The Beach - Cape Town

So happy :)

Gale force winds making tough just to stand straight sometimes.

We have a tradition of going far distances for oysters. This is the winner, so far. So delicious!

Long Island Iced Teas became our signature drink.

It's a windy city.

Twas' quite a sunset. We watched a movie being made. Some models being photographed. And then the waves crashes hard. All during the gale force winds.

What would I do if I didn't get to be silly in front of a camera - our own version of a photo shoot. 

Wine Lands Tour - Western Cape

Good morning. Time for our first tasting.

Mmm, French oak barrels.

The tour took a pit stop at the final prison that Nelson Mandela was at and from where he was released in 1990. We watched prison kids playing soccer.

Stadium of the 2010 World Cup. 

Save the Visas!

When you need to find a positive spin on an otherwise difficult situation or bleak reality - go to Cape Town. You will leave there perfectly nourished by the balanced and wholesome meals, the relaxed and friendly encounters with locals, and the magnificent views of mountains, oceans, and clean, completed city views. I know that we had a very near-sighted view that blinded us from the majority of the population's daily grimities (always love a chance to make a new word!) without at least a township tour, but for some, it is definitely paradise. Of course, the history tours provide a reality-check that shouldn't be forgotten.

It was hairy. It was tense. But, WE MADE IT!

View from our hotel room

Our trip began with 12 hours off deep deep sleep and then Long Island Iced Teas for breakfast at 14:00 :) 

The gale force winds prevented us from hiking to the top of Table Mountain, but otherwise, we did everything we came to do: relax.

Petey got his favorite sushi!

Sightseeing in Cabinda

We finally organized for our driver to take us outside of town so we could see the beach. He showed up and the rains held off - mission successful.

Chinese construction, per usual.

Palanca Negra, Angolan soccer team's mascot. 

Our faithful and dedicated car/driver, Jeremias. This is the stadium built in Cabinda to host the Africa Cup in 2010. It hasn't really been used since...

A Praia Futilia. Bathing and fishing spot for locals.

Oil rigs ablaze. Chevron alone has over 80 rigs here, off-shore Cabinda.

Typical dwellings within the city of Cabinda.

Local swimming and bathing river.

Jeremias, Petey, and I in a supermercado. Don't be fooled. Those aren't chips. Those are more like a knock-off of a knock-off of chips. You tongue gets coated in a strange film after eating these. They also have Lay's potato chips, but they only sort of taste like Lay's, or even potato chips in general. And this is all we have for a reminder of something familiar in the food department!