My adult Travel started in 1953. After Completing building of most modern post war departmental store and two residential flats above in Tongaat, I battled with UNION CASTLE LINE
for a ticket on their their passenger ships, between Durban to East Africa and return.
They always told me "no vacancy".
The fact was that there was no vacancy for a non-european like me. But they will not say so openly,
unlike the Afrikaaners (White Dutch) who would proclaim loudly, segregation (apartheid).
I told them, please do not ask me when do you want to travel, tell me when can I travel. They replied that there is a vacant berth (seat) some 8 months later. They expected me to decline, but I accepted the offer just to resist discrimination.
This offer was for travel between Durban and Dar-es-Salaam/Mombasa and return. I mentioned this
to my great grand father, Abhechand Gandhi, with whom I was sharing the bed room above our store.
He expressed unhappiness about the trip. But a couple hours later when I went upstairs for tea he
suggested I should continue the voyage to London, and said he will ask my father (his grandson) to
give me the money.
There was no hesitation for the shipping company to extend the ticket.
On the voyage I was allocated a separate bath/wc and a separate dining table until we reached
Dar-es-Salaam. All the other passengers were Europeans and appeared loyal to the Union Jack
which flew on the ship.
No European spoke to me and officers were frugal in contact but after East Africa the atmosphere
changed. All of a sudden passengers and staff and the Roman Catholic priest kept me busy with chats.
From Durban we touched Lourenco Marques (Maputo), Beira. Mozambique, Port Amelia, Tanga,
Zanzibar, Dar-es-Salaam and Mombasa. At most ports we spent some days and i enjoyed the
hospitality of friends. I had a ball of a time and the other passengers wondered how at every port
I had hosts to came to the ship every day to fetch me. I earned the reputation
of having a wife at every port.
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