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.
About a month ago, I did a post about my idea to rent a pedal boat and went for a nice pedal boat ride on the water canals in the Point Waterfront in Durban.
Well, last weekend, I decided it was time to do so...before the peak holiday season arrives in December.
The choice we had to make was between a 30-minute ride and a 1-hour ride and we decided to start off with a 30-minute ride.
The rate for a 30-minute ride is R100.00 ($5.73) to rent the boat for 30 minutes.
The exchange rate for the USD/ZAR pair at the time of writing this post was R17.45 for $1.00.
In my first photo, we have just started our ride and this was the view, looking out over the canal ahead of us...
Some youngsters having fun in the park just above the canals, with some typical architecture for this area being visible in the background.
Approaching a canal that goes out to the right...or shall we carry on straight...well, slightly to the left?
Following the canal to the right, we'd have to go around on the outside of the canal. In the next photo, you can see one side of the canal (to the right) being cordoned off.
These canals are actually a nature reserve with over 30 types of sea fish that can be spotted.
I recall on a previous visit, just coming out here for a walk, we were standing on the walkway next to the canal at this exact spot. Within that cordoned-off area, some fish appeared just below the surface of the water. The next moment they disappeared quickly just before a little hammerhead shark made its appearance...
Anyhow...back to the present... We decided to pass through underneath the bridge and see what was on the other side.
One of the bigger (motorized) boats - meant for bigger groups or families - came passed us just before I turned the boat toward the "side" canal...
It happened to be just a little side canal with a dead end, but we went ahead and pedaled to the end just for the fun of it...
We then turned around and came back toward the main canal, where I took this photo just before passing through underneath the bridge again...
Back on the main canal and we were approaching this very prominent building along the way...
But before getting to that building, we first had to pass through underneath another bridge...
Oh yes, my wife made sure that we would remain hydrated while pedaling our way through these canals...lol.
This friendly guy passed us from the opposite side, probably on his way to pick up his next couple for their gondola boat ride.
Yes, these gondola boats are motorized, but you barely hear them...
We were approaching the area where we would be surrounded by more buildings...
We then went past the home of Radio Holland in Durban...
Some oncoming traffic approaching us from ahead...
Another typical scene along the canals as we pass some of the buildings...
Only having paid for 30 minutes, we didn't go all the way to the end. To make it back in time, we started heading back.
Approaching the building again where we saw Radio Holland a few minutes ago...
It became darker as the clouds were getting lower and thicker as we were heading back to the starting point.
Passing another pedestrian bridge (to our right) on our way back. This canal, going out toward the ocean, is clearly marked as a no-go area with clear "No Entry" signs under the bridge. It was also pointed out and we were requested not to turn into this canal before we left the starting point.
We were clearly not the only ones heading back. But I don't think these people went out as far as we did within the 30 minutes as this was the first time we noticed them...
I found the architecture of this building quite interesting, with one side of it almost looking like a staircase leading to the top...
The starting point (now the end of the ride) became visible...
There was definitely more activity now than when we arrived 30 minutes earlier...
And with that, our pedal boat ride came to an end. It was really fun doing this and we would definitely go again.
Thank you for reading my post! I do appreciate it!
Boat riding on the canal.. very nice! :) Thank you for taking us on this fun adventure. Looked like it was an ideal day for this type of adventure too :) Enjoy your weekend :)
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Hi, @iamraincrystal! You're welcome and yes, it was the ideal day for going on this boat ride. It wasn't cold, but being cloudy, it wasn't too warm either👏! The weather was just perfect for doing this...😉👍!
Thank you for stopping by and joining us on our little boat ride...
You must enjoy your weekend too!
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Thank you for the tokens! I do appreciate them!
Yay you took us on a paddle boot ride today over the canal 🤓 never been on one so this was truly fun 🤩
You went rather far for a 30 minute trip I think, especially seeing the others you didn’t see before.
Beautiful to see it all from this perspective.
I was surprised to hear about the shark 🦈… but access to the sea, yep all possible.
Thanks for sharing these great captures of a fun day @jacoalberts 👋🏻😊
Enjoy your Friday and have a great weekend ☀️
I'm so glad that you enjoyed our ride so much!! Thank you for coming along, @littlebee4🙏!
Yes, we did go quite far. Next time I would like to pay for an hour and go right to the end of the canals.
I was also surprised to see a shark in the canals the previous time. It was a very small (baby) one...but still...a shark. What was confusing me was that there are sea fish in the canals indeed, but there are shark nets out in the sea to protect people in the swimming areas on the beach.
I did an online search to see if I could learn more and I found that they (Ushaka Marine World) release baby hammerhead sharks of 2.5 KG to 3 KG into the canals to grow stronger in the safety of the canals until they get big enough to fend for themselves. Then they either go into the tanks in the aquarium or are released into the ocean.
I actually should have mentioned this in my post as well...
You're welcome!!
Enjoy your weekend😉👍!
Thanks, it was fun. You are welcome 😊
That would be great to do the 1 hour journey and explore all the way to the end.
Yes, they have to protect the people swimming in the sea, so the little shark must have gotten through somewhere.
Aha, that’s great information, like a nursery for the little sharks. That really cool that they protect them like that. Just be aware of them next time you are around there. Thanks for looking into it. 🤓
Include it next time 😉
Thanks a lot, enjoy your weekend @jacoalberts 👋🏻😎
Yes, I also think it's a great project to protect them👍. For sure, all limbs on board...no fingertips in the water...lol. I don't want my fingertips to get mistaken for food...lol😅! You're welcome👍!
You must enjoy your weekend too, @littlebee4👋😉👍!
Hahaha yep… all on board 🤓😎
Thanks a lot @jacoalberts will do, you do the same 👋🏻☀️🌼🌸
👋😉👍
The weather looks cloudy, but it doesn't reduce the enthusiasm to pedal the pedal boat. Like post. Thank you.
Yes, the weather was actually perfect for pedaling the boat as it wasn't so warm!
Thank you for stopping by and for giving your feedback! I do appreciate it!