My first PC Vacay
Trip Start
Aug 07, 2008
1
7
8
Trip End
Ongoing
Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Thursday, January 8, 2009
The down side of all these "signs of developement" is the still blaringly apparent racial divisions and tensions. The majority of people shopping in SPAR were white or Indian; the majority- if not all- of the people working in SPAR were black. One residue of Apartheid that personally affected me on a daily basis was the difference in the way black South Africans looked at, greeted, and/or spoke to me as compared to the sometimes overly friendly Basotho. There was always evident mistrust/hatred just under the surface of any initial interaction that almost always dissappeared after I smiled, looked them in the eye and greeted them with "Lumela" or "Sawubona." The immediate shit following the greeting is almsot as unsettling as the initial rejection. Smiles spread, amicable conversation starts, and they often enthusiastically help with whatever query I have. But, the emotional tension when they assumed- not unreasonably because of my white skin- that I am an Afrikaner or Apartheid sympathest is very real and made me appreciate the peaceful, friendly Basotho all over.
So after a hectic day of pre-xmas shopping, about 6 of us from the north rented a special taxi because the rank was crazy crowded and drank our way to Malealea lodge. This Backpackers/lodge is a quiet little haven with gorgeous scenery and lots of activities for tourists. Since most of use get enough hiking and village tours in our everyday life were, my group's activities consisted mostly of sitting, eating, and drinking. For more info about Malealea visit their website www.malealea.co.ls/.
Christmas passed pleasantly with good food, good company and realtively few complaints about warm holidays. On the 26th my group of 4 took off for Bloemfontein (history here has been edited to exclude the temporary 5th traveler that accompanied us because she is inconsequential as to the events I would like to relate to you). Tricia, Ashley, Julie and I made it to Bloemfontein, successfully rented a car and were on the road by midday - me in the right-side driver's seat which did not prove to be as difficult as I expected. Within the first two hours we got a flat tire which we were able to change in a safe location (the middle of no where) since Freestate is just huge fields with the occasional farm house and one robot (stoplight) town. Then a little further along the way somehwere else amidst the fields we stopped for a girl and her mother (?) desparetly flagging for help with ther broken (?) VW bug. The older lady with bright red hair approached the car and started yabbering in Afrikans. Once I got the language sorted out she told us a sob story about a broken alternator, Chirstmas spent in the car, a funeral which is very expensive, night shift at a hospital just up the road, a colored and a German willing to fix her alternator for 1,250R or 225R, and no food for 3 days. phew, i think thats all she said but there may have been some other catastrophes thrown in there. I apologized for our tight Peace Corps budget , we gave her some christmas cookies and apples and continued on to Durban.
Finally at Durban, Anstey's is a nice backpackers on the beach in South Durban in an area that is packed with what looks like wealthy South Africans' beach houses/condos. Our first few days in the surfer town were a little disappointing since we were looking forward to a little relaxation/recharge time on the beach but the weather did not want to facilitate our plans. So instead we went to some of the attractions in town. The Victoria street Indian market was our first destination which was a little disappointing partially because it was Saturday and some of the shops were closed but also I wasn't really impressed with the things available.
So i finished this blog and then lost the rest of it due to internet malfunctions... maybe ill retype it sometime... maybe i wont.
