Welcome to Durban

New city, new language.

That is the beauty of South Africa. Just drive a few miles and everything changes. Cape Town is lovely but now that I’ve arrived on the other side of the country, I must switch gears.

Durban is the center of KwaZulu-Natal, the great Zulu kingdom and the western fringe of the warm and wide-open Indian Ocean. Simply stepping off the plane immediately landed me in the afternoon heat and constant humidity of this booming port, known as eThekwini.

Zulu form the majority of this city and province, and so suddenly, I must relearn everything, starting with how to say thank you (Ngiyabonga!) 

Here’s my first attempt at speaking Zulu. Luckily, I’ve had a lot of help from the people in Durban in the past few days. I look forward to learning much, much more as I explore South Africa’s other city by the sea.

Nisale Kahle!