The third largest urban centre in the country, Durban said to be a place of perpetual sunshine. We were, therefore, in for a bit of shock when we witnessed first-hand just how vulnerable any location can be to the destructive forces of nature. Approaching from the south late one evening, everyone on the Baz Bus (backpackers' bus) sat in amazement as we ambled our way through five hours of heavy thunderstorms. North Americans and Europeans agreed that they had never seen a storm on such a scale in our native lands. I've been reading a book of very whimsical anecdotal stories based on the letters and diaries of four centuries worth of travelers in South Africa. It's called "The Wind Makes Dust". In it the early explorers in South Africa often comment upon the extreme violence of the storms here, and this has been a season to remember!Particularly eerie was the manner in which the lightning strikes hit. As we were at some altitude, they seemed to emanate from every direction. Bolts flashed vertically across the sky, ear-piercing crackles exploded all around us, and we observed the reflection of flashes of light occurring well below our position. It was truly a sub-tropical mega-storm in stereo! The video that was playing was turned off and we all sat glued to the windows. I have no idea how the bus driver could even see where he was going. We all jumped when there was a bone-jarring bump as we ran over a dead cow that was laying on the highway. Here's a photo of the night sky during the storm, courtesy of Durban Radio.
When we arrived in the city centre a little before midnight the water was knee deep in all low-lying spots. Water streamed along the sidewalks as the Baz Bus made its hostel stops. One poor Australian girl had the misfortune of losing her footing a few steps after retrieving her backpack from the trailer, did a belly flop, and straggled to the hostel door looking like a drown rat. There had been cyclones off the coast of Mozambique and Madagascar in recent weeks so the seas have been high. The night of the storm there also occurred an unusually powerful alignment of the moon and stars, creating abnormally high tides. As a result, a small tsunami hit the KwaZulu-Natal coastline two days later. Touring the beachfront business establishments after we returned from the Drakensberg a week later, the damage was terrible. Entire restaurants were gutted!
One of the features that makes Durban an interesting place to visit is its Asian influence. East Indians account for a significant portion of the population. In fact, Durban is the world's largest Indian community outside of India itself! Many of people were originally brought to the country by the government to work in the sugar cane fields. This cash crop is still an important component of the local economy. The climate and soil must be very favourable -the plants have viewed have often been growing ten feet high!
One indicator of East Indian culture is the use of rickshaws. In Durban they tend to be very elaborate affairs that are used to ferry people mostly around the waterfront area.
Nancy and I both enjoy Indian food a lot so we couldn't miss the opportunity to try Durban's favourite fast food - something called Bunny Chow ("bread-hot"). This consists of a chunk of bread that is hollowed out in the centre and filled with the curry of your choice...but no rabbit if that's what you're thinking. It's very tasty and filling!
Along with the Indian culture comes its architecture. There are many impressive Hindu temples and Islamic mosques, particularly around the old quarter near the city centre. This is the Juma Musjid. We weren't allow in without an adult male Muslim to accompany us.
A highlight of our trip to Durban was a visit to the Victoria Street Market. It's an intriguing blend of Indian shops as well as all things African. There are many women selling dresses on the sidewalks. It's a tradition in the Indian culture for the groom to buy his mother-in-law twenty dresses as part of the wedding package...so they do a pretty brisk business!
That's not to say that all Indian men are infatuated with their new in-laws. They may, at times, seek revenge in the good old-fashioned Indian way in evidence at the spice market! 
The most disquieting part of the market was our stroll down what I will call, at the risk of sounding judgmental, "Voodoo Alley". It's an entire street devoted to the sale of ingredients used by African witch-doctors. Most rural black South Africans have no real access to medical care and rely upon the potions cooked up by these traditional "healers". The shops in the Victorian market actually provide wholesale supplies of raw materials for the witch-doctors in many African countries. Most of the businesses had a variety of mangled carcasses and bones from a myriad of animals on display. Unfortunately, the proceeds of the poaching of endangered species in South Africa's national parks can also their way into the market. 
