Becca T and I had made plans to meet a friend of a friend in Durban (it's so nice to have connections)...but there are no taxis inside the port and we were told we wouldn't be able to walk to the main road. So, we loaded up our luggage with one of the families headed to Applebosch and had them drop us off on the "main road"...but unfortunately, it wasn't actually the "main road"...more like a highway in the port...we pretty much were literally "kicked to the curb"...I think our ship driver was just confused because the port is so much bigger in Durban that he really thought we were at the main road...but we were pretty far from it!
So, after waiting about ten minutes at the curb and seeing NO taxis, we decided we should find out if taxis even come on that road...There was a pickup truck for some company helping another truck that had broken down on the side of the road...we asked the man in the first truck about taxis and he said we weren't at the main road and wouldn't find any, but he was happy to give us a lift after they finished fixing the other truck...So, after another few minutes, "Pastor Paul" motioned us back over and we hopped into the bed of the truck (I was SO glad Becca decided we should pray before we started off our adventure!)...After our nice long security briefing on the ship about staying safe and being smart, we were now riding with a stranger in the back of a pickup truck in South Africa...but, we really didn't know what else to do...there was no bank in the port, so we had absolutely no cash (except for US dollars, which is no good in South Africa unless you're at a bank)...we had phones, but no South African SIM cards to call, so that did us no good either...So basically, we were stuck...as we rode along, we just laughed at the situation and hoped one of our buses didn't drive by with a bunch of people wearing horrified looks on their faces! :)
Becca was excited for the ride
We documented the adventure with pictures :)
"Pastor Paul" dropped us off at the main road...we basically looked like we were in the projects...awesome...so, since we didn't have any Rand, we couldn't take the buses...we had to take a private taxi so that they could stop at an ATM...but, after about 20 minutes of standing on the sidewalk wating for a taxi and seeing zero (SO different than the hundreds we saw in Togo), we started to think of other options...and then...voila...out of nowhere, this nice BMW pulls up and we see Isabelle and a few others from the ship! What a relief! The car was packed full because they were heading to the airport, but Isabelle's friend agreed to come pick us up after the airport run...
So, we did some more waiting...and laughing...this would only happen to us :) About forty minutes later, the car returned and we hopped in...
Becca and I in "the projects"
I guess I wasn't really prepared for culture shock in South Africa and the whole "re-entry process" they always talk about...I mean, I know it's a lot nicer and more developed than Togo, but I forgot about the whole western mentality part...Right away, Roger (Isabelle's aunt's friend... I love all our distant connections) starts asking us a bunch of questions about the ship and the work..."You have to PAY to work for them?!! Why do YOU have to pay!"..."How do you make a living? Who supports you? What are you going to do after this"...the questions kept coming...we were being bombarded and our worlds were colliding...It was clear that money was important to this man...I wasn't too surprised when he told us he owned his own business and started talking about his status and things like that...Becca and I were sitting in the back quietly (which is of course almost unheard of for us!), taking it all in, sitting in shock...Wow, this guy just didn't get it...we hadn't expected the culture shock to hit us right away like this!
We made it to our meeting point, thanked Roger for the ride and found Megan waiting patiently (poor girl had to wait an extra long time due to our delays)...She drove us around South Beach and pointed out some fun places, including Durban stadium, where they held some of the World Cup games...we got out for a bit and walked along the boardwalk....I kinda felt like I was in California...It was a beautiful place!
So, afterward, she had asked if she could drop us off at the mall for a couple of hours because her sister had just had a baby and she wanted to go visit the baby...as we were driving to the mall, Becca and I were taking in the city, staring in shock at all the skyscrapers, nice cars, and all the nice buildings...She dropped us off at Pavilion Mall, which is a HUGE mall...we walked in and just stood there for a minute...where do we go, what do we do...we were like deer in the headlights...So, we just started walking...and staring at all the stores...we only ended up going into a few of them in the entire two hours while we were there...it was just too overwhelming...we decided instead to go to a nice coffee shop and sit and talk...
At the mall
Looking down from the top story at the mall
As we were sitting there inside the mall sipping our lattes, it sort of felt like we were back in the states and had just met up in the mall for a coffee date...It was so nice...but almost didn't feel real! After having a nice chat, we started walking around again and SCORE...we found a candy store! It was kind of like Sweet Factory...we were seriously like little kids in the candy store...it's been a long time since we've had some good sugar! So, we filled up our little bags, took a couple photos (yes, I know we're SUCH tourists) and headed out...
So, tonight I am sitting in Megan's cozy little home, enjoying the little things in life...couches, cats (I'm not even a cat person, but I miss house pets), fresh juice, bathtubs, and solid ground that is not rocking back and forth....
Our cozy house in Capetown
It's funny because even though there are a lot of things that are so exciting to see and experience again, there is a part of me that can't believe we're gonna be living on land for these next few months! There is just something really special about the ship that I absolutely love!
Well, tomorrow Becca and I head to Capetown to spend a couple weeks with an old friend of mine who lives there! I feel a little more prepared to travel now we have cash and working cell phones! Let the adventures continue!
