New Weekend Plans

So...unfortunately, we couldn't hike this weekend because there weren't enough drivers :(. BUT, this weekend still ended up being great! Our house was pretty empty this weekend with 2 out of 8 people being gone, so two of my friends and I decided, on a whim, to take the train to Muizenberg Saturday. The trains are really run down, and move at a pace of about 5 mph, but we made it! There were supposed to be first and third class seats, with a difference of R5 (less than a dollar), but all the trains look exactly the same. When we finally got into Muizenberg we were greeted with a beautiful beach and an ocean filled with surfers. You are supposed to be able to go whale watching here, but we didn't see any that day. After walking around the beach for a bit (and seeing the iconic primary colored beach shacks that are all over postcards) we decided to just chill for a little bit before grabbing some fresh seafood. We ended up making friends with 3 South Africans from Jo'burg who invited us to lunch at a restaurant in Kalk Bay, 5 min. drive, called Brass Bell. Kalk Bay has a cute little town that I really want to go back to so that I can try the bakery and ice cream shop there :). The restaurant that we went to was really nice and extended out over the water and the surf would crash up at the windows. Our friends ended up treating us and also invited us over for a dinner party that night with their other friends from Cape Town, so we decided to go for it and break the American bubble that we're surrounded by.

When it was dinner time, they picked us up and we drove down to the marina near The V&A Waterfront and ended up driving into the residences that surround the One and Only Hotel. For those of you who don't know...this is a renowned 6 star international luxury hotel...There was a private marina where residents parked their yachts, and when we went into the flat there were platters filled with sushi from a popular restaurant called Beluga. It was so much fun to meet Capetonians and "seek rather than see" as one of them told me. The whole thing was surreal and just goes to show where a little spontaneity and friendliness can get you :). Pictures to be up soon...