The remedies of a witch-doctor also require a wide selection of roots, barks, leaves, herbs and other plant materials.
Most of the people in the lane ways are busy pounding or grinding up the key ingredients. 
We had an interesting conversation with the king of this niche. Like most of the other vendors, he works by day and sleeps at night in the market, which is as much his home as his place of commerce. He was very friendly and spoke some English. Mostly he wanted to know what sort of remedies we used for treating the ill in Canada. Nancy and I were at a loss when he asked us what goes into our enemas! As you can see, his torso was heavily scarred, which we instinctively attributed to some sort of pagan ritual, but was apparently the result of a car accident.
Durban has many fine buildings from the English colonial era. In the city centre Francis Farewell Square square has a magnificent neo-Baroque City Hall (pictured below) which now also houses a fine natural history museum. The nearby Post Office is also an impressive edifice. There are also some Tudor-style buildings on the same block.
Directly opposite City Hall one fines a colourful (Art Deco) but sombre cenotaph. We thought that the figure of the dead soldier at the base of the monument was rather striking. The dark and dreary weather plaguing Durban also added to the overall effect. 
We were only in Durban for a few days but felt as though we saw a lot in a short period of time. This was mostly due to the efforts of our very cool guide (and manager of our hostel), named Victor. He was insightful, kind, had a big heart, and took us to places we would never have dared to go on our own - such as Voodoo Lane! Born in Kenya, Victor was very proud of the murals that he painted on the walls of the hostel. We didn't want to probe too deeply into his life but he did mention that he had been shot with a gun. Durban has an extremely high crime rate - second only to Johannesburg. Danger seemed to lurk around every corner and he seemed to be able to smell it a mile away. South Africans must lead the world in dogs per (white) household - many families have two or three canines on guard. 
We've yet to talk to anyone (of any race) in South Africa that has any respect or faith in the police forces (or judicial system for that matter). Stories of corruption, incompetence, indifference, under staffing, and underfunding seem endless - the police often don't even respond to emergency calls. Both travel guides (books) that we possess advise that contacting the police is likely a waste of time if you've been victimized. Although we read one newspaper article story about vigilantes, the law is tough on people who try to take justice into their own hands. In the Drakensberg we met an elderly couple who were mourning the death of a dear friend. He shot in the leg an armed intruder in his house, and was in turn shot in the stomach before bleeding to death. People are desperate...there's no such thing as welfare or unemployment insurance.
One woman told us about an episode of someone breaking into her house. When she phoned the police they told her that they couldn't come because they had no gas for the only available car. She replied (fictitiously) that her husband had shot the intruder. A short time later the police arrived only to find that the thief had already absconded. Annoyed that they had been summoned for a mere burglary, they said "I thought you said someone had been shot" to which she replied, "I thought you said you had no gas"!
The garbage-can poster below is an ad against the trafficking of human lives, and we're not just talking here about child labour or prostitution. Every month in South Africa there are recorded cases of the ancient practice of muti - the sale of human body parts for use in the wares of African witch-doctors. Voodoo Alley is a place best viewed in the rear view mirror! 
On a more positive note, one of the exciting venues in Durban is the Marine World. It opened about five years ago and is partially enclosed in an old barge that was rescued from the sea. It may not look like much from the outside but it's full of fascinating exhibits and creatures within. 
The sharks of Durban are legendary. There's a shark net set about 50 metres from shore or swimming and surfing would be impossible. The net gets checked every day but got completely washed away by the recent storms. Many of the creatures at Marine World (especially the sharks) are animals that are in captivity because got stuck in and injured by the net.
Marine World is the fifth largest aquarium in the world. We simply ran out of time exploring all of the tanks and revelling in the fabulous range of sea life that exists on good old planet earth.
Finally, travelling around Durban revealed an interesting collection of urban street art and advertising. The AIDS situation sure gets a lot of play, deservedly so! 
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