trapped air bubble,
looking out through the portholes at the bottom of the ocean.
<>   E I D's eyes were wide. <>

≤≥≤≥ He stared for hours at the eels and the octopus,
and for days at the turdes in their large tank,
those wise old men of the sea
who always look as though they're taking their morning dip
before retiring to the nearest teashop to smoke pipes and play dominoes.
E I D stared agog at the devil firefish -
the gauzy, red-white-and-black phantoms often found haunting actual wrecks.

≤≥≤≥ Their tank is designed like a flooded cabin on an old liner -
they hang against the walls and furniture like hellish
Christmas decorations in the Bermuda Triangle.

≤≥ But it was the sharks that held E I D ,
as they hold us all.
uShaka has the largest collection of sharks in the southern hemisphere,
even after the unfortunate recent events
when a number died in one of the tanks
after teething problems with algae control and oxygenation. yap..

≤≥ One tank holds the reef sharks -
fast, darty, nippy, like terriers on a Sunday walk -
but it is the big fellows that hold a dark fascination.
We stood in the blue gloom,
staring out at the heavy solemnity of the Zambezis
and Ragged - Tooths.
<. > E I D held his breath and his eyes shone darkly. <>

≤≥≤≥ Finally we made our way up to the light like returning deep-sea divers,
not rushing up too fast for fear of the bends. Outside,
Sea World is a sprawling series of interconnected lagoons -
the surfaces of the larger tanks -
winding between green grass and walkways and palms.

≤≥ We wandered to the penguin enclosure,
where the birds stood dolefully like London commuters at a station,
then to the 1 200-seat canvas-topped auditorium for the dolphin show.

≤≥ When I was E I D's age, <>
<> I used to visit the old dolphinarium to watch Gambit,
the world's largest captive dolphin. He's still there,
still breathtakingly massive,
still displacing vast amounts of water
onto the first 10 rows of the auditorium,
to the amusement of everyone sitting further back.
Of course we sat in the front row.
There is something about an eight-year-old's cry of delight
when he is unexpectedly drenched by a dolphin
that simply should not be resisted.

≤≥ Besides, we were going to get even wetter.
Best of all at Sea World is the opportunity to snorkel in the coral lagoon -
the huge tank with reef fishes and man-made coral,
fronting through a glass window onto the reef-shark tank.
R40 affords 45 minutes of snorkelling
and there is no better way to introduce a small child
to the giddy delights of the marine world.

≤≥  Supervision and mandatory buoyancy vests cuts out safety worries;
within mere seconds you are drifting weightless
in a wonderworld of angelfish and triggerfish, p a r r o to f i s h and rays.
Of all the modern innovations that would have enlivened my own youth,
it is the snorkelling lagoon I envy the most.

≤≥  It is designed to resemble the reef around
a desert Indian Ocean island
where pirates have scuttled their treasure.
On the seabed there are chests overflowing with jewels and doubloons,
replica ivory tusks and gold ingots strewn across the white sandy "'bottom,
and even, for some reason,
a World War II jeep rusting away in sunny silence.

≤≥  It was a dream, down there. <>
I bobbed and breathed and watched E I D
while he giggled underwater at the fish brushing against his feet.
He would have stayed there all day and through the night too.
For E I D it was a new world,
a day his horizons not only broadened but deepened,
when his eyes lit with the light that dances on the sea,
<> that waves and warps through clear shallow water <>

≤≥  I doubt he will ever get over it.
For me it was a day of being eight all over again
and rediscovering that aching,
<> yearning wonder at all the beauty that is out there. <> 

≤≥≤≥ To compare uShaka Marine World to the V&A Aquarium
is like comparing Durban and Cape Town themselves -
some parts are a little tacky, even kitsch.

≤≥≤≥ Sophisticates may smirk and snoot.
But it is vibrant and real and alive,
and it quickens the pulse and
inspires daydreams far more than Cape Town ever does.
Cape Town may be more elegant, more ethereal,
but Durban is, quite fiankly,
<><> a whole world more fun. <><>

≤≥≤≤≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥ END

B A C K A L L E Y, History of the BBQ

B A C K A L L E Y
WOOD FIRE BBQ AND AND GRILL
HAUTE RESTAURANT
History of the BBQ
O U R S T O R Y
I want you to hear about
In the beginning, there was fire.
<> Then somebody tossed a hunk of antelope into the embers, and,
àL0, there was barbecue.

