In The Heart Of Kwa-Zulu, South Africa

by Julie H. Ferguson

The city of Durban on the north-west coast of South Africa does not feature in most travelers’ plans. It is steamy in summer, allegedly unsafe, a bit dirty, and the beach strip is rowdy. So why go? To experience the “Zulu” in urban South Africa and enjoy value for money. Good highways, an excellent game reserve close-by, and warm hospitality are other draws. Durban throbs with the rhythms of Black Africa that are not as accessible on the typical tourist track. The aromas wafting from stalls and cafés are unidentifiable, but worth exploring. Street vendors sell everything from beadwork to biltong (spicy, dried meat). [Place image Ferguson-Bagonhead.jpg here] The African taxis, actually ten-passenger vans, clog the city streets hawking for business and owning the road. Women carry grocery bags on their heads and kids on their backs. It’s high energy here and crowded. Fun too.

Durban is very price-friendly: a bottle of Heineken costs 13 Rand (USD$1.80), and the ubiquitous bed and breakfasts average about R300 to R400 per night ($43-$57), even in high season, and are clean and welcoming. The Indian Ocean boasts good surf on white sand beaches and a water temperature of 25C but, best of all, Durban is an easy drive in a rental car to one of the best safari parks. Hluhluwe-Imfolozi is cheaper, but no less comfortable than the famous and bigger Kruger National Park. You can see the Big Five here – lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, and buffalo and it’s malaria free.

Instead of staying in a Marriot or Hilton in the centre, I choose to overlook the yacht basin in an old hotel, which was part of a Black empowerment project. [Place image Ferguson-YachtBasin.jpg here] Durban Manor is a time-warp. Originally a Victorian gentlemen’s club, it had not been renovated since the late 1800s and the Black staff had surprisingly stuck to colonial ways – it was more British than Britain ever was. The common areas had twenty-foot ceilings, pieces of dark furniture the size of rhinos, and threadbare carpets over black and white marble floors. The bar was in its original state and led onto a charming courtyard. My first breakfast takes me back to a Victorian country house – bacon and eggs in silver chafing dishes on a vast buffet, with kidneys, kippers, and curry too. Dinner is not so good – the worst of Brit food of the late 1950s. The Manor’s guest rooms are a bit shabby but large, clean, and air-conditioned. The water pressure is dismal and I quickly learn that bathrooms in Africa do not have facecloths or sink plugs. Don’t bank on wireless Internet either. In tropical downpours, buckets catch leaks in the public rooms and bath towels sop up the rain pouring in my windows. Despite all this, I grow to love Durban Manor’s eccentricities and the hotel staff who deal with all their challenges with a cheerful shrug.

On day three, I take a city tour recommended by locals. Richard Powell and his Zulu assistant, Sthembiso, of Street Scene Tours treat me to a five-hour tour that costs under $40.00 including lunch. [Place image Ferguson-Richard-Sthe.jpg here] This is not your average tour, but an experience that exposes the beat of African Durban. The pair work as a tag team: Richard explains the city’s layout and history as we pass the colonial landmarks, and Sthembiso describes the African outlook and way of life as we meander through the Zulu markets and Muslim arcades.

We walk as much as we drive, which makes the experience better than most city tours and ensures good photography. The highlight is a visit to Warwick Triangle – the tangle of markets where Africans shop. Everything is for sale here – food, folkloric remedies, ceremonial items, electronics, and aphrodisiacs. [Place image Ferguson-Warwick.jpg here] This is not an area in which to walk alone or take photos freely due to illegal items on sale and some African’s fear of cameras, but I feel completely safe with Sthembiso. I pass monkey carcasses and goats’ heads on sale in the Muti (meat) Market, balls of white and red clay used for body decoration, dyed horsehair for weaving, and all manner of plants and tree parts for traditional healing spread out in the Herb Market.

In the narrow, winding arcades nearby, I see brilliantly colored skirts for Zulu virgins to wear at initiations, [Place image Ferguson-ZuluSkirt.jpg here] beads and weapons for young warriors, and vast quantities of housewares available to purchase for lobola or “bride-price.” Sticky and tired after wandering around the Warwick Triangle, the Victoria market, and the Indian craft market for a couple of hours, Richard whisks me off for lunch in a Gujarati cafe.

Since Durban was settled, the large East Indian population has offered its traditional dishes all over the city. Their most famous is Bunny Chow. The Indians who caddied at the Royal Durban Golf Club never had time to stop for lunch, so Mr. Bunny created a unique curry sandwich they could munch on the go. [Place image Ferguson-BunnyChow.jpg here] He scooped out the centre of half a loaf, filled the hole with a spicy curry, and stuffed the bread back on top. I eat mine with my fingers, mopping up the hot sauce with pieces of bread. Bunny Chow is filling, delicious, and only $3.00.

The tour ends in the 100 year old Colombo Fine Beverage company warehouse after I complain about the instant coffee served everywhere in Durban. The aroma of roasting coffee beans sweeps over me as I climb the stairs. Colombo’s warehouse is a combo antique shop, roastery, and funky café. I buy Richard and Sthembiso their favorites and ponder which of the fifteen coffee choices I will order. I select the fresh-roasted Kenyan. “Now this is real coffee,” I say happily as I savor every sip.

Richard describes his Street Scene Tours as “alternative” and, if his others are like today’s, they will all be worthwhile. Reluctantly I bid him and Sthembiso farewell at the door of Durban Manor, promising to book my friends for the same adventure in two days time.

Destinations: South Africa, South Africa

Special interests: Adult travel, Seniors, Holiday travel.

If you go:

KwaZulu-Natal Tourism Authority: www.durban.kzn.org.za/

Durban Manor: www.durbanmanorhotel.co.za

Street Scene Tours with Richard Powell: www.streetscenetours.co.za.

Hluhluwe- Imfolozi National Park: www.sa-venues.com/game-reserves/kzn_hluhluwe-umfolozi.htm and http://www.kznparks.com/accommodation/hluhluwe_kwazulunatal.aspx.

IMAGES:

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BIO:

Julie H. Ferguson is an addicted traveller, a serious photographer, and the author of 17 books, four of which are about Canadian history. She invites you to visit www.stampsinmypassport.blogspot.com and www.flickr.com/photos/beaconlit.