Durbs By The Sea

Dec 16, 2008
We touched down in Durban last night. I was so glad to be on the ground- I hurled on the flight and my stomach is still feeling a little uneasy. Keith from Smtihs’ Cottage picked us up at the airport. We were in awe at first- lights, buildings, 6 lane highway. Once we got settled in our room we went to get some Chinese food.
Today we got a lift into the city. The Victoria Street Market was cool with lots of crafts, Indian spices, and souvenirs. After that we hopped on the People Mover (bus) and headed toward the beach. As I looked out the window there was a sea of people seeming to be flowing all in one direction, all toward the beach as well. When the doors opened we held on to each other not to drown or get lost in that sea. There were more people on that beach than we had seen in all our Nam months. It was a bit disconcerting. We walked along until we hit Ushaka Marine World were we caught some traditional Zulu dancing, got some ice cream, and plopped down on a bench exhausted just from the sheer energy of things. We sat quietly and watched the people go by- Black, White, Indian, Other, traditional, modern, conservative, outrageous, under the radar. When we finally got up we went to meet Keith who took us to a little members club on the beach for a beer. In the club was White. There were some people of color passing by on the sand but it was all such a contrast to the crowds of brown people when we first got off the bus. (We came to find out that it was Freedom Day and that’s why things were so crazy.)
For dinner we had Indian food but in a restaurant that didn’t fit our vision of a cute mom n pop place. My prawns were good though- I ate so many I might turn into a prawn.