I find it interesting to imagine the lives of all the people who've used these - from top executives and wealthy stock traders to the poorest of people, living in informal settlements. The people using these showers live such diverse lives and yet, at the beach, they shower at the same place.
Wouldn't it be great to see an hour-long stop-motion video of this vantage point over the last 20 years? I sure 'aint standing there for 20 years, but still, it would be an awesome movie clip.:)
So, when visiting beaches like Camps Bay, keep an eye out for the marker flags, and try staying between them. And remember, if you're looking for a hot date with a hot, well-built lifeguard - swimming outside of the markers isn't the way to get one. That stuff only works in the movies. ;)
Even though I was dressed well enough, I still felt somewhat underdressed in comparison to many of the other party-goers who had dressed in perfect old-English style. Something that caught my eye was The Little Hattery's table where those who felt slightly under-dressed could spruce up their look with hats and head accessories. Don't you think this one would have suited me just perfectly? ;)
We took a drive around the back of the little town of Paarl and along a dirt road to the Meulwater Wild Flower Reserve (map) that overlooks Paarl. The reserve has a small parking area with a spot for people to picnic and even has a few formal braai spots.
In my next couple of posts I'll show you a few more photos taken in the reserve's small well-kept garden.
This really is a beautiful town, but if you travel the 60 kilometers from the city, don't expect to be wowed by the main parts of town. Rather look to the pretty places off the main road and on the outskirts of town. :)
Based mostly on the plant's leaves I believe today's photo is also of a protea - although I'd say that it's a slightly unusual variety (in my non-horticultural opinion). I love proteas for two reasons - the first is that they're such hardy plants (they survive with extremely little water, and seem to flourish just perfectly in our sandy soil). The other reason is that there are so many varieties and so many different flowers that one could have the most awesome garden made up only of proteas. Do a Google image search for the words "protea flower". I think you'll be surprised at how many different type there are.
Sitting on the banks of the small dam at the Majik Forest (map) was one of the most tranquil moments that I'd had this whole year. The air was cool but the sun was warm, there wasn't a breath of wind and I wasn't distracted by thoughts of having to be elsewhere. It was perfect.
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The subject in the photo above is a small tree that stood about four or five meters high. The tree had very few leaves but was covered in the little pink blossoms that you can see in the photo. I have no idea, but do you perhaps know what kind of tree it may be? Please leave a comment below if you do!
I try to take my camera along wherever I go, and taking it along on a run has the added benefit of giving me an excuse to stop running; to take a photo while catching my breath. Sneaky hey?!
I took this particular photo at the beginning of a popular mountain bike trail in Durbanville. Even though we all know what the sign means, I still found it amusing that without a comma after "warning" the sign I could interpret it to mean that a warning-barrier in the shape of a bicycle lay ahead. :D
You wouldn't say that spring is still to come, now would you?
Unfortunately I never had one of the awesome rooms - the ones that face Table Mountain and the setting sun! So, if you plan on staying at the Westin, try to organise that you get a room facing Signal Hill's direction. :)
Below are a few more photos taken from my room on the 8th floor - a little later in the evening.
We really do have beautiful sunsets in Winter.
If you have a fetish for old things, or even if you'd like to sell off a few rare old bottles of your own - visit this stall at the Milnerton Fleamarket.
At the market you'll find a huge variety of items from garage tools, to old LPs, computer bits and pieces, old camera lenses and accessories, plastic containers, clothing, and much much more. If you're a compulsive buyer, allow me to suggest that you take a limited amount of cash with you, else you'll end up bringing home far more white elephants than I think you could imagine. :)
The market was previously located a little further along the R27 at a particularly dusty spot which, combined with the wind, made visiting the market a little unpleasant. Today the market is located on a long stretch of dust-free tarmac and each trader has a clearly marked out and numbered spot (which makes it easier to find particular stalls on return visits).
We visited Tsuyo for traditional Japanese Teppanyaki - which is a Japanese cooking technique whereby the food is cooked on an iron griddle. We started our meal with sushi (it's a Japanese restaurant after all) and then moved on to the main course.
The sushi was pretty tasty - though not as elaborate as sushi prepared at some of the other well-known spots. The teppanyaki was pretty satisfying and fairly filling - so much so that we decided even to skip dessert.
The only disappointing part of the Japanese experience was that we weren't served by a Japanese waiter! But then, this is Africa. :)
Something that you may not be aware of is that if you make use of the underground parking, keep in mind that the two sections (The Square and The Piazza) share one large underground parking garage. You may enter the Piazza's parking garage and unintentionally end up in The Square.
I'm reasonably tall so I'm able to see over the barrier to what's below - so this photo is for the benefit of those who can't see over the barrier. As you can see - all that you're missing out on at low tide is a large outcrop of rock! :)
The tag on this one's ear reads Magot, and while Kerry-Anne thought that the label may be a reference to the cow's owner's name, in fact, from what I can tell the Charpentier Magot is a breed of cow (and given the name) possibly originates from France.
If you have any interesting facts about the Charpentier Magot, please do leave a comment on this post. There really appears to be very little about the breed on the Web!
I took a little drive out the back of Durbanville, along the Malanshoogte road that passes by the Fair Cape dairy, on the Kuiperskraal farm (map).
The small herd of cows in this photo were lying next to a little dam, peacefully swatting the odd fly with their respective tails. At first they were afraid, they were petrified, (they seemed to be) thinking "who's this strange tall beast standing by our side?" *. But, then curiosity set in and the young animals (feeling safe with superior numbers) slowly mustered into a semi-circle of curiosity.
Aren't cows cool?
So, this is the full picture of the windmill that I showed you in my previous posts. The mill was built in the 1840s. The roof, sails and machinery were removed in the early 20th century and the mill was converted into a horse-mill. Can you imagine how boring it must have been for the horses to walk in a circle all day, grinding flour?!
The mill is located in a small, and beautiful, middle-class cluster-housing complex. Isn't it just a great addition to the look and feel of the complex?
According to the plaque on the door the mill was restored to its current state in 1984 by the Natal Building Society.
As I indicated in one of my comments on yesterday's post - I wasn't even aware that Durbanville had such a mill and only by chance caught a glimpse of it as I drove down a road, in one of the town's residential areas, that I don't normally use. Do you know this mill, and could you point it out on a map?
Kerry-Anne and I had breakfast at the hotel - and while the food was perfectly good, and the service impeccable, I wouldn't recommend it as a place to have breakfast unless you're actually staying in the hotel. The breakfast area is tucked away inside the hotel, with no views to the outside - and there really are plenty of places in the area with far more beautiful views.
Still, even though the breakfast spot isn't wonderful, on the plus side, I think Winchester Mansions will remain my favourite place for Sunday afternoon tea and scones!