I am an ember burning in the heartland of Egypt.
Opening the Mouth of Osiris
I am I. I am Osiris.
I have come because I wish to have come.
Build a bright fire of rags on the west bank of the Nile.
we shall roast the leg of an antelope
Give me charms and incense and saffron cake.
Give all the gods mouths to sing and Dance
Give me raisin cake and beer.
Give me songs green as earth.
Give all the gods mouths to sing
and Bless me with ancient dreams.

<> Now a days, if you wander through the back alleys of the BBQ Restaurant mecca of the world, you'll find BBQ joints hidden away doing their smoky flavor-empowering rituals of grilling, smoking, roasting, and baking, all in traditional wood~fired ovens. We at BackAlley Woodfire BBQ & Grill also cook in this time--honored our way, using well-seasoned Canadian hardwood, such as maple and oak, to infuse the food with a natural wood smoke tang.

<> They have been inspired by the many cultures, past arid-present, that have used woodfires for cooking, and they seek to unite their food traditions to bring you a new way of eating. there menu locks to the countries along the Silk Road, where so many great BBQ dishes originated thousands of years ago.

<> The Silk Road connected ancient China's capital city, Xian, to ancient Rome-a 5000mile journey through Central Asia and EGYPT the Middle East. Not only were spices and goods exchanged between East and West, but also religions, cultures, and most important to there philosophy, foods. The foods found on the Silk Road incorporate diverse flavors and cultural blends. Recipes moved in both directions, and it was along this route that Chinese noodles traveled to become Italian pasta and where mezze, kebabs, flatbreads and pit-roasting were omnipresent, albeit under a vast array of names.

<> With many etlulic groups living their unique lifestyles through food, clothing, music, and arts, Kensington Market is a cultural microcosm of Toronto,. Not only does the Market allow to buy fresh local ingredients just~in~time, but it is itself a crossroad of mixed food tastes reflecting the many Silk Road cuisines.

<> They Blend past and present, Silk Road and Toronto. there wood fire ovens are the focus of quest for the ultimate in authentic HATUI, BBQ taste, AND NATURAL FALAVORE , and organic food list, Speaking of organic foods, this is certainly the latest worldwide trend with the range available growing steadily. is what they believe that you will find them as Well as there simple cooking style, unique and memorable in this fine Restaurant.

  <> They have just begun the journey. Join them ! <>

Special prieces for TIG members code Wahooe
Frank Hsu, Chief Grill Jockey & Pit Master

188 AUGUSTA AVENUE, TORONTO ,ON -416- 979 -5557
WWW.BACKALLEYBBQ.COM-
<><>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

<*> IT WAS ZEALOT OF FIRE <*>

IT WAS ZEALOT OF FIRE
 More to life in the Promised Land,
quest for fire and Mening as to what happing to:
"otto vass" and his daughter Anne,18 and Katherine,17
said to "Cold Squared".

BEYOND BELIEF

To subway jumper shocking tragedy Act
Dr. Suzan Killinger Johnson,is unspeakable
(Aug.ll, 2000) The truth of her final conflict
Beyond Belief to the most critical time
in mother "Baby Blue's" and child life "cuyler/
it's shocking tragedy, (Cuyler Killinger Johnson"
who died Friday Morning Aug.ll, 2000
at his mother's suicide bid
and she died Aug. 19, 2000, 8:00 pm.

 ITS HERE FINAL CONFLICT
BEYOND BELIEF

The Doctor who Jumped in
front of the subway train
Holding her infant son cuyles (has died Aug .11, 2000)
and the mother injured in the subway tragedy
died as well: so how a successful,
professional woman who had helped others
cope with depression had not been able
to get the help she needed.
It is a question about what happened, why ?
what is to say. .

TO THE FAMILY OF THE LOST RUSSIAN
KURSK SUB CATASTROPHE

As there son are dying Inside a
tin cans
its ocean tomb.
the grief is immeasurable
as Russia mourns the Sailor
and nobody seems to know what happened,
thats the saddest thing.
"That is to say":

 WHAT?, WHAT?, WHAT?,& WHY
WHAT A SAD THING,
THAT HAD TO HAPPENED !

