Durban, South Africa

             Tuesday, 13 Feb 2018 – Today we didn’t have to wake up early because our 4-hour tour was set for 1:00 PM.  Therefore, we ate a leisurely breakfast and then relaxed in our cabin until almost 12:45, when we needed to meet in the Insignia Lounge.

Slightly before 1:00, our bus left the pier for our 4-hour excursion, “Valley of the Thousand Hills.”  Our guide was Dick, who is Afrikaans; the driver was Piet.  As we rode along, Dick provided a lot of information, and he spoke very good English.  It took about an hour of driving through the city and then the green, hilly countryside before reaching our destination.  Although Durban is the third largest city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, we weren’t ensnarled in any traffic jams as had always happened in Cape Town.

One of the Large Turtles

Upon arrival at the Phezulu Safari Park, we first walked with a local guide through the reptile park, where we saw snakes (behind glass windows), some large turtles, and quite a number of crocodiles in or near small ponds; although we were not far from some of them, we were behind fences.  A few of the passengers held “baby” crocodiles for photos, but we declined.  In a glass case was a stuffed crocodile that had died about three years ago at the age of 109 years!

From there, we walked a short distance to an arena to discover the intricacies, ethnic customs and beliefs of the Zulu people.  Zulu tales and history were depicted in energetic, costumed songs and dances by the renowned Gasa clan, who has been performing their unique plays for over 40 years.  Dances of courtship and betrothal, war and birth, and the throwing of bones by a witch doctor, or Sangoma, were set to the mesmerizing beat of the Zulu drums.  About 15 young people took part in this drama and dancing.

Zulu Warriors

Next, a few of us walked into a traditional beehive hut.  Inside, the men were instructed to sit on one side of the hut, and women on the other.  This was supposed to the chief inside, but an interpreter was with him, as they demonstrated how a spear is thrown by a Zulu man.  In another beehive hut, a woman was grinding corn.  A man who spoke fairly good English described what she was doing, and said that women always do the cooking.  The fact that a man can have several wives was discussed.  The spokesman said that his grandfather had five wives, his father had three, and he has only one, but is engaged to a second.  To marry, a man must pay 11 cows to the bride’s family, which is an obstacle for having multiple wives.  Nowadays, women are becoming more independent, which is also slowly changing the tradition.

Before boarding our bus for the return trip to the ship, tea or coffee and scones were served.  We also visited a small curio shop for souvenirs.  A larger curio shop had been available for guests to browse until it burned down a couple of days ago.  Workmen were in the process rebuilding the shop, starting with clearing the ashes from the exterior stone walls, which were still intact.  Our bus arrived back at the pier at 4:00 PM.