Through My Eyes

Author: Kasia Yoko
Date: 2013-11-29

The other day Christmas arrived early, an A4 memo appeared on my desk and in all my foolish haste, I failed to notice the return British Airways tickets to Cape Town, courtesy of a friend (who we shall call Santa), with a note that stated, "Itinerary soon to follow".

I was so excited, I just love Cape Town, I fail to even see why everyone is always so hung up about the weather. For me Cape Town is uniquely vibrant and effervescent and not even the weather gets me down.

The itinerary, when it arrived, was impressive and intriguing all at the same time, however nothing prepared me for the warm welcome both my husband and I received from complete strangers.

Cape Town has by far the coolest people. I have never sat at one table with an ex Tangaatian who made it big, an award winning screen writer, an editor in chief of an international music magazine, a white Sangoma and an ex ANC stalwart. Needless to say if our first night had anything to do with what was in store, I could not wait for the new day.

And so it started as the day broke we headed for The Westin Hotel, just a few blocks from Mandela Rhodes Place, where we were booked in for the weekend. On the 19th floor of The Westin you will find the Arabella Spa with its majestic scent, glass encased Jacuzzi, steam rooms, sauna and pool.

Here we were surrounded by grandiose splendour of everything Cape Town has to offer, the mountains to one side and the ocean on the other. It is also the best way for recovery from a debauched night of feasting.

Our next stop was breakfast at the Radisson Blue Hotel located right on the beach. With the perfect weather and the mild wind conditionsthis venue cannot be missed when you want to experience the best of Cape Town's waterfront.

After endless flutes of the best Western Cape bubbly we headed for The Easy Eating Taste Experience workshop, which presents the latest eating trends in Cape Town. Here we experienced some outstanding combinations of light and delicate vegan culinary creations, followed by hearty African meat stews, nobody could even contemplate the desserts, ut we all did.

So after shaking hands and kissing strangers we ran off to find a suitable drinking hole where we could just digest the opulence. Wherever we went we were followed by street artists, singers, dancers, acrobats and freak show performers.

On the streets, inside the cafes and all around people spoke in foreign languages and all wore a look of amazement.

When our coins ran out and we could no longer pay for the street performance, we escaped into The Cigar Loungeat the Taj. This is an exclusive, intimate space, steeped in tradition and style, a place of decadent indulgences. Here the cognac was served heated and as we sank into the old musty leather we quickly realised that the party was about to begin.

A quick change into festive attire and a short drive over the mountain and we were in the party zone. Camps Bay must be the most magnificent location for sundowners. Here people are forever young, happy and intoxicated by high life.

There was no issue of fitting inthe world was our oyster and as the burning of the setting sun engulfed us all in golden magicthe sound of the ocean, the soothing whispers of the swaying palm trees and the sound of a rhythmic base line lulled us out into some non descript house with an extravagant Indian menu and arrogant service.

That night we dragged our sorry bums into our beds only to be up at the crack of dawn to repeat the previous days ritual. This time we stayed longer in the steam room and indulged more in the sauna until we felt the life returning to our veins. And when we arrived at the Radisson Blue we felt like family, even the dolphins came out to say hello.

As we bid farewell to our host we had a few hours to kill before our flight so we took the leisurely drive to Paarl and stopped for wine and cheese tasting at Anura Wine Estate.

Our seventy two hour long Cape Town experience was something we will never forget and we brought back some lasting memories. Check page 14 for why you should visit Cape Town before 2014. Have a fabulous week.

Springclean

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