Christmas trees?

These are not red Christmas trees, but rather bottle dryers. After the bottles have been sterilised, they're stacked on these trees so they drain without the risk of insects or dust or any other matter falling into them.

This is the bottling room at Robson's Shongweni Brewery. where Stuart Robson makes delicious hand crafted beer. The beer takes 1 week to brew and bottle, but must still stand for another 8 weeks before its ready to be labelled and shipped.

The stainless steel stand on the left, which looks like a small braai with nozzles, is the device used to fill the bottles. On the right, just below the mirror, is a press, which secures the cap on the bottles. The guys who operate these capping machines are also the local arm wrestling champions :-). Perhaps if they could find a left handed capper, the guys could also become phenomenal boxers?

Sweet Waters.

Legend has it that Shaka, king of the zulus, named Amanzimtoti in 1828, when he drank from the river and found the water was sweet. Amanzi = water and mtoti = sweet. Mnandi is the word for sweet in zulu, but Shaka's mother's name was was Nandi, and he didn't want to wear out her name, so he made up a "mtoti" for sweet.

The Oasis waterworld provides paddle boat rides on the Amnizimtoti lagoon.

It's just a step to the right.

Well, we took the step to the right, and here we are on the beach. The sign reads:

BEWARE: CRIME HOT SPOT AREA

• Secure your belongings
• Avoid walking in isolation
• Do not expose valuables
• Don't linger in dark & lonely areas

REPORT ALL CRIME
Keeping this area a crime free zone
Please support your local police

The warning is repeated in zulu, but I can't make out all the words, so I won't insult the language by guessing.

For those of us who live here, we know this warning applies everywhere and anywhere we go in this beautiful country of ours. Most have developed an extra sense which assists us to live normal lives in spite of it.

More from 'Toti

Even though there's a fence all the way along, its just a step to the right, and you're on the beach. While it looks so invitingly quite and peaceful, the fence is there to assist with security. Once on the beach you'll see a large sign warning that this is a Crime hot spot area, The sign suggests you secure your belongings, and avoid walking in isolation.

Three sides to this storey.

A little over 23km from Durban, when you see this unusual 3 winged building, you know you've reached Pinetown. This is a large residential block, close to the center of Pinetown.

On a pedistal.

When his friend stepped down off the drain, this little chap turned and stood looking out at the sea. His deliberate stance and serious contemplation of who knows what, looked so grown up for his few short years. I wonder what he was thinking about!

Time for a swim.

While you can see a sliver of sea in the background, this tital pool at 'Toti is no longer dependant on the tide for its water. The signs on the far wall however, are there for a very good reason. At high tide the water will still come flying over the wall, so its wise to heed the warning to keep that area clear.