The departure from the Western Cape province saw me floundering a bit for some sort of plan (a process which in itself was part of a larger plan--so fret not :). The trajectory from Cape Town was more or less prescribed: just go the coastal route, with the occasional inland jaunt. But it wasn't until my first trip to Durban that I really hit my traveling stride. Durban, one of the 3 biggest (and most unique) cities in the country, was also the gateway to another large and important province: Kwa-Zulu Natal.
My time in "K-Zed-N" was my chance to feel like a true SA native. The province itself did seem to have it all--lots of rural, traditional, and historic places; a major, bustling coastal city; and incredible natural sites stretching from the Drakensberg mountain range to miles and miles of wetlands, coastal forests, and beach. But apart from the touristic draws, the province presented opportunities that helped make South Africa feel like home for the first time. And it was the time spent in someone's actual home which helped kick-start my travel independence. This post is the story of a little place with a big heart called Dundee. Let's start with how I got there.
I was scheduled to visit and stay with my Cape Town friend's family in Dundee. My trip to Durban before this ended up being the last time I took any sort of proper passenger bus in Africa. No, who needs Greyhound when you've got the milkman to deliver you? And that's basically what happened. My awesome Durban CouchSurfing host Stephen dropped me off at the Durban depot of Orange Grove Dairy. I left on this truck at about midnight...
...and ended up at the dairy itself six hours later.
The owners of Orange Grove operation were Dave and Sue Durham (parents of my friend Saranne). I would very soon discover (and continue to be reminded) that they were the busiest pair in all of Dundee--and perhaps KZedN, and maybe all of South Africa! They were also some of the most generous. I was encouraged--nay, instructed--to make myself at home in every way. So I took a bath... or 3. I had a lot of tea with my rusks. I (eventually) toured the dairy plant and farm. And I was taken in, if not wholeheartedly then whole-mouthedly, by these beasts:
Sadly, I don't have many great pictures of the Durham estate. In the one above with the dogs, you can see the general look of their front yard. The house itself was large and designed and decorated in a classic mold. All the rooms had high ceilings, and the furniture and fixtures were simple but handsome. Behind the house, things were all business: a large gate and guarded entrance allowed employees, deliveries and visitors into a veritable industrial courtyard. There was a garage with space and implements to house and repair work and delivery trucks; an L-shaped row of connected brick office buildings; and the dairy bottling plant where all the (post-milking) magic happened. On my tour I was given a guest pass and a shower cap, and shown the fresh milk storage vats, yogurt making and mixing machines, milk and juice bottling assembly lines, and the place where many of their own bottles are made on site. It was quite an operation--and that doesn't even include the actual dairy farm, which was across the street and impressive (and educational) in its own right.
I was aware that I would find hospitable accommodations here, but could not predict that Dundee and the Durham farm were to serve as home base for the rest of my time in SA. It was the Durhams' insistent generosity that put me behind the wheel of a rickety but functional little truck. This opportunity was the biggest game-changer when it came to getting around without reliance on the bus system. There will be more on me and my "backkie"--pronounced more like "bucky"--in the next few posts. And it was their connections with a local tour guide--and pride in their local history--that put me into the hands of some teachers who I would end up seeing again in my final month in the country.
The next several posts will cover my excursions around Kwa-Zulu Natal, from the mountains to the city and sea, and even into a couple more countries that share borders with the province. It constitutes some of my most free, wild, engaging and rewarding experiences from the entire trip, and I can't wait to share them. Stay tuned!
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| A dark but semi-decent view of the big sky of Dundee. Much of SA reminded me of central and western US, and the combination of pastures, mountains, and towns evoked what I imagine the foothills of the Rockies to be like. |
