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Durban
had everything stacked against it: all we’d heard was it was dangerous and
dingy and a brief visit reinforced the idea it was worth skipping. Well, best
laid plans and all that… Instead of a 36 hour weather window that would last
long enough to get from Richards Bay to Port Elizabeth, ours became a 20 hour
weather ‘crack’ which let us leap 80 miles down the coast in a very boisterous 10
hours. Once in, our friends found us snug spot in the marina and we hunkered
down for blow after blow.
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| the apartheid museum |
At first it looked like we’d only be in port for a day, or
three, and then we’d be back on the Christmas track to Simons Town. So I
hurriedly planned some exploring, including a memorable curry lunch at the
quirky (and gorgeous) Oyster Box hotel. One of my favourite
curries was a local
chicken and shrimp version—something I can’t wait to try and replicate with the
curry spices we were given.
Next up was the fabulous Phansi Museum—with
its incredible collection of Zulu art and artefacts. The assistant curator, Puhmzile
gave us the kind of informative (and very interactive) tour through the
collection that ensured we could envision what everything was used for—even
when we’d rather not.
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| The puppet room at the Pahnsi demonstrated different cultural dress |
My next morning was taken up with an architectural tour of Durban. The benefit of
this turned out to be two-fold (three if you count the nice long walk with our
lovely friends on Sage): it was great to see the cool buildings, which ranged
from gorgeous old Victorian confections (including one that houses the
apartheid museum) to funky art deco towers; but it was also good to get a sense
of how safe or dangerous Durban really is. It turned out once you’re in the
main shops district, Durban doesn’t feel much
different than a big US
city. And later that day I took Maia and Rivers in for some much enjoyed
non-mall shopping and people watching.
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| Bushman paintings in the Drakensberg |
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| Ley and Neil on our hiking trail |
As fun as Durban
is proving to be—we’re eager to get south. But with weather windows (and
cracks) proving to be elusive, we’re continuing to explore. One huge highlight
was a daytrip out to the Drakenberg. We’d been throwing around the idea of
going for a couple of weeks and finally made the move with our friends Neil and
Ley. The area was even more stunning than we expected and the wide vistas,
great hiking and intriguing cave paintings gave us a much-needed jolt of
wilderness peace.
At the risk of this turning into a, ‘we did this, this and
then this’ post, next up was a fab night out at an incredible jazz bar called
the Chairman. After searching through lockers for very uncruiserly pants,
collared shirts and dress shoes (that would be the guys) to meet the dress code,
we spent the night on cozy sofas, drinking bubbles and enjoying great music and
a very cool scene.
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| checking out the wall of vinyl covers at the Chairman |
So now we’re a week into our unplanned, unwanted stop. Today
is a carvery lunch at the yacht club, tomorrow may be the beaches or aquarium.
After that we hope it’s a weather window south (we really, really do). But in
many ways Durbs has been a gift—it’s the reminder that as much as we try to
plan, schedule and stay in control, we can’t. Our best option might be a
cliché; take what comes and make the best of it. But honestly embracing
uncertainty with a smile, and a night out at a jazz club, isn’t always the
easiest response. But it is the most rewarding.
* Durban shots thanks to Tony on Sage and the Chairman shot is from Ley on Crystal Blues
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