CAPE INDULGENCE food glorious food
Being forced to linger in town during these festivities allowed me opportunity to find my own hidden hangout spots like the D-0H!nuts café / deli inside the Golden Acre mall. After five o’clock it gets so packed it’s almost like the stock market with almost everything going on a two for one special. My current favorites are the cinnamon rolls that go for R2 each. After this I usually head over to the Eastern Food Bazaar for some Masala tea. The ambience is an experience in itself- the loud Indian music, the heat and mystical idols and carpentry are complemented by the affordable prices. The spicy tea goes for R10.
take some time out and smell the roses
One of my best finds thus far has to be the rose garden at the Company Gardens. It’s situated right behind the huge plot that’s filled with trees and squirrels and lots of tourists taking snaps, which means it’s quieter. Watching the flowers follow the sunset, and feeling the gentle breeze while sitting on the worn out benches concludes any stress filled day- any day! If the weather doesn’t permit smelling the roses, then I’d recommend gazing at the stars from Timbuktu’s balcony. They have the most comfortable seating comprising of lazy worn-out couches next to some low-hanging book shelves, African tapestry and music. Timbuktu is an Ethiopian restaurant so be ready to eat with your hands while enjoying a good chill out session.
showing neighbourliness
Meeting other likeminded people is always nice and my kinda people are the artsy/ happy-go-lucky kind. The most popular spot has to be Neighbourhood in Long Street but bear in mind, there’s a lot of pretentious people that hang out there too for some reason. When these people start rubbing you up the wrong way, I’d like to suggest the Neighbourhoodlum.... Happy Hour is from 5-7pm, yes! Now to go home! After months of cab drivers extorting hard-earned Randela’s from my broken pockets almost every other Friday night, I finally found a trustworthy onewith a meter. Rikkies cabs are affordable and they don’t have that dreaded “basic fee” thing everyone else seems to have. In as much as there are flaws to the system, racist remarks flying around and bipolar weather- I’m more than happy to call the Mother City my home and favorite place this side of the Equator.
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