Thursday 9 April 2026
We stepped forth today upon another continent. Africa! It’s the Cradle of Humanity, the continent on which the modern human evolved. Africa has been home to many extraordinary civilizations since time began, from Askum to Zimbabwe. And we arrived today aboard Queen Mary 2 at the Nelson Mandela Cruise Terminal in Durban, South Africa. Our first adventure here was participating in the mandatory and time consuming face to face immigration process required of every crew member and passenger aboard, whether planning to go ashore or not. Then soon we were aboard a tour coach headed to a “Valley of a Thousand Hills” tour at the PheZulu Dancing Show and Cultural Village about an hour’s drive away. Along the way our guide Nikki pointed out landmarks in Durban, the third largest city in the country. It’s a holiday destination with beautiful beaches and a warm sub-tropical climate. She also sprinkled in bits of history, culture, economy, and day to day life including a couple of simple phrases in Zulu and how to pronounce the clicks in this, the most widely spoken of the twelve official South African languages. When we arrived at the village we were greeted by Zulu musicians and dancers then absolutely wowed by the view that was literally out over a valley of a thousand hills as we continued to the outdoor theater where an amazing presentation awaited us. The performers are members of local Zulu communities who have learned Zulu traditions from their elders. Dressed in tribal garb they performed a dance that depicted a Zulu courtship, marriage proposal, and wedding accompanied by a description of the traditions. We watched the maiden spurn the warrior wooing her, until she learns that he owns fifty head of cattle. Discovering he’s a rich man she declares her undying love and bestows a beaded necklace on him as a sign of their engagement. He then consults the local healer/fortune teller before the negotiations between the families begin. Ultimately the entire village celebrates the union. The dance, accompanied by traditional drums and chants, was an amazing display of agility featuring extremely high kicks. Afterwards we posed for photos with some of the cast then took a much too quick tour of the recreated traditional village. That left us with more questions than answers. Next we enjoyed a repast of tea and scones before being invited to visit the Reptile Park. Our guide walked us among the enclosures with dozens of Nile Crocodiles segregated by age since older individuals are prone to cannibalize younger ones. The star of the group is Ramses, the oldest at 103 years of age. There were also turtles and many varieties of snakes on display which fascinated us because they were safely behind glass. Finishing up the visit we spent time in the gift shop and will be heading home with some trinkets to go along with a profound curiosity to learn more about the Zulu peoples.
I’m really enjoying your trip. I’ve seen the traditional Zulu dance up north in eSwatini. We stayed there one night during a 15-day tour of South Africa. I’ve been to Durban, but it was only to catch a flight to Port Elizabeth to continue our ground tour to Cape Town via the Garden Route. I hope your trip includes a stop at Cape Town and you get to go up Table Mountain. Compared to other towns and cities in SA, Cape Town has a very European feel. Keep enjoying your trip and the experiences of a lifetime.