Durban Life

For Saturday, July 30th, the plan was to enjoy the bits of Durban before I head to Nongoma in the KwaZula-Natal province on Sunday. Durban with its trademark surfer sun and beach is the third largest city in SA. The distinct smells of powdered curry permeate the Victorian Market, making Durban a little version of India.

I teamed up with my hostellers - Hugh, a recent British graduate of real estate and Ferdinando, a Brazilian journalist taking leave from his newspaper. For the day, we were best of friends acting as personal security guards for each other. We walked for 15-20 minutes from the hostel to the beach front of Durban. The beach was gorgeous, but it was a photocopy of any other stretch of sands in the world. Beachgoers sparsely walked the long coastline since the June-Sept are winter the months. Of course for my Minnesota blood, this is summer weather with the temps climbing into the 70-80s and dipping into the 40s. Most people in the water were surfers or body boarders while others crammed the piers to catch 5-inch long fish (Don’t ask me why). Sand art near the boardwalk and piers don’t include the clichéd castles but rather lions, hippos, and finely-shaped sunbathers. If you take a picture, be prepared to throw some rand at the artists.

The beach front was also crowded with the typical surf shops, aging hotels, and burger joints. The shimmer and shine of the beach front real estate probably glowed in the 80s and 90s, but the now derelict buildings stand unimpressive against the beauty of the shore.

Hugh signed up for a surfing lesson while the Brazilian and I proceeded into the City Centre and the Victorian Market. When we left from the hostel, we were given a black and white map that had blacked out areas of “KEEP OUT.” Being curious travelers, we teetered on the boundaries of culture and “KEEP OUT.” We walked with our bags snuggly to our chest and I never took my camera out my bag to attract wandering eyes. After spending 1 hour in Rennies Currency Exchange, Ferdinando and I found ourselves as the only non-blacks walking the streets. At night central Durban is a ghost town, but during the day it is bubbling with shoppers and street vendors. Think of an item and the street vendors are selling it. Look around the corner and you’ll find a fried chicken fast food restaurant, but not a McDonalds. All the banks have security guards with metal detectors blocking entrance into firmly locked double doors requiring entrance of only one individual at a time. Long lines of people wait at the myriad of ATMs. The streets are crowded and frenetic.

So visit Durban if you want a bit of curry or want some hot surf.