I had to see one last sunrise. It was another beautiful morning with gorgeous colours.Sunrise Sunrise

I looked back over the deck when I was walking to the bow.Sunrise

Even from the bow the sunrise continued to amaze.Sunrise

We didn’t see any birds as we approached Durban. It was rather good to see land for a change.Durban

The ship entered the harbour and turned towards its berth. We registered for the unassisted disembarking, and it went rather quickly. And then I was on solid ground.Me

I looked up at this ship one last time. It had been an incredible experience, and I was sad it was over.MSC Orchestr

My flight was only later in the afternoon, and I went with my friend to her house in Balito where we went on a lovely walk on the residential estate that she stayed in.

The walk started with a lovely Soldier Pansy Butterfly.Soldier Pansy Butterfly

I managed to find a few Dragonfly lifers. The first came in the form of a Bold Skimmer.Bold Skimmer

The second lifer was a Eastern Blacktail.Eastern Blacktail

I saw movement in the tree canopy ad spotted a White-eared Barbet.White-eared Barbet

I found a third Dragonfly lifer when I saw these Julia Skimmers.Julia Skimmer

We stopped at one of the little dams and I found my last bird liver of this wonderful trip. There were some Eastern Golden (Yellow) Weavers in the reeds.Eastern Golden Weaver

There were many Southern Banded Groundling Dragonflies as well as Long Skimmers.

Southern Banded Groundling   Long Skimmer

A pair of Wooly-necked Storks circled above, and as we reached the trees this Olive Sunbird made it quite difficult to get a photo.Olive Sunbird

We ended the walk with two more lifers. First a Blue Basker Dragonfly and then a Southern gaudy commodore Butterfly.Blue Basker Southern gaudy commodore

And that was the end of the trip. My friend dropped me off at the airport. I smiled when I realised that on one day I would have travelled by land, sea and air!

As I travelled home, I was sad that the trip had come to an end. It had been so amazing and wonderful, truly a once in a lifetime experience!

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