Pietermaritzburg

We wanted to get out of town for the weekend, and Pietermaritzburg is so close that it would be unforgivable if we didn’t see it. Also, it’s such a small town that it’s a perfect weekend getaway. We left really early on Saturday morning (some of us regretting attending the campus party the night before. They had pretty weak security standards though, considering we just drew stamps on our arms with a pen, and they let us in free). Our favourite cab driver A. Kay, who some of us consider our SA dad, picked us up and brought us to the minibus taxi stand downtown. It’s the kind of place that you don’t stand in one spot for too long so that you keep the items in your bag and pockets safe. Luckily, our minibus left really quickly. You always have to double check where they are going, because they are never labelled.

The 45 minute trip cost 35 ZAR, which we passed up in the usual manner, telling the person in front of us how many people the amount was supposed to cover, and having them pass the money up to the driver to count. All the conversations were in Zulu, but it was pretty clear that something wasn’t right when the drive passed everyone’s money back, except mine, Zane’s and Taylor’s. And then the driver pulled over on the freeway and started ranting in Zulu. It was at this point that I wasn’t as glad that I agreed to this transportation option over the higher class Greyhound. Apparently, he was 5ZAR short, which it was pretty clear that one of the guys in the taxi pocketed. He later ‘found’ the amount, and we were on our way again.

Once we arrived in the town, we got off the taxi at an early stop. That wasn’t as important as the fact that the person booking the Backpackers didn’t bring the address. Once that was sorted out, we used my map to figure out how to get there. Unfortunately, all the streets have been renamed since my map was printed, so it was more challenging than expected to get there. Renaming the streets has been controversial, but despite protests and questions over cost, it has gone through. The point is to get rid of all the street names that have connections to the harsh past, and move on with names that have more positive associations.

We were able to find our hostel, drop our things, and with surprising amounts of energy, venture off in search of a good meal. My guide had suggested a place, which was tricky to find because it, too, had been renamed. It was situated in the top floor of the Tatham Art Gallery, which was filled with art through the ages. It wasn’t until 1990 that Zulu art was featured in the building, which is itself a relic. PMB is known for its late-Victorian architecture, which was gorgeous to see. The whole downtown is filled with red brick buildings, including the city hall, which we gave ourselves a tour of.

After our full day, we decided we deserved ice cream, so we headed to the nearest KFC. I was glad to see that there were bars that separated the lines so that we wouldn’t get pushed out of the way like we always do at school. Unfortunately, they were out of ice cream, so it didn’t matter anyway.

We headed back to the Backpackers to relax, and ended up staying in the entire night! Apparently, since PMB is a small town, they don’t have much going on in the evenings, so we just had a party at the hostel instead.

The next day I was excited to use a gas stove again - omelettes for breakfast! We hired a cab to take us to the sights in the town – the biggest horse statue in the country, and then the botanical gardens. The horse was actually a pegasus, and it was as tacky as expected. The botanical gardens were breathtaking. It was the perfect place for a picnic, but we ate at the café, that served the best soup ever! Soup still tastes surprisingly good when it’s over 30C.

We headed back to the hostel early the chill by the pool, and then we walked over to wait for our bus. I was glad that we took the Greyhound home. Even though it was late, it was comforting to be on a vehicle that I could rely on, and where they spoke a language that I could understand. It was much classier than the Greyhounds at home – they served tea, coffee, and cookies, and they made announcements like airplane attendants do: “please remain seated until we come to a full and complete stop.”

Pietermaritzburg was a lovely break from the hectic pace of Durban. (Pictures to follow when the internet is faster)