south africa: durban

Getting to Durban involved another couple passport stamps, yay!! The shuttle (which was actually just a car, with two other passengers and a driver,) ride from Mbabane, Swaziland to Durban, South Africa was around 7 hours. We stopped at the border (of course,) and a couple times for snacks and petrol, the ride was quite smooth. At one point I looked out the window and saw a giraffe. Just cause, you know, this is South Africa. When we crossed the border I found out that the stamps you get when crossing a land border in this area is not the same as what you get when you enter a country through an airport.

The shuttle dropped me off at a McDonalds outside the city center of Durban. My first adventure was figuring out where I was exactly, and where I needed to go. I opened up google maps, then started walking in the direction I needed.

Google maps wanted me to walk on a busy highway at one point, I wasn't keen to do that in a city I didn't know at all. I changed my path, of course. Unfortunately, while that made my walk a little safer, it didn't make it any easier to figure out where I needed to go.

I was looking for Berea Road station, and eventually I got there. Eventually. On the way, I walked across a bridge going over train tracks. I walked through Victoria Market. I walked around a cemetery. Then I walked the wrong way on a street.

When I got to the station, it wasn't easy to figure out how to get in. Once I got that settled, I had to figure out where to find the ticket window, and where to find the tracks. Maybe it was just me, but those places weren't easy to find.

I actually walked all around the station and back out, thinking that it was closed, and just a place for a market. FINALLY i figured out where to go, and when I got to the right track I only had to wait around 15 minutes for the next train.

As I was on the train, I got a call from the host of my very first AirBnb, which was a relief.

We arranged that she would pick me up at the metro station where I needed to get off the train, which was easy enough. I found her, and she drove us to her home. Along the way she stopped at a mini mall of sorts, so I could pick up some food and get money from the ATM.

Her home was gorgeous. I had a private room, complete with big screen tv with satellite channels. I was enjoying relaxing so much that I didn't go out again for the rest of the day. After a long day of traveling I was happy to be at my next destination.

The next morning when I woke up I got to meet a couple family members of my host. It turned out that around noon they had a birthday lunch planned for my host's grandmother, at the house of the grandmother. I really enjoyed interacting with the ladies while they prepared food. I chatted with the three ladies, and learned a bit about their traditions, especially in terms of family. The three of them made three large platters of food, and they said everyone else attending would be bringing that amount as well. In other words, there was going to be a lot of food at this party!!

I used one of my travel apps to figure out a walking path for the sights I wanted to see that day, and headed out the door. The walk to my first sight wasn't short, and took me through a couple places that maybe weren't the safest. I was well aware that I was the only white person walking along the street, walking through the area, not stopping at a local business. I was well aware of all the eyes watching me. I had this feeling for nearly the entire trip, all through July and August.

As I walked under a bridge one man came out to ask for a donation, and wasn't thrilled when I said no. He said he needed help to go to school, which seemed perfectly reasonable, but my personal policy is that I don't give money to strangers unless they're doing something to earn it. Play music, draw, etc... He seemed as though he would walk with me for a while, but thankfully he gave up after a couple hundred meters.

I walked to an area called Clairwood to see a Hindu temple. There are more Indians in Durban than anywhere else outside of India, so there are a few Hindu temples and heaps of Indian food all over the city.

The temple I was looking for wasn't located where tripadvisor said it should be. Thankfully, the other travel app I use, triposo did have it marked correctly. The temple was surrounded by a security wall (as is almost everything/place in the country) but the gate was open.

It wasn't just one temple, but actually a temple complex. When I approached the entry of the first temple, the guy inside reminded me to take off my shoes. I felt silly that I hadn't done that automatically. I walked through everything I could, taking photos but trying to be respectful at the same time.

After leaving the temple I walked to another metro station, called Rossburgh. There was no one in the ticket window, which was really annoying. The security people at the gate said I needed a ticket, but they didn't seem to notice or care that I had no way of buying the ticket. Argh.

Fortunately, the lady came back after five minutes, and I didn't miss a train. (One going the other way did stop at the station while I was waiting.) When I asked her which track I needed, she said it would be on one of two tracks. She said I had to wait by the windows and watch where the incoming train came in.

I took the train to Berea Road station, it was easy to figure out how to get out of the place after the adventure of figuring out how to get in the day before. While I was still in the train station I stopped for lunch at a random 'cafe,' choosing chicken curry on rice, with a couple portions of side salad-ish food as well. YUM, and cheap.

I followed my map around the cemetery, and followed the road to where I thought I needed to go. There were a LOT of people out on the streets. Not only were there stores on both sides of the street, there were also street vendors all over the sidewalks. I walked through the entire area, holding tight to my purse and walking with confidence.

