The Indian Ocean

Today I walked along the Indian Ocean. It was suprisingly warm when the waves came up over my ankles. But the undertow was clear and somewhat alarming to me. The small wave that covered my lower legs shook me considerably, and I almost toppled over. It was strange, and I realized that is what a real riptide feels like. I have been going to beaches all over New England for years, and never felt anything quite like this. I have a real respect for this beach. No one swims, even though it is not really cold.

There is a lovely promenade along the beach that stretches for several miles. I spoke to one of the many people strolling along, and she told me that this beach has really been treacherous since a small tsunami passed through last month. It did real damage to the beach and took out part of the walkway, which I could see. But ever since then the tides have been ferocious. This is winter and people are complaining about the cold, but I have shorts and a tee-shirt on today and feel quite comfortable. But there is no heating in the houses and in the townships the homes get cold at night. So I guess winter is quite a relative thing.

It has been a real treat to stay in this condo on the Indian Ocean. On the horizon there are always major freighters heading into Durban - which is the biggest and busiest port on the continent of Africa. These ships are so far away and yet so substantial, in size that I can only imagine how large they are up close. In my week here I have seen a 12-20 boats on the horizon every day at every hour of the day. So there is a lot of shipping going on here.

Don't worry. I have had my taste of the Indian Ocean. I used to pride myself on swimming anywhere I could. But I won't be swimming here.

Susan