FOOD LOVERS MARKET...LOVE!

Have You Been to the Food Lover's Market in Tokai??? have I been totally missing out????

I LOOOOOVE this supermarket!!!

The Healthy Nibbles section is almost as good as the one at Whole Foods in the US...WOW! with lots of NOT so healthy nibbles as well...

The SWEET CORNER??? just don't go with your toddler or your husbands!!! (see pics!)- They do have a huge selection of sugar free "caring Candies" on TAP as well! and every possible color of Jelly Bean sold individually.

One of my favorite corners was- 'The Olive Tap’, where customers can get imported olive oil on tap in a variety of flavours, such as lemon-infused extra virgin olive oil and my new favorite " The Director's reserve" at very moderate prices.

The Fruit & Veg section goes on for kilometers...and today the sweet smell of plums was just the BEST.

Then there's a Fish Market, a Biltong Bar, a HUGE Cheese Selection, Bakery, Sushi Bar.....etc. You can get lost for hours in there. Apparently it gets so busy they have to close the doors at times...I was there at 8:30 this AM and it was "grocery shopping heaven!"... i guess that's one of the advantages of dropping Vesper off in Constantia in the morning! :-)

Oh...and there's a full blown Cafe complete with a beer and wine tasting area, called The Cellar, that even serves beer on tap!

Happy shopping.

Why Little Girls are the BEST!!!

Because you can buy them Mini Melissa + Campana shoes like these!!! and...they smell like Bubble Gum .

If you do not have a girl YET ~~~ this is a good reason to get busy.... :-)

Melissa has been quietly leading an ecological fashion revolution for nearly thirty years. Melissa shoes are made from eco friendly mono materials that can easily be disassembled and recycled. 100% of materials are used in production. No waste. No dumping excess into landfill.

And Melissa fashion shoes are completely cruelty free - with no animal products whatsoever and the very best working conditions for all makers and employees.

Another very good reason...

The World...at your fingertips!

The World is the largest privately owned yacht in the world-and it was recently in Capetown for a few days over X-Mas and again yesterday for a quick stop.

We were lucky to be invited to visit the ship and to have dinner with the GM last night....what a treat!

Learning about life on The World was fascinating and ...check this out: the owners of the 165 apartments (by the way there are still some available ones if you are interested in buying one!) VOTE on the countries they want to visit every year....and OFF they go. In 2012 they will go to: Mauritius, Reunion, Australia, New Zealand, across the Pacific, Melanesian and French Polynesian Islands, Hawaii, Western US, Canada, Alaska, Northwest Passage, Eastern US, and end in the Caribbean for the Holidays!!!! and....because they travel all year round and plan their journeys...they are never anywhere where it's Winter....how absolutely great is that!!!!! did I get your attention?

The World is equipped with a Banyan tree Spa, Indoor and outdoor swimming pools, full size outdoor tennis courts, gym, library, 5 top restaurants, deli, casino, kids club, putting green, and my ultimate FAVOURITE....Bali Beds where you can comfortably sleep under the stars!!!

Dinner with Renato (the GM) and his lovely Thai wife Lux was entertaining and decadent...champagne was enjoyed at the Bar, followed by a 7 course meal at East , their fine dining Asian Restaurant!!!!

It was a great evening on board of a "Fantasy World" we would never live on.....but definitely a fascinating one!!!

P.S. There are actually 7 PERMANENT residents who live on the ship all year long. They have sold everything and this is their life...the rest of the owners come and go at different times of the year!

The Bungalow.....

Wasn't Sunday the PERFECT summer day in Capetown with scorching temperatures of 30 ++++ degrees??? yes...so The Bungalow (ex La Med) was actually the perfect place to have lunch with the girls and a few other friends...

The Venue is just fantastic...the owner, who also manages Pepenero, Paranga and the new "Bling Bling" version of The Alphen, has not spared any expenses and the place is simply Capetown Fab at its best!!!

Yes...there is a small plunge pool, where I suppose if you are a tanned, blonde, skinny resident of Camps Bay....you can dip in the pool in your bikini, if you do not belong to that category...best to just dip your feet...as the pool is in the MIDDLE of the restaurant. There are cushions all around so you can actually chill and have one or many drinks as you soak....I think they should turn this into a proper PEDI pool, with fancy sea salt, massage jets, etc... :-)

Oh Yes...and if you are 2 years old and super cute....you can also go in the pool.

Lunch marked the end of 2.5 weeks of the girls visit to CPT. Here they are sharing some special time with their Dad and Godfather...

We can't wait to see them again in April!!!

A little Note about The Bungalow....: The Service is not the sharpest at the moment, so it requires a bit of patience! you have to pay R25 if you want to park down below by the restaurant....the food is OK, go for the Sushi or the Fish and Chips (some nice salads too) and the Banana Sunday! Call me when you get a reservation....I'll go AGAIN!

Anniversary on the Rovos Rail!

So after 10 years traveling the African continent, I finally decided to take my hubby of 1 YEAR on this prestigious train for a very slow journey from Capetown to Pretoria (yes the train goes 60 Km per hour!). The journey starts at the Rovos Lounge at No. 1 Adderley Street and it is all a bit surreal.....red carpet, champagne, violinist playing live in the lounge....you get the picture. Very OLD school...and normally NOT my scene! but Tony and I knew what we were in for (Tony has been before!) so we embraced the journey to the fullest....

Ready to board.....

Our Cabin....much better in person. The train is actually very impressive and immaculate. From the moment you step on it, it is truly a journey back in time...(including the staff uniforms , which could definitely use a bit of re-fashioning!!)

Us leaving Capetown......

One of the lounges...

Tony enjoying the views from the observation deck!

One of our brief stops....

Some gorgeous landscape....the first day of the journey is a lot more exciting than the second, as the landscape in the Karoo gets a bit boring....but it was still all very interesting!

Nice Look!!!

Gorgeous winelands...

Entering one of the many tunnels...

Me after a sleepless night....the noise of the breaks was unbearable. Tea in bed and a Panado did the trick!

Yes- that's the Big Hole of Kimberly behind me.....it has produced 14,504,566 CARATS of diamonds= 2722kg...I own a very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very,very, very,very,very, small portion of it!! 

 Bye Bye.....until next time!!!! I don't think I will do the Capetown to Cairo anytime soon but it was a wonderful way to spend 2 days with my Tesoro!!!! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to us...