At one point I walked past an entrance to a mosque, it had lovely mosaic decor on the entry walls. I had a head scarf with me, but I didn't think that was the female entrance, so I didn't go in.

I tried to find another mosque that was actually listed on the travel app and in my guidebook, but I never found the entry. I saw the building from the outside, but I couldn't figure it out. I walked across the street, and looked at the building as a whole, but it didn't seem to be separate from the stores I was walking by. Argh.

Eventually I made my way to the convention center. This wasn't a place I was aiming for, but it was on the way to my next sight. The convention center itself is a modern building, I liked it. Very big. Near the convention center were a couple long walls, painted with murals depicting issues currently facing South Africa: civil rights, racism, politics, etc...

Close to the convention center is church square. Just like the church square in Pretoria, this one didn't have a church along it's border. At least, not one that I could see. Just like the church square in Pretoria, there were people out relaxing, having picnics, etc... Not too many, but there were a few.

I headed to my next destination, the old courthouse museum. Unfortunately, when I arrived, I found a sign listing opening hours, and I was not there during those hours. Darnit. A museum closed on Saturday and Sunday? This was one of my first indications that this city doesn't really encourage people to get out into city properties during non business hours. In my experience, the day museums are closed is Monday, but that definitely wasn't the case in Durban. (And all over the country in general.) Why is it so different?

I walked down the street to another spot I wanted to visit. The Indian Spice Emporium. Go figure, that was closed too. Argh. I'd planned to get lunch there, so I ended up eating in some random convenience market. My lunch was a food only really found in Durban: bunny chow. It's a quarter or half loaf of bread with the middle scooped out, and filled with curry. Choices are usually chicken or beef curry, or bean curry. Good food.

I walked to city hall, only to find the front area blocked off. It appeared that some sort of VIP was expected, though I don't know for what. Too bad no one showed up while I was there.

In an area to the front of city hall I saw the cenotaph. It is the WW1 memorial for the city. It's not as big as other cenotaphs I've seen, but it's still really impressive.

There is a small gate in front of the memorial area, but it was open, so I walked in to get a little closer. The quote inscribed on the cenotaph says 'tell the generations following.' I like that quote, and hope it is followed.

There is a roll of honour, mostly listing names from WW1, but a few from WW2 added later. In South Africa, WW1 is memorialized a lot more than WW2, but you see memorials for both. The cenotaph is painted yellow and blue, I don't know why.

My next destination was yet another bust. (This day wasn't turning out well.) I showed up at KwaMuhle Museum, which is supposed to be a really good museum. It is supposed to tell the story of apartheid, and how it worked in Durban. Unfortunately, it was closed. Argh. The sign said it would be open again Monday.

From there I walked to my second Hindu temple of the day. When I arrived I noticed a whole bunch of people REALLY dressed up. I asked someone if it was still okay for me to enter, they said yes. I remembered to take my shoes off before going into any buildings, and was able to see a few altars.

As I was leaving one of the buildings I decided to ask one of the fancy people what was happening. It turned out to be the end of a wedding! The people who told me what was happening then insisted I come meet (or at least shake hands with,) the bride and groom. They were beautiful, in full red and gold wedding regalia. AMAZING. I was encouraged to take a photo, and I'm glad I did.

As I was walking back into the city center I passed a protest parade. I have no idea what they were protesting, but I liked watching for a few minutes.

I walked back to berea road station, then took the metro to the station I needed, then walked home. Overall, I think it was about an hour and a half, give or take.

The next day I didn't get out of the house until noon, eeek. I have no idea why I took so long to get going.

As I was walking to the metro station I passed a couple houses with monkeys lounging around the yard. Of course, as soon as I took out my camera, they moved. Argh. I'm guessing the people in the houses didn't love them as much as I did.

I walked from Berea Road station to Moses Mabhida football stadium. The walk took me through the same city center area I'd seen yesterday, across a bridge or two, and down streets that were totally new to me. It was a long walk, but I didn't really care.

My plan was to climb the 500 steps to get to the top of the stadium. It's one of the stadium visit options for tourists and guests. Unfortunately, I got there too late in the day. (Obviously, I need to get going earlier in the morning.) The last tickets for the adventure walk were sold out. Argh. The ticket price sign said the adventure walk was only offered on weekends, but I took a chance and asked about the next day.

It turned out that another options usually available (the cable car,) was closed for annual maintenance so the adventure walk would be available all week. I asked about times and prices, and told myself I would get going earlier the next day.

I walked back toward the city center, and got to the Natal Maritime Museum about 40 minutes before it closed for the day. The entry fee was only 5 rand!! (That's about 30 US cents!) They have three or four ships available for visitors to walk through and explore. I really liked it. Some of the steps on those boats are really steep, and with my level of coordination, I'm amazed I didn't fall.

