Market Friday: In and Around Hillcrest, Durban.

This past week, I had to go out on Tuesday to attend to some business during the day.

So, we decided that I would drop my wife off at work, and go about my day until it would be time to pick her up again after work.

Today is #MarketFriday, a project initiated by @dswigle, and I thought it well to share some of the photos I took on Tuesday as my day progressed.

We left home at about 07h00 and arrived in Hillcrest at my wife's office just before 7h30.

Just around the corner from where she works, is a well-known landmark in the Hillcrest area.

It used to be known as "The Heritage Market" and it had the typical atmosphere of a craft market. It had permanent buildings though, with permanent small businesses being run from there.

It always was (still is) a very popular place for family outings over weekends.

A few years ago, the owner of the Oxford Supermarket group bought the property. It was a bit of a change of scenery that took place.

He established his Supermarket as the main point of attraction now. He is well known for his good prices though and he is doing extremely well.

The rest of the village was also "revamped" to an extent, but he wanted to keep the "village atmosphere/effect", as it is still similar in nature with small businesses being run from there. It is almost like a little village within a town.

It is now known as the Oxford Village Shopping Centre.

As I had some extra time to play with, I first went there from my wife's place of work, intending to take some photos for today's post.

If you approach from the freeway, entering Hillcrest, the first entrance to the market takes you directly to the Oxford Supermarket (or fresh market as it is shown on the name board).

Going past the supermarket, you arrive at the "main road" running through the little village at the back.

As you can see in the photo below, you can enter the shops on ground level from this side.

As the property runs downward with a slope, shops on the upper level, are to be entered from the back (their front actually...lol) as it would appear to be a single level from that side (as you'll see in the following photos).

Still down on the "main road", there is this place where families can hang out, be served meals, and with a huge playing area for the little ones. They also have a specific department for trading in comics and comic characters.

My oldest daughter has the hobby of collecting these comics, statutes, and figures. I am always amazed when she pulls out some of the stuff to show me. Some of these collectible comics and statutes which she has shown me are worth thousands of dollars. I had to take this photo at an angle, as a car was parked in front of it...

Going up to the upper level, there is this action soccer court where the action soccer enthusiasts often come to hang out. More buildings with little shops, are visible behind it.

My wife and I have often come to sit under this verandah during the evening, watching the young guys playing their hearts out, and having fun, while we get served a small meal and some drinks (often for less than R200.00...or +/-$12.00). We haven't done so for quite some time now...maybe it's time to do it again...lol.

Looking further down, with some more businesses alongside the action soccer court.

Walking back, towards the supermarket side, going out in the open and looking back to where I came from (where the action soccer court is).

Some more shops, including a nice little factory shop, going up the hill towards the top end of the village.

I then walked down and passed through the village on the main road to the opposite side where I left my car.

Looking back down the "main road". The action soccer court is behind the "Sport Box" which is visible in this photo.

A final look back down the main road from this side.

And towards the top, with the exit for going back to the main road to Hillcrest at the far left.

Behind me was the Booties Bar & Grill.

From there, I left to attend to business before I returned home. I had an arrangement with our oldest daughter to meet at our home. She is running her own business, which involves an app to assist people who suffer from mental health problems. She is very mobile and can work from wherever she wants. We thought it would be a good idea to just work from the same location for a few hours while spending some time together.

After lunch, we both went our separate ways again as she had some meetings to attend and I also had to attend to some more business.

Later in the afternoon, I stopped over at The Mushroom Farm in Hillcrest.

Here is a short description as it appears on their website:

• The Mushroom Farm is one of Hillcrest's hidden gems, offering something for everyone - from kiddies to moms, antique collectors, animal lovers, foodies, gardeners, and everyone in between!
• ...Embrace a slower pace of life and shop at your leisure at The Mushroom Farm...

As you enter their property, to the left is a treat for the gardening enthusiast, with a huge variety of plants and decorations for the garden.

You have a nice variety of shops where you can find many interesting items or sit down for something to eat and/or drink.

While in the little animal area, this guy looked as if he wanted to ask me... "what the heck are you doing...?"...lol.

As I passed a nursery with some beautiful plants, I started wondering whether I'm there to look around...or to be looked at, as this guy was also having a closer look at me...lol.

This peacock just couldn't help himself...he just had to see what was inside...

What I had in mind, was to have something to drink and spend some time here, until it would be time to fetch my wife...but as I entered, I was informed by one of their friendly waitresses that they were getting ready to close for the day...this was at about 4 pm.

No harm done. As I was done with everything I had to do, I still had about an hour before I had to fetch my wife. So, seeing that I've never been to the Hilltop Centre in Bothas Hill, I decided to head out and get something to drink there.

It was quiet, with only a few people scattered around (just the way I like it...lol), and a nice atmosphere to sit outside...

I can't remember when was the last time I had a Coca-Cola, so I decided to treat myself to one.

It was a bit of a shocker when it became time to pay though...R18.00 for 300 ml of Coca-Cola. I could buy a 2 Litre bottle for that price at the supermarket...lol. With the exchange rate at the time of writing this post, this would amount to about $1.08.

Anyhow, it was now time to fetch my wife. I drove down the road for a little distance and first pulled over to take this photo, looking out over Hillcrest, with the road I was about to travel on right below me. Within the next few moments, I would be traveling on that road again, going into Hillcrest.

I hope you enjoyed traveling in and around Hillcrest and visiting the various markets in the area with me for this #MarketFriday.

Thank you for reading my post. I do appreciate it!