Eating Pumba

Day 8 (Continued) When I left off yesterday I was going to meet friends for dinner. I headed back to the hostel and showered and relaxed a bit before meeting the gals (Lily, and Charlotte) at the hostel bar. There we picked up a couple of newbies; an Armenian chick from Long Beach who's been living in Ghana, and a nineteen-year-old Londoner who, oddly enough, is going on the same overland tour as myself. We had a drink and waited for our buddy Dave to return from shark-diving. In the mean time, we all shared a springbok--half peppermint schnapps, half Bailey's. The restaurant was called Arnold's. They specialized in game meat. Man, oh, man am I glad I eat meat. We started with some camembert and brie chicken salad's, and followed that with the heaviest, most tasty meat EVER!!! I, being the hungry and gluttonous person that I am, ordered the sampler platter, which included steamed veggies, couscous, ostrich steak, crocodile fillet, braised warthog ribs, and mushroom gembok (a type of antelope). These had to be some of the yummiest meats I have ever tasted. Good job predators!!! The gembok was a lot like beef steak, but the ostrich was more like a cross between fillet mignon and prime rib. The warthog ribs were amazing. That is one ugly animal that goes perfectly with barbecue sauce. The crocodile was served in a gooseberry sauce, and it was amazing. It tasted a lot like chicken. All in all, the meal was perfection. Our waiter was a skinny, hipster with hug glasses. I loved him. He was so funny. He humored us a lot, so it made for a fun evening. He also had the biggest pepper crusher I have ever encountered, so I hope someone will send me a picture of it. It seriously looked like a didgeridoo. The two bottles of free wine we were given for spending so much money was an added bonus (when in fact between six of us, we spent about $80 on a gourmet dinner!!!) After dinner we reserved a table at the local hotspot called Cubana, a Cuban bar/restaurant. The decor was beautiful, and opulent. They had hookahs for smoking, which we took advantage of. The best part was that there were flat screens on every wall looping episodes of Fashion TV and coverage of this years Cannes Film Festival. Non-stop fashion!!! Basically, paradise. We started with cocktails. I had 'El Maniaco' (grenadine, pineapple puree, and champagne). We followed that with complimentary shooters called 'Lollypops,' made with banana liquor and triple sec. After that we all made a pact to attempt the most horrible drink imaginable. This drink sounded interesting in theory, but it basically made us spit fire! We had an 'Absinthminded,' containing Yagermeister, Tequila, and Absinthe. Let's just say we all saw the green fairy. We spent the remainder of the evening chatting with a Dutch fellow and his friend, and Ana and I had an interesting conversation about the film industry (she worked for Focus Features' publicity dept). Around 1am, it was time to head to bed. We all headed back to the hostel where we found few people awake. Many of us said our goodbye's, mainly to Dave because he was off to Nairobi to begin a three-month law stint. I may see him in July. After all of this, to bed...so comfortable, and anticipating morning packing, followed by a 90-minute massage. Day 9 (Tuesday, May 20, 2008) Waking was easier than expected. Everyone seemed to rise at the same time, so making noise was not a problem. It took me about an hour to pack because I have sever obsessive compuslive disorder and must do things a certain way. One person in the room called me very organized, and another called me sick. You decide. After packing, I met Charlotte for a quick breakfast of toast and tea. From there it was off to my massage. The room was serene and quite pristine. New age music annoys me, but I dealt with it. The masseuse was a sweet, young blonde woman. She was very gentle and basically put me to sleep. For all I know, she waited until I began to snore and then waited the rest of the 90-minutes out. Either way, a nice, long, relaxing massage for $60 is not bad. From there, I walked down the road, back to the Geek Internet Cafe where I have been for nearly three hours now attempting to upload pictures to the crap that is myspace, and flickr. The good thing is that by today, you--yes, you, can finally see some of the things I have been writing about. I hope the photos find anyone who cares to check them out well. I have to go officially check out from the hostel and head to the meeting point: the Tulip Inn. Having spent a week here in Cape Town, I am beginning to feel akin to it. I find it difficult to leave now that my body, and mindset have become attune to lifestyle and ease of each day. Mainly, I'll miss the Backpackers. This hostel was truly a home away from home. The fact that I could shower next to a spider AND a moth means that mentally...I am more sound than when I left home. May it remain with me through the wild.