Bizarro Durban?
Let's be honest. Until a few weeks ago, I never gave a second thought to South Africa.
Now it's all I think about. Tip: researching on the internet is a dangerous prospect. This goes triply if you are a worried mother. (My poor mother...)
Yes, I have been told repeatedly that I am heading to a land with statistically the highest rates of crime, rape, and HIV in the world. But I'm still at a loss as to how that translates into real life.
From what I can gather, Durban looks to be the exact opposite of Vancouver - a bizarro town, if you will. Winter is summer, people drive on the other side of the road, the suburbs are the happening spots. Stay in backpackers hostels on the edge of town rather than the big hotels downtown. Parks are scary and malls are the place to be.
Needless to say, it's an information jungle out here in the interwebs. So where have I turned to for sage advice on my new town?
Style Blogs.
I have sought much solace in the activities and opinions of the stylish SA women I have found in cyberspace. Like Miss Molly, who stands outside her house everyday to photograph her latest outfit (see, it IS safe to go outside!), Lauren from Glossary who loves Said The Whale (STW - they're Canadian! So cosmopolitan, these Durbanites!) and recycling artist Denise from Freshly Found who tipped me off to the host of Art Deco buildings in Durban (so it's not just gated communities and shanty towns!).
Sure, maybe I should be looking into more "pertinent" info on the ZA, like the nearest hospitals and tips on not getting robbed. But right now, I am a little overwhelmed and these lovely ladies' lovely blogs have been a saving grace.
T minus a month!
posted by Aleksandra @ 6:57 AM
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