Durbs

Mom was asking me about having to take the "unsafe" option from Swaziland to Durban. This is what happened with that: So I was originally waiting in Swaziland for the shuttle that would take me from the Southern Cross Lodge to the next hostel in Durban because I was warned that otherwise, I could get dropped off on the street without any conception of wear to go or what to do next. That’s pretty much exactly what happened…. That morning, I took a taxi to Manzini (Swaziland), waited for a kombi to fill up with people wanting to go to Durban, obtained exit and entry stamps, and finally got dropped off on a random street in Durban. I was told it was the main bus terminal but it certainly didn’t look like it. There were people selling stuff on the street and lots of kombis stopping to pick up passengers; it wasn’t a normal “bus station” like I’m used to. I needed to make a phone call to arrange a pickup but, as I had been warned, there were no pay phones in sight. A woman on the kombi from Swaziland was concerned about me and helped me find a phone. Unexpectedly, some of the people selling stuff on the street had phones on their tables… not for sale like one might think at first glance, but actually there so that people can pay to make calls. How interesting!

I contacted Smith’s Cottage and was told to wait in front of the main entrance – someone would be by to pick me up in a white kombi in about ten minutes. Sounds good! The nice Swazi girl left and I stood there waiting. I was standing there with my big backpack looking at every white kombi, and definitely “sticking out like a sore thumb.” I was mostly okay, but some guys were obnoxious – one in particular kept asking for my phone number and wouldn’t go away even though I told him I didn’t have a phone! Half an hour later, I’m getting worried and a bit frustrated so I called the cottage again. The woman on the other end tells me that Keith came to pick me up and didn’t see me. She tells me to wait by the phone for Keith to call. We talk and I tell him exactly where I am. He then says to me, “You’re not at the main bus terminal. It’s not a safe area.” (Great, thanks!) A little more apprehensive now, I waited for Keith to find me. (He eventually did and everything was fine!)

Apart from the rough start (that I’ve sort of become accustomed to…), I really enjoyed my time in Durban. I planned, initially, to only stay a day to visit the U.S. consulate and eat some bunny chow; I ended up staying five days! (Bunny chow, btw, is pretty unique to Durban: It’s basically a big hunk of bread where the middle part is torn out and replaced with chicken, beef, fish, or lamb curry. It's good!)


My first (full) day in Durban was one of the best days ever! I got pages added to my passport with only minimal waiting. And, Keith waited with me so that he could take my passport back to the cottage for safekeeping. So nice! The rest of the day: I got a view of the city from the Royal Hotel… I tried an awesome bunny chow… I shopped at the market and bought a ring made from elephant hair… I walked a few kilometers on super soft sand along the beach… I visited the uShaka Marine World… I ate at a really amazing buffet with a stir-fry that tastes like Teppan(!)… I played blackjack and doubled and a halfed my money (!)… and then I watched the best movie I’ve seen in a long time, and for $3! (Judy! Aster! Everyone!! Go watch Water for Elephants!) I finished the day skype-ing with Mom and Theo <3 It really was a perfect day where it felt like everything was going my way =)


Keith took me diving the next day at Aliwal Shoal – supposedly one of the top dive spots in the world. I was a bit intimidated at first because everyone seemed like a pro, but once we were all in the water I was just fine. You take a zodiac from shore to the dive spot and we spent about 30 minutes navigating through the waves that were close to shore. Apparently, a lot of boats get tossed over in this area so you have to weave back and forth through the waves until you can actually speed up and get to the reef. I was gripping the ropes very tightly--a bit terrified actually--because ever since I got capsized three times on a sailboat, I have become very afraid of falling into the water. (Thanks Jojo!) Visibility wasn’t the best the day I dove, but we got to see two sea turtles, a dolphin, a huge potato bass, stingrays, and tons of fish (pineapple fish, angelfish, wrasse, etc…). You can do a dive where they chum the water so the sharks come… something I definitely want to do in the future =)


*Okay, I admit this was taken at the aquarium, but I swear this is exactly what it looked like!

Random: Food in Durban is awesome! I had Indian food five times! And, young guys weren’t as obnoxious as they were in Swaziland. I still got called out to, but no more than in Berkeley or Oakland. People were generally friendly and very nice. I think what really made it a great few days though was my stay at Smith’s Cottage. Stay there if you go to Durban! Keith and Pat are a couple in their sixties and they run the cottage. Their son, his wife, and their two kids live there as well. They made me feel like I was part of the family for the few days I was there. As an example, I had lunch one afternoon with Keith, Pat, and their granddaughter at the beach club they are members of. Parts of it felt like I was watching a British sitcom because the way they all interacted with each other was just so fun (and funny) to watch. =)They were very nice people who were really good to me and I was definitely a little sad to leave when Pat and Keith hugged me goodbye…

Next up: Drakensberg, the Sani Pass, and Lesotho!
Follow up: Finally have decent Internet and I've added a few pictures to the Swaziland post =)