The Spice Emporium

A trip to Durban would not be complete without a visit to this taste of the Orient. The Spice Emporium's premises have recently been overhauled and the aisles are spacious and the displaysn hugely appealing.

The Spice Emporium has been alive for more than 70 years, and during the sanctions era of apartheid, Indian traders devised circuitous routes for importing spices that were then only in demand by a clique of Indian customers. But, just as curry has become one of the most popular dishes in England, so too has the African and European palate become addicted to curry, adding to the "mixed masala" of South African cultural diversity.

Address: 31 Pine Street, Durban

Davenport District

A new shopping destination has mushroomed organically in the Davenport District in Glenwood, extending from Bulwer Road down Davenport Road and across to Clarke Road. The Davenport Centre, in the middle, is a dreary mall, so rather browse the independent shops that have sprung up around it.

In Bulwer Road is the cutting-edge gallery of the KwaZulu-Natal Society of the Arts, where you can find contemporary artists exhibited in its three exhibition spaces. Its café sells excellent food ' the porcini-risotto balls are a must ' and there is a children's play area set against the backdrop of the gracious canopy of trees of Bulwer Park. Kids also like to play on the old train engine parked here or in the miniature mountain bike track. All along Bulwer Road are antique shops, and the recently opened Tall Trees Interiors has fabulous ideas for décor. The Breathing Space Yoga Centre offers yoga classes and beauty treatments with its range of pure organic cosmetics.

KwaZulu-Natal Society of the Arts
Website: www.kznsagallery.co.za
Email: shop@kznsagallery.co.za
Tel: 031 202 3686
Address: 166 Bulwer Road, Glenwood

Breathing Space Yoga Centre
Tel: 031 201 7282
Address: Corner Bulwer & Ferguson Rd, Glenwood

Finders Keepers

At the corner of Davenport and Bulwer roads is Finders Keepers, a quality second-hand shop specialising in wooden furniture. Across the road is a Woolworths ' South Africa's specialist supermarket that stocks expensive but excellent foods, including a range of organic produce. Behind this is the stunning Courtyard Nursery with many seedlings, established plants and hand-made garden accessories and pottery.

Finders Keepers
Tel: 031 201 9057
Address: 151 Davenport Rd, Glenwood

Courtyard Nursery
Tel: 031 202 5381
Address: 136 Davenport Road, Glenwood

Euforia

Flanking this is Euforia ' a shopping experience under the roof of a Victorian House with the different rooms being outlets for different shops. Euforia's concept was to create a space for young and existing designers in Durban to market their work and also to introduce a culture of street markets.

Funky labels include Soulskin, Miss Moneypenny, Nicky Savage Jewellery and Black Pepper. Now this shop-bazaar has expanded to incorporate locally designed homeware, Last Chance Books, crafting workshops held on weekends and Earthmother Organics. The last-mentioned sells a range of certified organic products, and on Tuesdays and Fridays at 10am fresh organic vegetables and fruit can be bought at its outside stand.

Dawn's Café

Dawn's Café has just been opened here by innovative chef Dawn Glennie and she specialises in vegetarian food in unusual combinations: fennel muffins, lentil pitta breads, asparagus tarts and a range of fresh juices. On the first Friday of every month, Euforia hosts a night market that spills into the street. From here you can dine at one of the fine restaurants in the vicinity:

Yossies (Meditteranean): 031 201 0090
Hemingway's Bistro: 031 202 4906
Pizzetta (catering for the daring palate with its bizarre pizzas ' try the marshmallow and strawberry): 031 201 1019
Artscafe: 031 201 9969
Coffee on Davenport: 031 201 0569

Midlands Craft Meander

In the undulating hills of the Midlands area, radiating out from Pietermaritzburg, is the Midlands Meander, a well-organised crafts route comprising over 100 member businesses. The area has a old English country feel with its home industries, private schools, cottage crafters, trout farms and bed & breakfast accommodations.

It makes for a swell drive, cruising from spot to spot admiring the craftmanship and enjoying a pace of life that belongs to a bygone era.

Website: www.midlandsmeander.co.za
Midlands Meander Tourism Office: 033 330 8195
Midlands Meander Reservations Office: 033 330 7260

Highlights of the Meander include beautiful cowhide shoes, cushions and bags of the Groundcover Leather Company; world-class ceramics by Ian Glenny of Dargle Valley Pottery, which are crafted from local clays and made in hand-made kilns he builds himself; Born in Africa, with its range of Lizzard and Sishika footwear and its delicatessen; local cheeses and jams at the Bellevigne Cheese Factory, which is now also home to Kingdom Weavers with their extraordinary rugs; tough shoes from Jim Green Footwear, suppliers of Jeep Clothing; Peter's Gate Herbal Centre; Sparrow Spinning and Weaving; and the slow-brewed pale ales and pilseners of the Nottingham Road Brewery Company based at Rawdons Flyfishing Estate.

