What a Weekend

This past weekend was a mix of activities and emotions, but it was certainly memorable.

Friday night there was a huge party on Tenbe Street.  It's an annual gig, and the people who live at this particular house on the street hire a dj and make a big deal of it.  I went for about 20 minutes (long enough to wait in line for the bathroom,) and then upon hearing that everyone was getting thrown into the pool (with clothes, cameras, and cell phones intact,) some of us decided to leave.  We went on to Toby Joe's, a bar that has been said to be closing for about 3 weeks now, and also one that is known for having pickpocketers, beggars, and prostitutes lurking outside.  Someone has attempted to pick my purse twice there, but they haven't gotten anything yet-- mostly because I keep everything zipped up, I don't take my camera, and they aren't very smooth operators.  I guess they think everyone is so drunk that they won't feel someone grabbing at them?  Once I was sitting on a stairwell, talking to a friend, maybe 15 feet from the entrance of Toby's, and a man crawled underneath the stairwell from the other side and grabbed at my purse.  I screamed, no doubt, and I really try not to go there anymore.  Note: I know I should be more careful.  I shouldn't go there anymore, etc., etc., but go ahead and scold me if you wish.

Anyway, Saturday a group of 7 of us girls from Annie's decided to go horseback riding at Heavenly Stables, a farm close to Sardinia Bay (an excellent place for kite surfing.)  It's owned by Jackie and Sydney, a lovely couple with three amazing kids who help out on the farm.

My horse's name was Red Eagle, and he had a few issues because he doesn't like having other horses behind him (read: lazy.) We brought up the rear, and what made things interesting was that Kari and her pony, Hercules, were in front of us and Hercules wasn't exactly motivated. Basically, Kari and I felt like we were getting lost in the bush several times since the guides stayed in the front.

Red Eagle:

The bush and beach were both beautiful, and it was neat to see the contrast in terrain since we went through the bush, then around a sand dune, and then onto the beach.  

After the 3 hour horseride, we went to Jackie's sister's house for a braii.  We're learning that braiing isn't the most timely event, so while we were waiting on our delicious meal from the indoor braii pit, we enjoyed Hunter's Dry cider.  This is a photo of our father figures for the evening.

And here are our mother figures:

And our family photo:

Side note: I've learned that I really like cider.  You still get that beer feel without the bitter taste and fullness.  And Hunter's Dry and Sarita ciders (both brewed in South Africa) have become a fave among a lot of the girls at Annie's.   

We also played with the family's pets while we waited for the meat to cook.  So here's a shout-out to everyone at the library! This family has a Scout Junior, and seeing this cat made me miss all of you and Scout and Atticus!

The meal was the best most of us had eaten since arriving in S.A.  We still aren't too sure if that had more to do with the homely feel to the braii (and the 2 dogs and 7 cats the family owns, and the adorable children, and the cider,) or the food itself, but nonetheless, we had an amazing time. (Thanks for the photo, Kari!)

To be continued... Next post: The Walmer Township tour