The Nerdy Nomad: South Africa

“A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving” (Source). Well, Lao Tzu never had a traumatic travel experience where his flight was delayed for 14 hours in an uncomfortable airport. I also doubt he had 4 connecting flights to deal with either, who had to travel the equivalent of New York to California twice. This was the experience I had July 2022 on a business trip to South Africa. I have always said, I hate traveling, I enjoy arriving. So let's fast forward to the arriving part. (Picture Source).

South Africa is on the southern tip of the African continent (Picture Source). The average elevation is 1,034 meters (3,392 feet) above sea level (Source). Durban is a beautiful, well-developed city on the eastern coast of South Africa. It's average elevation is only 6 meters (20 feet) above sea level (Source). My initial observation of the city was it was very hilly, in fact the city resides in the Valley of 1000 Hills region. It is one of the largest cities on the African Indian Ocean coast and is know for being the busiest port city in the country (Facts Source, Source, Source).

Infrastructure

Public transportation was readily available including taxis, small and large buses, rickshaws and even a metro railway, although I never saw any in operation. Did you know that in 1860, "Durban featured the first operating steam railway in South Africa" (Source).

Traveling on the busy roads and freeways was an interesting experience. I am thankful I did not have to drive. They drive on the left-hand side of the road at speeds ranging from 60-120 kilometers per hour (38-75 miles per hour) depending on the type of road traveled (Source). That might not seem very fast to you, but I rarely travel outside my city in Nigeria, only driving at speeds ranging from 10-40 kph (6-25 mph). There were actually Caution Men Working signs that said "Please Don't Kill Us" (Picture Source, Source).

There were many industries and warehouses in Durban. There were also miles and miles of sugarcane fields, which is not surprising since sugar refining is one of the main industries in this location. South Africa's sugarcane production averages about 20 million tons per year. The majority of this production comes from the KwaZulu-Natal province, the province that Durban is located (Source). Other industries include textiles, food processing, chemicals and oil refining (Source). (Sugarcane Picture Source).

Sugarcane fields

Lean-tos on an exit ramp.

Unemployment rates are high. Durban is no different when it comes to urban migration for economic opportunities. About 25 % of Durban's population lives in un-serviced settlements (Source). I witnessed many of the hills and valleys of the cities are filled with lean-tos, some even on the edges of the roads and highways.

Currency

The currency is officially called the South African Rand (R or ZAR). When I was there, the rate was $1 USD to R17. Fun fact alert about the etymology of the word rand! Rand is the Dutch and Afrikaans word for ridge. In 1886, The Witwatersrand Gold Rush began (Source). Witwatersrand, in English, is translated as white waters' ridge. The majority of gold deposits were found in this location, which later became Johannesburg (Facts Source, Source). (Currency Pictures Source).

The People

Durban is the third most populous city in South Africa, with a population close to 3.5 million people. The population is ethnically diverse including Zulu (largest people group), Xhosa, Afrikaans, and quite a large population from British and Indian descent. Because they are third or fourth generation removed from India, my small amount of Hindi was useless. The South Africans from Indian descent I interacted with only knew Afrikaans and English languages. (Facts Source).

Living in Nigeria, where my husband and I are the only white or caucasian people in our city. I found it very intriguing to be in a country where there are white Africans. White South Africans generally refers to people from Dutch (who predominately speak Afrikaans) or British or Irish descent (who predominately speak English), but also include those originally from Greece, Lithuania, Poland and other European countries (Source).

Environment

Durban is known as a center for tourism (Source), especially with it's sprawling beaches (Source). Husqvarna Urban Green Space Index dubbed Durban "the greenest city in the world" (Source). One of my bucket list items is to see (and touch) all of oceans of our world. I had the opportunity to see and touch the Indian ocean. I was quite surprised to find the water warm. Get comfy because we are about to have a science lesson, but I won't get too technical, I promise! (Picture Source).

Which of the oceans is the warmest in the world? The Indian Ocean, thank you for asking. It averages between 66 and 82° Fahrenheit (19 to 30° Celsius). It apparently stays pretty warm all year around because the Arctic Ocean (the coldest ocean in the world which averages around

28°F/-2°C) isn't directly connected at all to the Indian Ocean (Source). It remains warm mainly because of hydrology, how air and water circulation interact with one another (If you want to fall down this rabbit hole, click here and here to learn more).

One of the fun things I had the opportunity to do was whale watching while being a beach bum. Between June to November is the prime time to watch the breeching whales in South Africa. When a whale breeches, it leaps above the water and lands on its back (Source). Whales and dolphins make their way to these warm waters to give birth and nurse their calves (Information and Whale Picture Source). The warm waters and the cooler weather were perks of the beach as well.

Whale in the ocean.

Whale breeching.

Fish & Chips on the beach

Monkeys are a normal sight.

Daisies are my favorite!

Things to remember

Are you thinking about traveling to South Africa? Let me give you some things to keep in mind. Most of this information is from a friend who lives in South Africa. South Africa in general is a violent country, where kidnap for ransom, rape and murder is prevalent. Although, "criminals usually avoid targeting tourists because they know that the police response will be greater." Thefts and heists are common crimes (Facts Source).

I'm not reporting this information to dissuade you from traveling to South Africa. You have to be a smart traveler. Be aware of your surroundings and your belongings in large crowds. Also be careful about getting into to vehicles with anyone not vetted or that you do not know (which includes taxi and Uber services).

Final Thoughts

The seafood, being a beach bum and whale watching were definitely some of the highlights from my trip. I loved interacting with the people, and even got to tell the only Afrikaans joke I know to an Afrikaans native, who thought it was hilarious by the way (insert cheesy smile).

I would definitely travel to this country again, not only for my husband to also get the stamp in his passport. Since this was a business trip, I didn't really get to do touristy things like go to the "largest aquarium in the southern hemisphere" (Source) or the safari parks. The Natural Science Musuem is on my list to visit. Did you know that South Africa is rich in dinosaur tracks and fossils (Source)? I would also love to hike some of the trails of the Valley of a 1000 Hills, which is a "majestic valley" filled with "spectacular greenery" which is a "feast for sore eyes" (Info and Picture Source).

There are so many countries and places I want to travel. Sadly South Africa will just have to wait in line for the return visit. Have you every traveled to South Africa, what were some of your highlights? Send me a fan letter and let me know what I should add to my list. Don't forget to subscribe to Castle in the Air to be on the short list for the next blog to drop! Until next time, this is the Nerdy Nomad signing off.