Groundcover Leather Company
Website: www.groundcover.co.za
Email: info@groundcover.co.za
Tel: 033 330 6092

Dargle Valley Pottery
Website: midlands.kzn.org.za...
Email: firedearth@mweb.co.za
Tel: 033 234 4377

Born in Africa
Website: www.midlandsmeander.co.za...
Email: shop@borninafrica.co.za
Tel: 033 234 4796/79

Kingdom Weavers
Website: midlands.kzn.org.za...
Email: kingdomweavers@futurenet.co.za
Tel: 033 234 4205

Jim Green Footwear
Website: www.jimgreenfootwear.co.za
Email: sales@jimgreenfootwear.co.za
Tel: 033 397 9519

Peter's Gate Herbal Centre
Website: midlands.kzn.org.za...
Email: petegate@mweb.co.za
Tel: 033 234 4451

Nottingham Road Brewery Company
Website: www.rawdons.co.za...
Email: brewery@rawdons.co.za
Tel: 033 266 6044

Smaller markets

There is a range of smaller markets in the Durban area that are also worth visiting. Here are some highlights.

Victoria Street Indian Market

Experience the fun of the Orient with a bit of India, Taiwan and China thrown in.

Location: corner of Queen and Victoria streets, CBD
Tel: 031 306 4021

Essenwood Craft Market

Every Saturday this market offers an exciting array of stalls selling beaded craft, animal-hide sandals, Belgian pastries, Eastern jewellery, clothing designed by local fashionistas, fragrant aroma-therapy soaps, buskers and antique knicknacks. Get there early to avoid the crowd.

Location: Essenwood Park, Cnr Essenwood and St Thomas Rd, Berea

Stables Lifestyle Market

Has over 230 stalls offering clothing, antiques, rare books and fast food. You can also have your aura read, drink Guatemalan coffee, take part in a drumming circle or, on a Friday night, take in one of the shows on its stage ' anything from bellydancing to breakdancing. It is open on Wednesday and Friday nights fom 6pm and all day on Sunday.
Location: Jacko Johnson Drive
Tel: 031 202 9005

Designer Market at Manna

Every Saturday morning this outdoor restaurant has a line of stalls with local designer ware: jewellery, ceramics, clothing and organic produce.

Location: 40 Marriot Rd, Greyville

Shongweni Farmers Market

Get there early on a Saturday morning to buy fresh produce and sample some home industry classics.

Website: www.urbansprout.co.za...
Email: hazyview@netactive.co.za
Tel: 031 777 1554
Location: Cnr Alveston and Kassia roads, Shongweni

Farmers' Market

Another one for the early birds ' it's only open between 6.30am and 8am on Saturdays

Location: old Durban drive-in, Brickhill Rd

Green Acres Nursery Crafter's Market

Browse through displays of locally produced crafts on the first Sunday of every month.

Location: Green Acres Nursery, 370 Herrwood Drive, Umhlanga
Tel: 072 419 4149

Amphimarket

Every Sunday this fleamarket, situated in the beautiful sunken gardens, is filled with hawkers selling some crafts but mainly cheap, imported clothes and homeware from the East. Great for bargains and the odd gem.

Location: Sunken gardens, North Beach
Tel: 031 3013080

Gateway Theatre of Shopping

Eighteen cinemas, the Wavehouse artificial wave centre, the highest indoor climbing rock, several surf shops and fine dining opportunities make this a popular place.

Website: www.gatewayworld.co.za
Address: 1 Palm Boulevard, Umhlanga
Tel: 031 566 2332

The Workshop

Located in the old railways maintenance sheds, the Workshop is a melting pot that houses the largest curio shop in the country, Eastern delights and a giant chess set for playing chess under the attentive gaze of many onlookers.

The nearby Old Station, at 160 Pine Street, now houses some shops and the Tourist Junction under one, very secure roof. When the station was being built in 1892, the architect in England mixed up his plans, so the roof put on the Durban building can (allegedly) bear five metres of snow, while the station built at the same time in Toronto collapsed during the first bad snowstorm. As it hasn't snowed in Durban in recorded history, the muddled architect's claim has never been put to the test.

Address: 99 Aliwal Street, CBD
Tel: 031 304 9894

The Pavilion

The unmistakable and impressive Victorian glazed domes will lead you to this shopping mecca that has more than 200 shops and many bargains.

Website: www.thepav.co.za
Address: Spine Rd, Westville, five minutes from the city on the westbound N3
Tel: 031 265 0558

Musgrave Centre

An elegant but small mall that has excellent bookshops, a supermarket, specialist kitchenware, fine boutiques, cinema complex and several restaurants, as well as Gorima's spice shop.

Website: www.musgravecentre.com
Address: 115 Musgrave Road, Berea