Monday, August 14, 2006
Durban
Our extended journey along the coast meant that we were limited to a single full day in Durban so we really can't say we saw the city properly. On the afternoon we arrived we visited uShaka Marine World, no prizes for guessing what the attractions are there! My only complaint about uShaka was that the entrance area seemed to have been designed by the same people as the one at Universal Studios in LA, which basically means that you have to walk through what is really a shopping mall before you eventually find the gate to get into the park you came to see.There are a couple of walking tours offered by the tourist office in the city and we opted for the 'cultural' tour which took us around numerous old local buildings, including a visit to the largest mosque in the southern hemisphere. I wouldn't say that our guide was nervous, but she was very keen for us all to stick together and every time I got my camera out she would remind me to keep hold of it firmly. I can only assume that Durban is generally not that bad in broad daylight otherwise they wouldn't take tourists wandering around the streets accompanied by middle-aged women, would they?!
We didn't really encounter any problems, although we gave a wide berth to the 3 blokes having a heated discussion about the events that had led to the breaking of the bottle that one of them was still holding. Other than that the streets were fairly busy with people buying and selling a wide range of things from fresh fruit to the traditional doctors who offered a variety of unsavoury looking items to cure all ills. Then there were all the people hanging around near the local government office offering to take photos for passports etc. Our guide assured us that these people were only in the photography business, but I suspect that some of these people would probably also provide you with a full driving licence or passport for a few extra Rand.
My favourite local businesses though were the 'phone shops'. Throughout the country we have seen half size shipping containers branded with the name of a mobile phone company, inside these are public payphones which use the mobile network instead of landlines. On the streets of Durban however things are much simpler (and somewhat unlicensed I think judging by the reaction I got each time I tried to photograph one!). All you need is a mobile phone (well, SOMEONE's mobile phone anyway), a normal telephone handset, some sort of electronic metering device, a few bits of wire and a car battery. Then all you do is stand at the side of the street and sell your phone service to passing members of the public!
And finally there are the local taxis. As with the rest of the country these are actually small minibuses rather than cars, but Durban's fleet is somewhat distinctive. The word 'Bling' could definitely be used, and after one look at the outside of the vans the loud hip-hop soundtrack emanating from within is no surprise. In fact, if 50 Cent were ever to decide to branch out and start a taxi company then he could easily find vehicles here!
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