The pilot announces that all passengers receive a free cup of Douwe Egberts coffee. This was, in all honesty, the moment I awoke, en route to Johannesburg on a 1-time flight. The coffee didn’t arrive. The flight attendants literally smiled and served every person on every seat before us, and then hit ‘reverse’ as soon as they finished with the people in front of us. (The bespectacled gentleman in front of me actually gave me a triumphant look as the attendants retreated; I, of course, was pretending to study the overhead console, interesting as it was, and ignored him.)
We arrived in a rather cold Gauteng (well, not really, 15 degrees celsius at that time of the morning , um 9.30 I think) and made our way to the most beautiful, quaint, I-wanna-bring-the-kids-and-live-here guesthouse in the heart of Melville. Leon van Wyk, the owner, was gracious and courteous to a fault, setting out fresh fruit, coffee and tea facilities, breakfast cereals, and most importantly, an assurance that nobody else had booked for the nights we had so we had the house to ourselves. Party!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well. Not really. What it meant was that we could be us, without having to avoid anyone else’s gaze. Getting old has it’s downsides benefits. 😀
Moving on, we discovered two amazing establishments since our arrival. Liberation Cafe’ started literally three weeks ago by owner Dwayne and his unnamed other. Think wonderfully eclectic decor (Tom reclined in a gorgeous red gynaecologist’s examination chair and I on a reworked, cushioned speaker box.) Dwayne constantly came over to check on our comfort levels, and with conversation starter 80’s vids playing on the big screen (Wham’s Club Tropicana porno-Speedo’s and all), we were loving all of it!
The highlight of the day was our visit to Sophiatown Bar & Restaurant on the popular 7th Ave in Melville. Durban has never seen the likes of this. Classy decor and personable seating and lighting (Tom and I sat at a pillar-booth, single candle lighting at our table) and the most inspirational images of previous residents of Sophiatown (unknown and celebrity alike) adorning the walls and menus. Lucia Mthiyane (vocals) and Friends entertained us; I had huge issues with the fact that she had the type of voice that could bring a man (and some liberal-minded women) to their knees but sang her heart and soul out then between her vocal verses sat down unceremoniously at her table and chatted to he friend. I explained to Tom that the disconnect was too much for me. Talent like Lucia’s, is a dime a dozen. If you cannot understand that you need to seduce your audience, you are lost. In essence though, I will absolutely go back. The food was excellent (T had the lamb chops with chips and a sishebo sauce and I had the lamb curry with rice and traditional butternut and spinach). Authentic township food and prepared traditionally to boot. Not cheap so I’d save it for a special occasion. It is certainly worth it.
Anyway, we’re off to Nelspruit tomorrow, so there are more stories to follow. For now,I must get back to my Tom. He’s been left to his own devices for far too long and I miss his voice. Be in touch soon. F.
paradisepicklesandpreserves 