East Meets West

Driving around in the minibuses is the only way to go. If you want to experience South Africa this is how you do it. Don’t rent a car, don’t take a cab, take a taxi. A taxi, or minibus, is a fourteen passenger van that has a designated route, similar to a bus, but has no set schedule and will only leave when the taxi is filled. Therefore, on 30 degree Celsius days, you can be waiting in the back of a taxi, sweating like crazy, for a good twenty minutes for enough people to fill it up. But you see all sorts of African people, ranging from old women carrying parcels filled with unrecognizable things, to little babies sitting on their mother’s laps and bobbing up and down every time a bump is hit. White South Africans do not take minibuses. You tell them you’re going to take a minibus and they look at you like you’re crazy. Of course, the drivers aren’t the best in the world and the situation isn’t ideal, but you’re experiencing South Africa in the best way possible. There’s no need to worry about sticking out like a sore thumb because, trust me, there is no way of getting around that. You might as well stamp USA or tourist on your forehead because people are able to spot you out for miles to come.

Durban is a cosmopolitan haven. It is where east meets west, rural meets urban, and city meets sea. It is such a mish-mosh of culture, history, and life. Driving around the city, you are surrounded by twenty story high rises and industrial buildings. Yet, next to these concrete monsters stands gold encrusted mosques, Hindu temples, and Victorian houses. For a moment, you’ll forget you’re in Africa. The bustling streets, the buzzing sound of construction, and the tall buildings will remind you of San Francisco, New York, or whatever city you prefer. But then you’ll see the people, you’ll see the decrepit walls of old buildings, and the thousands of minibuses and you’ll come back to reality.

Durban is a city in its own league. When you think of cities, you think of fast paced environments where everyone is going at a hundred kilometers an hours. In Durban, the scorching African sun slows things down. People leisurely stroll down the streets eating bunny chow, hollowed out bread with curry, or precariously balancing their days’ purchases on their heads. The architecture is beautiful in its own right. As far as being aesthetically pleasing, Durban buildings would rate very low. The scaffolding is falling down and dirt is everywhere, yet the concrete chunks fallen on the sidewalks and griminess has its own appeal and flare. It’s a reminder that you are in South Africa; that you are in a country whose history is ridden with political and social turmoil and that is slowly building up and developing.

Parts of the town, such as Victoria St., feel like San Francisco’s Chinatown where all the stores are selling knockoff clothing, CDs, fabrics, or whatever else you desire. Other parts, like the Victoria St. Market, feel like your walking through an Indian bazaar where spices, curios, jewelry, and bartering are the name of the game. However, walk 100 meters further and you’re reminded you are in South Africa and Zulu territory. And try as you might to not stand out, two American girls walking through a corridor filled with herbs, medicinal plants, animal bones, and dead hanging birds will always draw attention. Flour sacks filled with unidentifiable woods and plants and men sitting in shacks selling the filthiest, dead birds I have ever seen in my life, has a way of bringing the biggest, hidden smile to my face.

Although Durban is a lot livelier, I am very happy to be living in Pietermaritzburg. Maritzburg is a sleepy town but one in which I feel relatively safe. During the day, I can walk around by myself or go on early morning runs and know that as long as I stay close to university, I will be okay. Of course, I don’t walk around at night by myself (except within the confines of the gated campus), but I have a little more freedom than I would in a big city. Durban is home to 3.5 million people, a third of all the people living in KwaZulu-Natal province. Even though, I did not feel intimidated or scared walking around Durban this weekend, I did have to be hyper-aware of my surroundings. I tried to blend in as much as a could, which isn’t much considering I was taking minibuses and walking around completely Zulu neighborhoods, but I would never have walked alone. No one bothered us as we walked around, besides men yelling ‘hello’ at us, but we were way out of place. It almost makes me sad that such a beautiful country still has a long way to go. However, it’s getting there…slowly.

** The photos are courtesy of Mel because I didn't bring my camera to Durban. These last 2 are from the botanical gardens where there were amazing cycads!! The photo of the right is of a banyan tree... basically it looks upside down.