Today we hired a private tour guide for the day. We were tired of the ship’s bus tours and the private tour was about half the price. We’ve pretty much decided to go this way for the rest of the cruise since we’ll be in larger ports than many of those we visited in Asia. In the morning we headed out to the Valley of 1,000 Hills, about 45 minutes from Durban. This is a mountainous area and the views into the Valley are beautiful. I’m sure my pictures don’t do it justice. More important we wanted to visit a Zulu cultural village since we would be leaving the province tonight. Our guide, Christian, was a Zulu and had been brought up in a typical Zulu Village about 4 hours North of Durban. He recounted his upbringing and that his Father was a Polygamous who had 6 wives and 50 Children. He walked 24 miles roundtrip on dirt roads and through the bush to school each day, much of the time barefoot. Unfortunately, only 32 of his siblings are still alive with the rest having died of Aids. I described this Pandemic in my last posting. Christian took us to a Zulu Cultural Village where we were able to see how things were done in the old days and in many cases, still today. The dances that I show in the pictures can’t really be appreciated without the drumbeats but it will give you some idea.
We returned to the city and visited the Old Indian Market where you get a chance to bargain with the Indian Merchants. No matter what price you pay you get the feeling that the Indian got the better of you. Next it was a city tour and then the Beach for lunch and a beachwalk. This is a beautiful area lined with beach side vendors, restaurants, a shopping area and an aquarium. It was a great day in the high 70’s and perfect for lunch on an oceanside deck followed by a walk. Great day. Durban is a city that deserves more than one day.
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