Today is #MarketFriday, a project initiated by @dswigle, and this post is my contribution to this project for this week.
To learn more about this project and participate, visit today's post by @dswigle.
Last weekend, we had Mother's Day on Sunday, May 14. Our oldest daughter invited us over to have breakfast with them as it was her desire to prepare breakfast for my wife on Mother's Day.
Our youngest daughter and her family wanted to come over to us during the afternoon and bring a little something for Mom as well.
So, that left me with a little bit of time in between...lol.
Originally, my idea was to treat my wife with something to eat at the Forest Cafe, north of Umhlanga Beach in Umhlanga, on the East coast of South Africa. After a healthy (late morning) breakfast, that became a nice cup of coffee.
Arriving in Umhlanga, we were amazed at how much traffic there was. Then my wife remembered hearing about a big cycling event that was taking place. Apparently, they started in Durban, went through Umhlanga, and went up along the North Coast (of the East Coast...lol) to end the race in Ballito.
I made the following screenshot, using Google Maps, to give you an idea of the route of the cycling event and where we were. I marked the starting point, Durban, and the end destination, Ballito, with white squares, while I marked Umhlanga, where we were, in a yellow square.
We were getting concerned that we might not be able to get down to the beach areas, as the main route, going through Umhlanga would be closed off until 12:00 pm.
The traffic was moving at a snail's pace, and by the time we arrived at the main route, that the cyclists were following toward Ballito, it was 12:04 pm and they were busy clearing everything and opening the road so that we could pass through toward the beach area...lol.
The whole of Umhlanga was a hive of activity! Yes, not only was it Mother's Day, but there was also no shortage of cyclist supporters and spectators!
I was becoming doubtful if this outing was going to be successful or even a good idea...
We found parking, not too far from where we needed to take the walkway leading down to the beach.
I started getting my hopes up as it wasn't too busy on the walkway. There were many people, but not too bad...
We crossed the promenade and went down to the beach first to get a nice glimpse of the ocean. From here you can enter onto the beach. This beach is just north of Umhlanga and its main beach and is mainly used by people who are booked into the hotels in this area.
It was a beautiful day and the ocean was calm.
This log that washed ashore, got my attention...
We then returned to the promenade to start the walk toward a unique walkway (boardwalk) that leads through a forest just above the beach, right up to the Forest Cafe.
The promenade is becoming more of a walkway from here, narrowing down and passing through some nice greenery and arches, with a beautiful view of the ocean...
A typical view of the ocean while walking here...
We often had to be patient and waited for the right moment when I wanted to take a shot without people in it. But it was worth it.
I liked the view with this plant being edged off against the ocean in the background.
I couldn't resist the temptation to "frame" the ship in the distance...
And then we arrived at the walkway (boardwalk) that leads to the Forest Cafe.
Twisting and turning...this beautiful walkway stretches out ahead of you...
Staying just above the beach, you go deeper and deeper into the forest, passing by some of the most beautiful trees.
Then, just short of 1 KM, you arrive at the Forest Cafe...
Okay...and then the moment of truth... The place was packed. I didn't want to take a photo of all the people there as we already drew some attention by arriving and me standing with a camera hanging from my neck...lol.
To top it off, it was a bit of a tall order for our 6-year-old granddaughter (who decided to come with us) to remain patient, just standing there, doing nothing, while you have all of this right in front of you...lol!
So, we decided to go and see what it would be like at STEERS.
We turned around and started the journey back toward the starting point.
Along the way, this log that was lying just below the walkway got my attention.
Looking out over the ocean with some ships on the horizon, as seen from the walkway leading through the forest.
Moving away from the beach for a while, but looking to your left, through the bushes, you can see how you would soon return and continue your walk just above the beach on the twisting walkway on your way back to where the hotels are.
Out in the open again, and turning right, away from the beach, behind one of the hotels is this beach-volleyball court.
The hotel was straight ahead of us.
We turned left and followed a route behind the hotels that took us back to the walkway that would take us back to the road where our car was parked.
We went to STEERS but didn't even bother to turn in, as it was clear that there was no parking available.
We then saw a Mcdonald's. It was busy but more tolerable...
The original idea was to have coffee, but we then saw their Sundaes...actually, our granddaughter saw that first and it looked like a good idea...lol!
My wife and my granddaughter decided on an Oreo Sundae each, and I opted for a Strawberry Sundae...
The cost for this treat was R79.80.
The exchange rate as it is at the time of writing this post is R19.36 to $1.00.
That means that it cost me $4.12 for the three of us.
And that's all for today, folks!
Thank you for reading my post! I do appreciate it!