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| At the bottom of the Valley of a Thousand Hills |
Christmas this year was my first
away from home and it was, bizarre. It was neither the best nor the worst, but I made the
most of it. I escaped the Joburg city and headed to Durban, the southern coast
of South Africa. I called Tekweni Backpackers my home for five days and spent them surrounded by a gang of locals
and other expats from all over the world who similar to myself, also didn't go home for the
holidays who for various reasons. For me, my reason was that the flight was too
expensive and I had recently been in home in September. Instead of spending
$2200 on a RT flight from Johannesburg to San Francisco, I opted for a Durban
Christmas by the beach and a Ghanaian wedding to ring in the New Year.
I always forget how unique the backpacker environment is – usually a spot where locals and nomads like me float through and coexist, each with a unique story as the next. For
example, on the second day at Tekweni Backpackers I jumped in a van with some
local Durban kids, a Zulu, a German, an Irish a Colombian and myself, an
American, and drove about 40 minutes outside of Durban to the Valley of a Thousand Hills. Had I ever heard of this place? No, but I was in for an adventure, as always. Well the decision was a great one because we spent all day visiting a local Zulu village in an area on the outskirts of Durban with so many green rolling hills that it reminded me of Rwanda, also framed for its thousand hills. We drank, hiked, swam in a dam and ate a home-cooked meal with the family of Wati, a Tekweni employee, in the Zulu Isuthumba
village where he grew up. Although I had known all of them for at most 24
hours, there’s some unwritten rule at backpackers where you don’t judge each
other, rather instantly build bridges across each other’s differences and
connect through stories of cultural background, travel, passions and life in
general.
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| Isuthumba Village |
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| Valley of a Thousand Hills from the top. |
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| Sitting on a sand couch with Mandela |
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| Durban beach promendade |
I've entertained the idea of opening a backpackers before because to be honest, it looks like fun. At most places I've stayed, the owner always comes around and hangs out with the guests. When I was living in New York, my roommate at the time, Renee and I would occasionally rent out a room or the couch on AirBnB for extra cash. Through hosting I've meet some of the most interesting people from all over the world. Since they stay for such a short period of time, they come and leave before you ever get annoyed by them! For an introvert like me, I can get annoyed by clingy people because I need my alone time, but typically backpackers know the drill and are low maintenance.
So how did I find Durban, or “Durbs”
as the locals call it? Upon arrival, I had no expectations as I normally do
when I travel. All I had heard was that Durbs had a different “vibe” from
Joburg and Cape Town, and that is exactly how I found it. To be honest, I found
Durban to be a bit gritty, but I enjoyed it. Durban is where most South
Africans flee to during the holidays, while I’d say Cape Town attracts more
international travellers. However, I enjoyed Durban
because it did in fact have more of a ‘local’ vibe. The beach was
beautiful, the water was warm, and from the backpackers it was only about a 25
minute walk or less than 10 minute drive. Needless to say I walked, biked and
ran the promenade or sunbathed on the sand almost every single day. By the time
I left Durban I was absolutely burnt.
Outside of India, Durbs has the
highest Indian population per square meter. Having been to India back in 2012,
I’m quite familiar with the Indian culture and food. But there is one Indian
dish worth noting that I've never tried until coming to SA, which uniquely
originated in Durban - Bunny Chow. A few friends of mine introduced me to bunny
chow in Johannesburg, friends which I now realize grew up in Durban, and it’s
unlike any other Indian dish I've tried before. Basically bunny chow is an
Indian mutton, veggie or chicken curry that is placed
in a hollowed out piece of bread. It’s eaten with your hands, using the bread
to pick up and soak in the curry. YUMM. While in Durban I ordered bunny chow
twice, and the one from House of Curries on Florida Street was the best in my
opinion.
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Running errands: picking up bridesmaids dresses from
Marjorie, my go-to seamstress in Accra |
Two days after Christmas I left the Durban hostel and took a morning flight back to OR Tambo airport in Johannesburg. I found sand hiding in the nooks and crannies of my suitcase, which I was quite proud of because it was indicative of how much time I spent at the beach. From there I headed directly onto a 6 hour flight to Ghana. The last time I was in Ghana was during the summer of 2012, so I was excited
beyond explainable feelings to be back after a year and a half. Of all the
countries I've had the opportunity of travelling to, this trip to Ghana is the
first time I would be returning to a country.
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| NYU kids reunion |
I flew South African Airways from
Johannesburg to Accra, and I will say I was pretty impressed with the airline.
As soon as I landed in Ghana a sense of ease instantly rushed over me and I felt comfortable in an environment that felt oh-too-familiar. I walked off the plane with a smile on my
face, feeling confident in knowing my surroundings and how to get around. Had
Priscilla not been able to pick me up from the airport I probably would have
been able to take a cab relying on my faint memory to guide me to her Grandmothers house, which I’ve been to all of once during the summer of 2012.
