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Published: October 7th 2023
Dear All
Yay! As mentioned in my last, I was so glad to be driving on decent roads again in the South African state of KwaZulu-Natal, after my time in the Eastern Cape. On a Sunday morning, I checked out of my little cottage accommodation in the coastal town of Port Edward, and drove on to Durban. This would be the final point on my coastal journey for this summer. I had been hugging the stunning and extremely varied South African coastline for two weeks now, from Cape Town to Durban, and from there my journey would take me inland for the rest of my time on this trip. I had the feeling at this time that my travel adventures would take a different turn from there on, and I was looking forward to it very much.
On this day of driving, I was initially planning to drive the coastal road from Port Edward to Durban, not the toll motorway. This was not to avoid the toll fare, as it was only around £2.50, but to take in some really British-sounding places along the coast of the former British colony of Natal - Ramsgate, Margate and Port Shepstone, amongst
others. Something tells me that folks from around here may have originated in Kent, but I may be wrong! The coastal road through these coastal resorts were so potholed, however, that after my journey through the Eastern Cape, I was ready for a bit more road comfort and quickly headed straight back to the toll road motorway at the next available opportunity for some smooth driving.
Before checking into my next accommodation in the southern Durban seaside suburb of Kingsburgh, I decided to drive first into Durban itself to visit "the largest Hare Krishna Temple in the southern hemisphere", called the Temple of Understanding. I like to think I know a bit about Hinduism, although the religion really is so multi-faceted that I'm not sure any one person can fully grasp the whole religion. Some even go so far as to say that Hinduism itself is not the religion, but the many aspects and denominations of it are. I must admit that I know very little about the Hare Krishna movement within it though, and in order to get to know a bit more about this fascinating sub-group, and to also learn a bit more about Durban's large Indian
Bunny Chow
Wentworth Hotel, Durbanpopulation, I headed to this absolute beauty of a temple.
The Temple of Understanding is built in the shape of a lotus flower, and is unusually surrounded by a moat of water. There is a bridge over the moat to the main hall of the temple, and I was told that this symbolises the transition from the material world to the spiritual realm, rather like the traditional gate you pass through in a number of the Eastern religions. I had arrived just in time for a talk by a very eloquent and confident speaker on the meaning of "darshan", or "catching a glimpse" of the deity one visits in a Hindu Temple. To the outsider, Hindus pray to statues, but to a Hindu, a temple visit is literally placing oneself in the presence of and actually looking into the eyes of a god, a manifestation of the supreme being called Brahman, or God. This is what the speaker was talking about, how special such an occasion is, and how it can make the devotee react, from fainting, to sweating, to singing and dancing. To me, I always get a "hair standing on end" sensation all over my body, and
Welcome to Durban
The Golden Mile, Durban sometimes a burst of emotion which can move me to tears, when I feel touched by the divine - he also referred to both of these as darshan experiences, which I was moved by. I was also interested to compare this Hindu belief to the Judeo-Christian belief of not ever being able to fully look into the eyes of God in this life, as only Moses had done in the Bible, but rather the belief of perhaps waiting until the next life for this experience.
The talk seemed to prepare the devotees for the "arti" ceremony which would take place straight after the talk. This is the devotional part of a Hindu service, in which songs are sung and music is made, as the deities are met and greeted. For the Hare Krishnas, however, this is when the drum-beating, Hare Krishna chanting, and whirling dancing begins, which the reader may have encountered like myself in a street back home somewhere. The praise started slow and measured, but ended up very jolly and even raucous as the chanting turned into dancing, and at one point a mini-conga formed around the room. It was all really fascinating to watch and be
a part of, and it made my experiences of simply seeing a Hare Krishna procession chanting, singing and dancing through the streets of London make a lot more sense. While I wasn't moved to sing or dance, I definitely had a big beaming smile on my face throughout! The devotees were physically showing their ecstasy of being in the presence of the divine, and this was quite moving to understand.
Quite true to a proselytising faith such as the Hare Krishna movement, one of the devotees, called Tamal, singled me out for some special interaction, which I actually really appreciated when switching off from his desire to attract me to the movement. We had lunch together in the Govinda's restaurant downstairs, famous in South Africa for its delicious and simple Indian food, where I learnt a bit more about the movement, particularly their single devotion to the "god" (or strictly speaking "avatar", a human form of the Hindu "Preserver" god Vishnu) Krishna. Most Hindus I know of, although they may have a particular devotion to a particular god, still worship many gods, but it seems the Hare Krishna movement are devoted entirely to Krishna, which makes them different. I
was able to share with Tamal my own experiences of my own Christian faith, which I appreciated, and the food was delicious too. After saying goodbye to Tamal, I enjoyed a few peaceful moments in the beautiful Temple grounds, an oasis of calm surrounded by the hectic South African urban din. I noted how everyone was so friendly and welcoming, and were always ready to greet me with a "Hare Krishna", or "Hail Krishna", rather than a "hello", to which I duly responded in the same manner. I then drove back south of Durban again to the very upmarket suburb of Kingsburgh, and my lovely private accommodation with a certain Cape Cod feel with light blue and anchor motifs throughout, attached to the side of a gorgeous hilltop home in a gated community belonging to a delightful retired South African couple. It had been a wonderful first day in Durban indeed.
