After months of wearing the same three shirts and one pair of jeans, most of my clothes had either disintegrated (my hiking pants), gotten stitched up so many times they literally disappeared from the bus (my hiking boots) or were completely stretched out, stained and incredibly disheveled (t-shirts and jeans). My first task then in Johannesburg after arriving from Zanzibar was to hit the mall and shop.

With my hair washed and new clothes on, I felt ready to be seen in the city, so I headed out to meet up with Calesta (whom Cheryl and I traveled with in Hawzen and Aksum in Ethiopia) and her work colleague for some delicious pizza. I was stoked to be back to a variety of food, although I have to say my stomach took some adjusting to all the western food. Who knew there was so much cheese in everything!

Walking Johannesburg

I was staying at a very nice and new hostel in a safe suburb in Johannesburg, meaning I could actually walk a few places! Woohoo! Although I have to say locals tended to look at me like I was crazy when I mentioned that I was walking for transportation. Fear for safety had turned everyone into a proponent of ride-hailing, which I did use a ton, especially as the city is so spread out. But I was happy to be able to walk to brunch and coffee with Calesta the following day. We then checked out the botanical gardens, lazing in the park and eventually went to dinner and a local comedy show. Looking back, it seems incredible, but at the time you could still joke about Covid, as one local comedian did, as it seemed like a remote problem in South Africa. How quickly things would change.

Cycling Johannesburg

The next day I was signed up for a street art cycling tour of Johannesburg which Calesta had recommended. I hadn’t been on a bike in a couple of months so was planning on being at the back of the pack. However, when I arrived, it turned out I was the only one on the tour! Apparently he had forgotten to promote the tour. Which turned out great, as Kennedy, the tour leader was fantastic, but he was also a triathalete and in very good shape! Pretty soon I was puffing up a hill.

The tour was supposed to be 6 hours, but ended up being 7. Needless to say, I was exhausted. But it was a great way to see the city, especially places I wouldn’t have felt comfortable being by myself, and Kennedy seemed to know everyone around town. Highly recommended and he offers loads of other unique tours around town! Also, did you know Nando’s chicken was started in Joburg? I certainly did not!

Bussing to Durban

The next morning I jumped on a bus to Durban. It ended up being a 10 hour journey. I was staying at a decent hostel in a good part of town during the day, but less so at night, so I made some dinner in the hostel and stayed in for the night. 

Durban is known mainly for its beach promenade, where I spent most of my time, and its Indian influence, with a signature dish called Bunny Chow, basically a curry poured into a hollowed out bread loaf. I really liked the bread concept, but the curry could have been a bit more complex. It was a bit like a lot of curry powder and not much else had been dumped in to some vegetables.

After watching people surf in Durban, I was ready to try it myself, and grabbed a bus to Coffee Bay, on the Wild Coast, known for its optimal surfing conditions and beautiful views.