What an eventful weekend! Friday night was rather mundane, spent at home watching 2 movies - Brokeback Mountain and I (heart) Huckabees. Popcorn and a blanket and it was all good!
Saturday we jumped on the train (my first train ride in South Africa) and went to Muizenburg, about 40 minutes away. It was the annual Kite Festival in support of the Mental Health Association. There were huge kites tethered to the ground to greet us as we arrived - a penguin, octopus, elephant and teddy bear. Further on, kites dotted the sky at various heights and for some reason Mary Poppins music was floating through my head. It was a typical festival with ice cream vendors, pretzels and chips on a stick. I found some yummy pizza cooked fresh in a little oven. There were craft vendors and kite sellers, craft tents and clowns. We spent a couple hours wandering around and checking out the kites and kids, and enjoying the festive atmosphere.
Then we moved on to the beach. It was a beautiful day, over 30 degrees with just a little wind and cloud cover. The water was cool, but I braved it out and walked through, enjoying salty water, the sight of children playing and people sunbathing. There was a surfing competition going on, so lots of activity in the water and tons of people on the beach.
We did a quick turn around and headed out for dinner to "Rick's Cafe Americana", which (thankfully) was not "American" food and I had a really lovely mixed vegetarian plate. Everyone was gearing up for the big World Cup rugby game, which was airing live from France. South Africa was playing England in the final and the town was a buzz with rugby fever. Everywhere was packed solid and as thousands watched these big men slam each other around, there was a feeling of patriotism and pride of South Africa. Weird. Strange. I was thinking of how violent and aggressive this sport is, how much money they were spending on it, and how the spirit of competition is alive and well... South Africa won the game, so needless to say people went crazy. We were downtown in an area with a lot of bars and clubs, so people were dancing and singing in the streets, jumping over cars, climbing up on buildings and generally going all out. For hours the streets were full of people, and any cars that dared venture into the streets were rocked, stopped or mobbed. Even the police cars were fair game as people jumped on for a ride as they passed. Madness!! Utter craziness. We finished the night at the Zula Bar, where a band was playing and we had a few dances before retiring for the night.
Today I found myself at a recital for songwriting and vocal performance classes. From amazing to embarrassing, it was an interesting way to spend the day. The diversity was encouraging, and it was inspiring to see people braving their fears and singing their hearts out!
Every day is an adventure, but this weekend seemed particularly full!
** Added Oct. 29 - Check out pics from the Rugby Game:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=28289&l=32acd&id=634581744
** Added Oct. 29 - Check out pics from the Kite Festival:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=28294&l=33dcb&id=634581744
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