From the museum I walked to the beach, stopping at a convenience store on the way for snacks. The beach in Durban is long, and nice. It is well maintained, with sevearl boardwalk areas and piers. There are heaps of people out on the beach, from all walks of life. Going to the beach is definitely a thing to do in Durban. I walked, all over. I walked on the boardwalks, on the sand, and on the piers. I was lucky enough to be there during sunset, which was absolutely beautiful. I stood out on a pier while the sun went down behind the city. So pretty.

From there I did the same thing I did the day before. I walked back to Berea Road station, took the metro to my stop, then walked home.

The next morning I made good on my goal to get going early. I left the house at 0750, yay! I did my normal transport: walk to the metro station, take the metro to the city center, then start walking. I did the walk back to Moses Mabhida football stadium, (which was pretty much deserted in the middle of a weekday morning,) and bought myself a ticket for the first available adventure walk. Fun fact: it costs more for you to walk up those stairs, than it does to take the cable car to the top. Argh.

To do the adventure walk, you have to sign a risk waiver, and wear a safety harness. Since the safety harness isn't exactly comfortable, I made the choice to leave my purse in the locked office. I did choose to bring my iphone with me, as well as a bottle of water.

I made my walk with a German guy, and since we were the only two people, we rode to the starting point on a golf cart. Normally everyone has to walk around to the other side of the stadium. At the starting point, our guide hooked us both to the railings on the stairway by the safety harnesses.

I went up first. Along the way, there are markers on the walls on either side of the stairs telling you what you can see in the city at that height. We stopped a couple times, but not because we were out of breath. At least, that's not why I stopped. I stopped so I could take photos.

When we got to the top, our guide removed the safety connection as we stepped into a gated area. We spent about 20 minutes up there, enjoying the views all around. I could see the rugby stadium, the beach, and back into the city center. Lovely views, and great weather.

Getting back down the stairs was easy, though the muscles in my legs weren't feeling so strong. (Coming down hills and stairs is harder than going up.) As we ended the 'walk' by one of the entry areas of the stadium, I asked if I could take a few photos of that area. It's a pretty stadium.

Afterward, I walked to the beach with the German guy, which was pretty much across the street. I decided to walk back into the city center along the beach, while the German guy had some other plans for his day.

I loved my walk along the beach. Loved loved loved. I love being in or near water, so this was amazing. I took off my shoes and socks so I could go in the water a few times. There were signs along the way showing where swimming is allowed, and where it isn't. I saw a few people out fishing, a couple people surfing, and a few people like me who were out for a walk. The weather was perfect, the sand was perfect, I could've walked for days.

Eventually I got back to close to where I'd been the night before. I walked from there back to the Indian Spice Emporium, which was finally open. Unfortunately, the lunch counter. When I asked if it would be open the next day, no one seemed to know, or care. Argh. I wandered through the sales area, and while there were a lot of items available, I didn't find masala chai, which is what I really wanted. Argh.

I ended up having more bunny chow for lunch, this time with mixed vegetables as the filler. I liked the beans better.

I went back to the old courthouse museum, which was open. It isn't big, but I enjoyed it. One room on the ground floor is devoted to a journalist who ended up having to leave the country and live in exile. There was a lot of documentation of his early life and writings, but nothing after he left the country except the basics like where he went, and his disappointment afterward. Apparently he moved to New York City, and was even more disappointed at the racism he encountered there, since it was supposed to be so much better than South Africa.

I liked this museum for another reason: cheap postcards. Really really cheap postcards. They weren't any good, but they were cheap. I bought a lot. Which was a good thing, since I didn't find any other postcards in the city even though there are plenty of beautiful views.

I went back to KwaMuhle Museum, which was open as well. Unfortunately, the exhibit for which the museum is known (the apartheid exhibit,) was still closed. There was no entry fee that I could see, and the back area was being set up for a special event. I was sorely disappointed in this museum.

At that point I realized it had been a long day out and about in the city. Even though it was still daylight, I started making my way home. The standard 90 minutes later I was home and relaxing for the rest of the evening.

The next day I took foreva to leave the house again. Why can't I make early mornings a habit? I'd get to see so much more of a country/city. I got back into the city center, having curry for lunch at Berea Road Station.

I walked from there to the bus station, and bought a ticket for the next day, since I'd finally figured out where I was going next. The ticket was cheaper than I expected, yay. And it left early in the day so I wouldn't waste a day in transit.

I took one more shot at KwaMuhle Museum, but the exhibit I wanted was still closed. I have no idea why, or when/if it would be opening again. Argh.

I made my way back to the beach, just because I could and had no other places I wanted to go. I walked a bit, then made my way back home again, for my last night in the city.

The next morning my host drove me to the bus station, and I left the city. Despite all the disappointments, I liked Durban, it was worth all the time I spent there.