sunday.

Sunday was a rather low key day by the standards weve kept over the past 4 (only!) days. After a late start on the road, we caught a bus into town. A real bus though, not one of the jitney mini-van rides that we constantly see weaving in and out of traffic at a ferocious speed, full of people packed in like sardines. Signaling when changing lanes is apparently optional at best in Kapstaad.

Once in the city, we decided to visit the district 6 museum, (http://www.districtsix.co.za/) only to find that it is closed on Sundays, or open by appointment only. So wander we did, around the almost deserted streets. Was eerily empty in and around the cbd, and all but a few stores and restaurants were closed. Craving Indian food for a good while, we walked along Long Street looking for one Masali dosa, a resto that had been recommended by more than a few. While we did find it, it was unfortunately closed. Long street seems to be one of the trendier downtown strips, with boutique shops and chic little cafes aplenty. Lunched at a small Italian bistro in a piazza, or I guess the South African equivalent of one, which had an open air craft market, whose vendors that we spoke to were anything but [South African]. One was from Kenya, another from Somalia, and another still from Ghana.

On an aside, am surprised that nothing that I had read or heard about this city mentioned how windy it can be. The last couple of days – today in particular – were insanely windy. 50 km per hour winds was what we heard. Crazy crazy. That plus it being Sunday made getting a taxi back to the lodge somewhat difficult but eventually we made it, just in time for me to shower and boot it over to the house to head off to the concert with my housemates.

The show was at this gorgeously located (ie: facing the ocean) lil spot in camps bay (the aforementioned SUPER chichi beach-front area of the city) called ignite www.ignitebar.co.za and the group that was performing was called goldfish www.myspace.com/goldfishlive. SUPER SUPER dope evening of dancing and beats, and despite the fact that the average age of the crowd hovered somewhere around 10, we sure did get our dance on to the eclectic mix of beats that these two guys threw down on turntables, complimented with live sax, flute and a mélange of other instruments. Most enjoyable, and definitely worth checking out.

Ps. In further to Catherine’s input on the route we had taken on Saturday on our 2 and a half hour walk to the waterfront, Durward, one of the owners of the lodge almost choked on his coffee when we told him what we had done. Apparently that barren stretch of observatory’s lower main road is a well known home base for some of the areas most notorious and dangerous drug lords. Aaaaand scene.