It was very, very windy and cloudy when we arrived last night so we didn't venture anywhere beyond our hotel's restaurant. The wind calmed down and the sun was shining when we awoke this morning. The beach is beautiful, and the promenade on which our hotel is located is just about like every other promenade except there are lot more independent entrepreneurs in stalls along the road between the road and the beach than we've seen in other places.
We had brekkie at the hotel before departing with our guide Wendy, a white South African who gave us a half-day tour of Durban.
We began with a trip to the pharmacy for Beth, and I slipped out and bought some cigarettes for the next two weeks. Beth has what Joe called a "rummy tummy," so she got some meds to get things right before we leave tomorrow.
Wendy then took us to the Phansi Museum, which is housed in the Roberts House. The house is a national monument and is an example of the middle class British Colonial Style villa built in the late 19th century. We didn't see much of the house, per say, but we did see the collection of arts (beadwork, baskets, clothing) that were representative of several different tribes in Africa. Our guide was assistant curator Phumzile Nkosi, who told us about her connection to the collection. She moved from a rural village to the township early in life and began working for an architectural firm that was housed in the building. The principle architect decided to move the firm to a different location and also decided to create the museum, which houses his collection. We first visited the basement - Phansi is Zulu for basement - and viewed objects similar to those we saw in Vukani although these were much older, some dating back to the mid-1800s.
Nkosi spent about an hour with us, telling us stories and highlighting some of the pieces in the collection. You can view information about the museum and its collection at http://phansi.com
Wendy then took us to the botanical garden, which is Africa's oldest surviving botanic garden. It was established in 1849. It is a 15-hectare garden situated in the heart of the Berea. The garden staff curates major collections such as cycads, palms and orchids. Wendy told us there is one cycad in the garden that has been cloned. It was the last remaining cycad, and it was male so the cloned cycad will not be reproducing. We walked through the garden but the most impressive was the orchid portion of the garden. We stopped long enough for me to get some photos, of which I many so I'm just posting a few for you to view.
We were in the tour bus for the remainder of the tour. Wendy did drive us by the building in which the president resides when in Durban. She said you often would see Mandela walking in the garden, his favorite place. Unfortunately, Zuma erected a screen around the property so it's difficult to see it or the grounds.
We went through the CBD, which was hectic (to say the least) with all the folks and street markets. We never got out of the van, so I was shooting through the windshield, when given the opportunity. We went by Farewell Square, the old railway station (now known as Tourist Junction), the Edwardian neo-baroque City Hall and the Old Courthouse. We did not go by the Moses Mabhida Soccer Stadium but saw it as we came from the airport. The stadium was one of the host stadiums for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and has a capacity of 62,760. The Premier Soccer League has designated the stadium as the venue for the 2018 MTN8 final.
We drove by the port, which is the largest and busiest in Africa. Wendy said there were 75 stalls and the biggest import is cars, and the biggest export is sugar.
Apparently, there are a lot of ricksaws in Durban but we didn't see any. We did see the city's largest mosque, which was next to a building used by the Hindu population and on the other side, a Catholic church. We also went by a synagogue that Wendy said was closing because there remains only about 2,000 Jews in Durban because most emigrated when things were "dicey." Wendy is Jewish and attended holidays and ceremonies at the synagogue. There now is just a small one to serve the population here.
In Zulu, Durban is known as eThekwini, from itheku meaning bay/lagoon. It is the third most populous city in South Africa after Jo-burg and Cape Town. In May 2015, Durban was officially recognized as one of the New7Wonders Cities together with Vigan, Doha, La Paz, Havana, Beirut and Kuala Lumpur.
It was a quickie but it's just a day stop for us on our way to the really big adventure. I completed my blog and such this afternoon, and we laid low because we're leaving for the airport at 5 a.m. Tuesday for our first destination: Livingstone, Zambia, home to Victoria Falls. Livingstone is named after David Livingstone, the British explore and missionary who was the first European to explore the area. The next two weeks or so, we're in the hands Audley Travel!
I don't know about Internet access. They tell me I'll have access but I'm not sure about the bandwidth so I'll be posting when I can.
Assistant curator Phumzile Nkosi at the Phansi Museum.
A Zulu accordion.
One of the orchids in the botanical gardens.
Another beautiful orchid in the gardens.
I believe this is the new city hall. Wendy said there was a competition to design it and after it was accepted, they realized its a replica of a building in Ireland (before Internet).
Considered the best example of Classical Revival in South Africa, Durban’s main post office, the building which originally accommodated the town hall, post office and municipal offices, defines the northern side of Francis Farewell Square. A cupola sits atop the clock and bell tower, the historically distinguishing features of a town hall, while the British coat of arms is inscribed on the attic balustrade of the colonnade facing Dorothy Nyembe (Gardiner) Street, the original entrance to the post office.
The Juma Mosque of Durban (Arabic: جُـمُـعَـة مَـسْـجِـد, translit. Jumu‘ah Masjid, meaning "Mosque of The Congregation") is also known as the Grey Street Mosque, it represents a spiritual center for Durban's Muslims.
The old train station.
A corner in the Durban CBD.
The building on the hill is the site of the university in Durban.
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