A virtual visit to Durban
Happy New Year!
I am sending you a short end of the year newsletter to highlight a place that was never on my tourism radar, Durban, South Africa. I recently watched a cute family movie on Netflix called Disaster Holiday and I started it not knowing it was a South African cast and movie. The movie’s plot centers around the Johannesburg dad mistakenly booking a vacation for his new wife and three kids to Durban instead of Zanzibar. The story was a bit predictable but I enjoyed it and laughed a few times and also enjoyed the family element. Most of the movie was in English but the family also switched back and forth between English, Xhosa, and Zulu throughout the movie. I enjoy hearing different languages, especially when they're new to my ears, so that was an added element of interest for me.
The only thing I knew about Durban prior to this movie was that it was a coastal city in South Africa. The scenes of the vibrant city and aerial photography of pretty beaches throughout the movie made me wonder why it was not on my radar before? The city has 3.2 million people and South Africa is 1.2 million square km so it isn’t like it is some tiny town or easy to overlook!
Has anyone been to Durban? I would love to hear about your experience. An article from 2017 called Durban “the coolest city in South Africa you’ve never seen.” Another 2017 article stated it won the highest quality of living in South Africa for 3 years running. It has a mild climate and is almost always warmer than 64 F/ 17 C. It is urban, on the coast, close to nature so that you can visit a Zulu settlement, go on a safari, hike, mountain bike, surf, cage dive to see sharks, and did you know Gandhi spent part of his young adult life in Durban? There is a lot to know so this issue is more of a quick intro to what is coming.
I am definitely not paid or working with Durban Tourism, but I could be, just sayin’. I’m just excited about this new destination to add to my list. South Africa is a country that I’ve wanted to visit for a long time to see Cape Town and many areas outside of the cities, but now Durban has been added to that list. The city has had some tourism issues in the last few years and after seeing many booming years of tourism, there were less visitors at the end of 2023 and through 2024 due to issues at the region’s beaches. I’ll address those problems in the next issue and what Durban has done to set up for this comeback. You can read ahead if you’re interested by checking out this article or be surprised! I’m also looking forward to virtually exploring a few more tourism destinations on the African continent in the first quarter of 2025.
Things I loved since the last time I wrote a list:
The Madness - This was a fast-paced Netflix series about a TV pundit who escapes to an upstate NY cabin to work on his book and ends up witnessing a murder. The whole series kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat.
Novelist as Vocation - My third Murakami book and I’m a fan. I enjoy reading the translation of his work and really liked this glimpse into his writing process, his work, and his life as a novelist.
George Harrison: The Reluctant Beatle - I’ve written about how much I love the Beatles more than once. Prior to reading this, I didn’t know much about Harrison other than he was the quiet Beatle and the youngest of the four. I enjoyed this biography and learning more about Harrison and his struggles during and after the Beatles. And of course, now I have to read biographies of the other three.
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow - Everyone I know who read this loved it and I did too! It was a sweet story about two friends who created a video game in their university years and the success, troubles, and the company that grew from that one game. It had a lot of ups and downs but I love a book like that and it was one of those stories that goes through all of the experiences of being a human.
A Nearly Normal Family - This is also a series on Netflix, adapted from the book by a Swedish author. A family’s 18-year-old only child, Stella, is accused of murder. Both the book and the show details the events leading up to the murder, the murder itself except for a few key details, Stella on trial, and the outcome of the trial. I really enjoyed the series and read the book after because I knew it would be different. The book was darker, both kept me guessing, and I enjoyed both.
Currently reading: Winter, The McCartney Legacy vol 1, and The Whispers. The last two were Christmas gifts, I love getting books as gifts and the two I received are from people who know me well!
Two quick housekeeping notes from me:
On Saturday, January 18 at 8 am Pacific, I’ll be hosting a virtual Yoga Journaling workshop. It will be a full yoga class with pauses for writing prompts and time for you to write. If this sounds like something that you’d like to do, you can register here.
Do you like to write or journal? Do you notice that during yoga class, you might have ideas or thoughts or that you become aware of something that you want to write down and remember? In this mindful workshop, you'll get it out of your head and onto paper. We'll move through a 50-60 minute yoga class with breaks for responding to writing prompts. Yoga is meant to bring more awareness and mindfulness to our lives and journaling in those moments is a way to practice being present.
This workshop will be a quarterly event. I have not set dates for April, July, and October yet but will after the first one.
Writing Group virtual sessions:
Also, remember I belong to a writing group with four other lovely women and we host virtual cowriting sessions. You can sign up to be on the list here
Happy New Year! Wishing you health and happiness in 2025!
-Sonya