Star Trek Generation, in deep space,
 To Deep Space Voyage of Rediscovery,
its a New Day, to the Ray's of light
which fell from the sun,
that man and women are
the "offspring of light",
to the Rays of light
which fell from the sun as
"the act of creation took place",
"That's to say"
or Dream on Skylight
even after with Guiding Light".
To the Ray"s of light which fell from the sun,
that men and women are the "off spring " of light",
to the ray"s of light falling from the sun as
the act of creation "took place.
 THAT'S TO SAY"

 AND YOU WILL BE FIRST ON THE MOON
that could be dangerous moonlight
"Hello, Hello -
any life out there,
it could also explain
why in the World all all this has to happened.

 AS TURKS BOMB lRAQUI KURDS
and they say
we do not know
why they bombed us.


WHAT A SAD THING
that had to happened,
with a fire in the eyes,
it was a Zealot of fire,
or the third rock from the sun,
R a b b a Amen El k h e p e r a
from into the beginning
in primeval time,
in primeval matters.
where the act of creation "took place.
<> THATS IS TO SAY <> 
»XXXXXXXX>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

B A C K A L L E Y
WOOD FIRE BBQ AND AND GRILL
HATUI RESTAURANT
History of the BBQ
O U R S T O R Y
I want you to hear about
In the beginning, there was fire.
<> Then somebody tossed a hunk of antelope into the embers, and,
àL0, there was barbecue.

I am an ember burning in the heartland of Egypt.
Opening the Mouth of Osiris
I am I. I am Osiris.
I have come because I wish to have come.
Build a bright fire of rags on the west bank of the Nile.
we shall roast the leg of an antelope
Give me charms and incense and saffron cake.
Give all the gods mouths to sing and Dance
Give me raisin cake and beer.
Give me songs green as earth.
Give all the gods mouths to sing
and Bless me with ancient dreams.

<> Now a days, if you wander through the back alleys of the BBQ Restaurant mecca of the world, you'll find BBQ joints hidden away doing their smoky flavor-empowering rituals of grilling, smoking, roasting, and baking, all in traditional wood~fired ovens. We at BackAlley Woodfire BBQ & Grill also cook in this time--honored our way, using well-seasoned Canadian hardwood, such as maple and oak, to infuse the food with a natural wood smoke tang.

<> They have been inspired by the many cultures, past arid-present, that have used woodfires for cooking, and they seek to unite their food traditions to bring you a new way of eating. there menu locks to the countries along the Silk Road, where so many great BBQ dishes originated thousands of years ago.

<> The Silk Road connected ancient China's capital city, Xian, to ancient Rome-a 5000mile journey through Central Asia and EGYPT the Middle East. Not only were spices and goods exchanged between East and West, but also religions, cultures, and most important to there philosophy, foods. The foods found on the Silk Road incorporate diverse flavors and cultural blends. Recipes moved in both directions, and it was along this route that Chinese noodles traveled to become Italian pasta and where mezze, kebabs, flatbreads and pit-roasting were omnipresent, albeit under a vast array of names.

<> With many etlulic groups living their unique lifestyles through food, clothing, music, and arts, Kensington Market is a cultural microcosm of Toronto,. Not only does the Market allow to buy fresh local ingredients just~in~time, but it is itself a crossroad of mixed food tastes reflecting the many Silk Road cuisines.

<> They Blend past and present, Silk Road and Toronto. there wood fire ovens are the focus of quest for the ultimate in authentic HATUI, BBQ taste, AND NATURAL FALAVORE , and organic food list, Speaking of organic foods, this is certainly the latest worldwide trend with the range available growing steadily. is what they believe that you will find them as Well as there simple cooking style, unique and memorable in this fine Restaurant.

  <> They have just begun the journey. Join them ! <>

Special prieces for TIG members code Wahooe
Frank Hsu, Chief Grill Jockey & Pit Master

188 AUGUSTA AVENUE, TORONTO ,ON -416- 979 -5557
WWW.BACKALLEYBBQ.COM-
<><>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>