The Good Life: March 2011

17^th February, 2011, Thursday

We boarded the plane on the 16^th of February, 2011 at 0210 Malaysian time with Emirates. We flew via Dubai and touched down in Cape Town on 17^th February at 4.30pm.

Hello Cape Town!

The first greeting we received from a local guy at the airport was, “Coming back home from your holiday sir?”

Now, that’s the first time we’ve heard that! Instantly we felt welcomed.

The environment in the airport was pleasant and the locals looked very multi-racial. We couldn’t tell what the average Capetonian looked like. I mean, we were in South Africa and expected to see predominantly black Africans (yes, I checked with my African friend(s), that term is not rude if used sensitively) but were surprised to see the integration of different backgrounds.

From then on, I was on a mission to figure out the population breakdown and the origin of the different ethnicity.

We hopped on the private shuttle, which was a car that was used for ‘private’ shuttling. The driver was very helpful and took on the tour guide role by pointing out some iconic spots in Cape Town, such as the Table Mountain and District 6 on our way to our accommodation.

We arrived at our hostel, Cat and Moose backpackers, on Long Street. We got our own private room with a huge 200 year old window that apparently can take the strong beatings of the Cape Town wind. It was a cozy room without an en-suite but we managed as the toilet was practically a door step away.

- Making myself at home! -

We walked out a bit to have a brief look around and headed to the local supermarket called Kwik Spar on Kloof Street. It looked like your local cozy mart but boy was I suprised to find Tim Tams there. My mission is now complete.

I was delighted and couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw them. I mean, can you believe that the gigantic Dhubai airport didn’t have them and this tiny local mart had them? Oh well, it was truly a delight. I’m going to make a good friend very happy!

Coming soon : Tim Tam meets die-hard fan

We loved the atmosphere in the Cat and Moose hostel. It was clean and private. At any point if we needed any help or assistance with our travel plans, we just walked to the reception and one of the friendly guys there was ever willing to help out.

More often than not, we prefer to stay in a hostel than a sterile luxuriously decorated hotel room. Only because, we hardly spend time in the rooms and the money can be better spent on experiencing new things. The other thing we love to do is to give something back to the local community. So, if we happen to save on accommodation, we donate it to the needy.
The room rate was R350 per night for a double private room, without en-suite.

That’s not all; we also like the energy in the hostels better. They are usually warmer and there’s a sense of community which we like.

At times, I rather stay with locals and experience their way-of-life. To absorb the true local living. That does not mean we don’t enjoy the fully equipped hotel rooms, when we do choose to stay in one, we weigh it out thoughtfully.