Arrived in SA yesterday. 12. Long. Hours. On. Plane! But I arrived to a welcoming Ritchie and Becks, mocha in hand for me ☺ First day was incredible. As we drove from Cape Town airport to Camps Bay (the suburb where Beck’s family lives), I could see all of the scenery I had heard so much about prior to arriving—imposing mountains overlooking sharp blue-green water, a mixture of palm trees and pine trees, and sunny (a word you don’t often say in Edinburgh) piercing blue skies. Rebecca’s house sits overlooking the water, with a picturesque patio on the back overlooking the ocean. Her patio is one of those rare places you could sit for hours, staring off into the ocean—or gazing over the mountains—contemplating life, beauty, and time. Her house reminds me of a gorgeous beach get-away home you might about in an edition of ‘Coastal Living’ magazine. The atmosphere is warm and inviting, oozing of ‘family’ – another element I have missed very much in Edinburgh. We arrive, relax for a bit, have lunch and are off again quite quickly for an afternoon and evening at Moyo’s restaurant at Spier wine estates near Stellenbosch for dinner, live African dancing for entertainment, and a Goldfish concert.
Moyo’s was truly a dining experience! Upon first arriving, we went to the cheetah sanctuary located next to the restaurant. We got to see several different breeds of wild cheetahs, rare owls, and the ugliest/scariest (and only) black eagle I have ever seen—only to be informed by Beck’s boyfriend, Ritchie, that that one was merely ‘a juvenile!!!!!’ When you arrive into the actual restaurant, there are ladies waiting to paint your face and you are escorted to a table under a massive tent, with a stage on one end and a seemingly never-ending buffet along the side. During dinner, there is authentic African dancing (I have NEVER seen women move their hips and bums the way these women could!!! I was really tempted to ask for lessons…) and you have your choice of about 100 different foods from the buffet. I had been told prior to arriving that South African food was the best in the world—and even the food that’s not unique to SA (chicken, etc) just tastes better. I was skeptical, but after my first starter from Moyo’s I was convinced. The mussels were the BIGGEST mussels I have ever seen—and remember, I’m from the East Coast of the US, have eaten at the best restaurants in NYC, and am studying in Edinburgh—so I have eaten a lot of mussels. Then I was told that these mussels were comparatively ‘small’ for SA—that I might go to the trans-Skye to see ‘real’ SA mussels. And not only were the mussels massive, but they were the most succulent mussel meat I have ever tasted. The calamari was perfectly grilled. The varieties of breads made me want to forget the rest of the week in Cape Town and instead offer to volunteer in Moyo’s kitchen for free food for a week. I ate Ox Tail, Springbok, and Potjie. All fabulous!!!! The dinner was only made better by the company—Becks and Ritchie, and Beck’s friends Steve and Christine, who were lovely.
After dinner, we danced the night away (or at least till midnight when I thought I was going to fall asleep on the ground—I only had 2 hours of sleep and was really jet-lagged) to Goldfish. You must check out Goldfish’s music—for lack of ability to give a description that would do the band justice, I am just going to include their website on this post:
http://www.goldfishlive.com/
Hope you enjoy it!
No comments:
Post a Comment