My full day in Durban was lovely too, and I really appreciated my first two-night stay in a place since back in Addo. It was nice to be just that little bit more settled in my travels, having slept in four different beds for four nights in a
row, and I was happy to reduce the packing and unpacking action. The owners of my accommodation were such lovely people, real salt-of-the-earth types. The lady washed my clothes free of charge, while the gentleman removed most of the scratches on my car caused by the thorn bush back in Addo with some miracle liquid formula that he had. On top of this, they were also so cool to talk to.
In the morning, I drove back into Durban and parked up in the southernmost part of the coastal resort region, at the fantastic uShaka Marine World, recommended by my two most recent accommodation hosts. It was a great recommendation, and it was a fantastic place! I half-expected some shabby little group of dirty tanks as one might expect from an "aquarium" in a developing country, but this place was very modern and classy, and felt like a theme park back in Florida. It is the largest aquarium both in Africa and in the southern hemisphere, set beneath an actual shipwrecked ship and having the theme of a shipwreck throughout. Looking at the marine life in the huge tanks, you really felt as if you were swimming around the
Govinda's Restaurant Meal
The Temple of Understanding, Hare Krishna Temple shipwreck with the sea creatures themselves. There were also numerous other areas for dolphin and seal shows, African penguin-watching, turtle-feeding, as well as a fantastic food court and shopping area which was great to hang out in, and was practically empty in the middle of this Durban winter here. I say winter, but it was only winter for the locals, many of them wearing woolly hats and big coats - for me it was balmy, and warmer than many-a British summer at a very agreeable 22 degrees. I wouldn't want to be there in the summer though, when temperatures apparently reach the mid-30s. Yes, the wind and the chill of my journey thus far made way for palm trees, sunshine, t-shirts and shorts, although I understood it would shortly turn cold again as I was heading further inland later.
I spent a good few hours at the Marine World, starting with the amazing dolphin show and ending with the seal show, interspersed with a visit to the aquarium with its sharks, African penguins enclosure, turtle feeding, and more besides. And again, I practically had the whole place to myself - just me and the fish! I followed this up
by a walk along Durban's Beach Front, dubbed rather optimistically as "The Golden Mile" (which is actually 3.7 miles in length), and back again, which I did not like at all. It was an absolute cesspit of a place filled with vagrants, dodgies, and the odd tourist like myself. It seemed like a place that was once really happening and the place to be, but it is currently very much past its heyday. Apparently it has been much dodgier than this in the past, and this is a cleaned-up version of the place, but I was glad to get out of there and back in my car.
I had also planned in Durban to visit Gandhi's home when he once lived in Durban between 1893 and 1903. This was during the time he spent fighting for the rights of South African Indians at the time, which was very much a precursor to his much more famous non-violent campaigning back in India itself. My accommodation host had highly recommended against it however, and I highly followed his advice, as it is situated in the middle of the three "no-go" Durban township areas of Phoenix, Inanda and KwaMashu. This in the
15th most dangerous city in the world, I was not unhappy to forego my plans there. Instead, and again following my host's advice to taste the "best Bunny Chow" in Durban, I headed to a place called the Wentworth Hotel in the middle of the rather rough-and-ready, though not with a dangerous feel, portside and industrial neighbourhood of Bluff.
A Bunny Chow is an Indian staple that developed in South Africa amongst the Indian population there during the early 20th century. It consists of a hollowed-out loaf of bread, filled with a thick and rich Indian curry stew usually made of mutton and potatoes. The Wentworth Hotel was fascinating, as rough-and-ready as the surrounding neighbourhood, and I really enjoyed my Bunny Chow there - it was very hot though, and this is coming from someone who's used to a bit of spice. What was particularly fascinating was the people-watching there, with a mix of different people in the bar area in particular. They were all biker-looking dudes, probably factory and dock workers, and one of them was even carrying a gun just nonchalantly tucked into the back of his trousers! When I got back to my accommodation, I found
out my host himself is also a bikey and owns a Harley, so it was no wonder he recommended the place! The Bunny Chow certainly stuck in my mind and mouth for at least a few days afterwards, it was a seriously hearty meal.
I just chilled in my lovely Cape Cod themed accommodation for the rest of the day, before my journey would take me off and up into the Drakensberg Mountains the next day. I was very much looking forward to this, but of course, more on that in my next one!
Until then, thanks for reading, and all the best for now! 😊
Alex
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Temple of Understanding
It is beautiful.