Instead of catching the bus to and from Durban I caught a flight - it was seven hours quicker and ended up costing about the same amount of money! Somehow everything went incredibly smoothly and I arrived at the hotel bang on my estimated time... Very unusual, especially in South Africa. Then I went to reception and asked for my room key which was on the 11th floor, one floor beneath Ann who'd asked them to inform her of my arrival. I went upstairs (lots of them) to my room and dumped my bag on the bed - after travelling for almost a month you learn how to travel light. Once I'd eaten the welcome chocolate on my pillow (priorities), I headed upstairs to see Ann. She opened the door and we shared a good, long hug and then proceeded to talk for the next couple of hours.
While I was there we went out to a township called Umbazi and played football with the local school children, we went out for dinner and lunch at really nice restaurants and just had chill time in the hotel. The Gillespie's kids were so welcoming and I managed to make some good friends in the couple of days I stayed with them. A lot of them are considering gap years when they leave, so it was great that I was able to offer them some advice like: "don't worry, it's not as scary as you think it's going to be."
It was very nice spending some time with British people - I missed the Scottish banter a lot. Thanks Ann for the great weekend away, I really enjoyed my time in Durban! The next crowd from home that will be visiting are the one and only Haas Family in June, so I'd better prepare myself.
Finally, as a celebration for surviving six months, I decided to create a video showing my journey right from the start. The link is below so I hope you enjoy!
Six Months In
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| Football match in the township |
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| View from my bedroom! |
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| Having a dance with some lunch |
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