After 4 lovely days in the peaceful Drakensberg mountains, we meandered our way to yet another diverse and rich part of South Africa , the state of "Kwazulu-Natal". Rough and ready, smart and sophisticated, rural and rustic, KZN is as eclectic as its cultures, people and landscapes. It has its metropolitian heart in the port of Durban, the pristine beaches, the Elephant Coast, home to some of Africa’s most evocative traditional settlements and cultural sites, where Zulu culture and heritage are popularly displayed.
Hungry for some city life, we started off in Durban, South Africa`s third largest city. As we drove towards the city we started seeing the Indian Ocean in the distance, and started to get excited for the amazing warm days at the beach and scuba diving ahead of us…and of course, our mouth watered with the thought of Durban`s famous Indian food (ready grilled to perfection ‘kebabs’ and hot curries). The city has the biggest population of Indians in the continent, mainly due to large scale migration of indented workers who supplied labor for the sugar plantations in the Natal province. And most interesting of all, this city has played a key role in India`s independence struggle. It was here that the Mahatma Gandhi, then an unknown lawyer, started the passive resistance (“Satiagraha”) movement, to fight against the racist laws of Apartheid that were affecting the Indian population in the region. In South Africa, Gandhi acquired experience and notoriety, which he took back to India to fight for independence.
Our first day in Durban was a bit of a disappointment though. We went scuba diving at the world famous “Aliwal Shoal” area, listed by Jacques Cousteau as among the 10 best dive sites in the world and famous for its “raggies” (ragged tooth sharks). Sure, there were quite a few sharks and manta rays around but the visibility was low and the dive site is in the wide open ocean, which makes it a less than pleasant experience as you are jolted violently by big swells of angry ocean. Overall, this was one of those “been there, done it” experiences and we would not recommend it very highly.
The second day in Durban was interesting in its own way – “uShaka Marine Park” is probably as far from an African experience as one can dream of. A modern amusement park based right on the ocean front, it is SeaWorld and Wet`n’ Wild put together (yes, exactly the same brands you find in Florida). The location though made up for it. Instead of Mickey Mouse for neighbors, uShaka Marine Park is right on the beach and from it you can soak in an amazing view of Durban`s modern beachfront skyline. Not to miss out though - a “Bollywood” movie shooting with mainstream stars present on the set! So after a day gliding down the slides, watching the dolphin and the seal shows and taking some surf lessons, we sat in a lovely waterfront bar covered under some cozy blankets and watched the sun go down and the city light up, as the mango daikiris went lower and lower in the glass…