When my friends in South Africa
ask me what Ghana is like (because to them Ghana is as foreign as it is to any
of my American friends, despite being located on the same continent) I always
refer to the vibrancy of the culture. From the bright colored Western African clothes to the catchy hip life music that spills onto the streets to the warmth of the people, what's not to enjoy about Ghanaian culture? As my seamstress Marjorie tells
me, Westerners tend to always say they’re OK when they’re not, but Ghanaians
always speak from the heart – and she’s absolutely correct. Perhaps this is the
trait that I admire about them the most. Not only are they welcoming, but
genuinely candid with no reservations. As an American who grew up in a culture
of ‘saving face’ it’s refreshing to be surrounded by people who say what they
mean, and mean what they say.
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| Back of the dress |
The first few days in Ghana were
spent running errands which Priscilla, which I didn't mind at all. Having
travelled around the country and visited most of the touristy areas the last
time I was there, it was relaxing to sit back and simply be on vacation as an adopted Addison child. I had no real agenda except for taking it easy, meeting new people who had flown in for the wedding, hanging out with a few old friends and
lending a helping hand in preparation for the wedding when necessary. I woke
up, hung out in the front garden, played Mancala or locally known as Oware with
the neighbourhood cousins, and just… chilled out. I stayed with the Addison
family in their newly completed house in East Legon, near the University of
Ghana – and such a beautiful house it was. Prior to our arrival Priscilla had
just finished furnishing the house, so it still had that ‘new house’ smell.
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| Bride's family on the right, Groom's on the left |
So I should probably mention that
the reason why I went back to Ghana was for a wedding, and before you ask – no,
it wasn't my wedding. My friend Priscilla, with whom I graduated from NYU with,
is from Ghana and the wedding was for her eldest sister Diane. Her family, who
now lives in Geneva, is originally from Ghana and decided to have both a
traditional and Western ‘white’ wedding as they call it, in their home country.
I guess it also makes sense that the husband-to-be is also a Ghanaian.
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| Janel and I taking selfies |
There
was a week of wedding activities set up, so I was pretty exhausted the majority
of the time I was there, despite my intended plans of taking it easy. We got dressed up and spent New Years Eve at a bar/lounge called Bella Roma's in Osu, knowing we had to wake up in the morning for the traditional wedding the next day. New Years in
Ghana is typically celebrated much differently than in the States. Most people attend a church service until midnight, and then proceed to hang out with
friends if they wish. In fact, across from Priscilla’s house there was a New
Testament Church, which converted an empty lot into an outdoor church service,
equipped with a large screen TV and what must have been at least 500 chairs. From
Priscilla’s house you could feel the bass bumping, see portable field lights illuminating the entire block and hear swarms of people beginning to file in for the 10pm service. We walked
across the street a few times just be a part of the commotion and listen to the
music while we were getting ready to go out to Osu.
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| Traditional Ashanti dancer |
By the time the first wedding
rolled around I was exhausted, but I guess there’s no better way to start off a
brand new year by getting married. This is the second ‘traditional’ wedding
I’ve attended, with the first being an Indian wedding in New Delhi, and has become such a great excuse to travel. Through weddings you get a deeper
understanding of family traditions, values and the role a family unit plays in
the makeup of a country’s social fabric. While I didn’t understand 95% of what
was being said at the wedding because it was spoken in deep Ga, a tribal dialect,
I grasped the main gist. The bride’s family sat on the right, and the grooms on
the left, and prior to the bride and groom even arriving at the ceremony was an exchanging
of gifts between the families. Ashanti drummers graced the floor as an Ashanti
dancer performed throughout the audience.
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| Kiddos in their traditional wear |
Perhaps most enjoyable aspect of
any traditional wedding is getting to dress the part! I’m a fan of Ghanaian
weddings, although probably similar to other Western African cultures, because
of the eccentric and colourful attire! I had my dress made for the occasion,
and designed it as well. Marjorie, who we met as the NYU seamstress, made my dress in
one day and charged me about $20 for the material and labor. Rather than
designing a one-time-wear dress, I wanted a dress that I could also wear to
work. Therefore I opted for a simple just-above-the-knee length dress that I
could wear with a blazer. I got many compliments on the back of the dress,
which is similar to another one-piece jumper Marjorie’s made for me in the
past. Looking around, the colors are visually stimulating from not only the
colors and patterns of the fabric, but the intricacy in which dresses were
designed, cut and embellished. Even the bride and bridesmaids all wore the same
fabric, but each dress boasted a different design, achieving a look that is
modern and fun.
By the night after the “white”
wedding on Jan 3rd I was absolutely exhausted, and I could only imagine how the
actual bridal party felt. With back to back to back events for a week straight,
it was nice to paint the town red and go out on my last night in Ghana. Priscilla
and I found ourselves at Twist, which is a bar/club in the Labone area, also
our old stomping grounds when we stayed at the NYU Accra campus. I was a tad
sad to leave Ghana, but hopefully I’ll be back soon. Thanks again to the
Addison family – I love you! Congrats Diane & Nii Koney!
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| The fabulous wedding party |
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