2/22/09
21:47
Seriously. Amazing. South Africa is amazing. I am going to live here. Seriously.
So I already wrote about Day 1 in Cape Town, but Day 1 got better after that entry. I didn’t think that was possible.
As I said in my last post, I went to Mama Africa for dinner. Kendra, Lexi and I hopped a cab to Long Street, which is where all the hot restaurants and clubs are located. We hadn’t called ahead for a reservation, but we got there fifteen minutes before the restaurant opened and Jill was meeting us there so I was hoping she had gotten a table. Unfortunately, the restaurant was completely booked but Jill and her friend Smith were sitting at the bar so we joined them there. We decided we would just sit and eat and drink at the bar and what a good decision it was.
We ordered the “Mixed Grill”platter and Vegetable Samosas to split between the five of us. The mixed grill had all different types of meat and I can now say that I have eaten crocodile, ostrich, springbok, and kudu. And it was delicious. Ostrich is fantastic. Vegetable samosas are kind of like a vegetable baklava that we dipped in this sweet chutney sauce. Delectable. So good. South Africa is all about chutney. We ordered some drinks with dinner as well. Our South African student aboard the ship had recommended the Springbok shot which is peppermint liqueur and Amarula liquor, which you can only get in South Africa I think. It is quite tasty. We cheersed. Then I had the Robben Island Iced Tea. Also good. Don’t worry, I drank responsibly family….and it’s also legal for me to drink here.
The gang was in great spirits, eating good food and enjoying good company. Then a band began setting up. There were five people in the band, 3 xylophonists, a drummer, a trumpeter, and the lead singer. Lexi bought there CD, Abakhaya: Marimba Project 2. I just burned it on my computer and was listening to it.
Let me tell you about this band. At first it was purely instrumental. The xylophonists were incredible. They were perfectly in sync. I was loving it. Great dance music. I was just sitting there, jamming, when the deep, beautiful, rich sounds of the lead vocalist began reverberating off of the restaurant walls. Zwelibanzi. That is the name of the lead singer. “More like Hotbanzi,”a direct quote from Kendra.
He had a deep baritone voice. Beautiful. I turned around to sip my drink and then I heard what I thought was a woman singing. No. It was Zwelibanzi. His range was astounding. Perfect pitch. Strong. Baritone and soprano. Amazing. Great dancer too.
Soo Jill and I were in love with him. Whenever he looked in our direction we, (mostly me,) signed to him that we loved him. The trumpeter saw me motioning, “I love you,”(you know when you point to your eye, your heart, and then the person you love) and came over to me and brought me up on stage with Zweli. He goes by Zweli. I danced with Zweli on stage at a restaurant in South Africa. I love my life. Jill joined me after a bit as well. Sadly, Zweli and I parted ways because he had to continue to perform and I had to continue my night on the town in South Africa.
Jill, Lexi, Kendra and I proceeded to go to another bar along Long Street. Smith had left earlier to meet up with some other friends. We crossed paths with Caroline, Greg, and Alicia at this bar and together we went to a club called Chrome. No one was on the dance floor, so Jill and I tore it up. I am starting to notice a theme at clubs in different countries: the dance floor is empty…until I get there. Not really, but in Spain and now in South Africa I have been one of the only ones dancing. I just wanna dance. At about midnight everyone wanted to head back to the ship, but what about George at the Observatory you ask? Well we didn’t go to the Observatory because it was midnight and on the other side of town. If it was meant to be the gods of South Africa will bring us together. Or maybe they will bring Zweli and I together. Who knows.
Day 1 = amazing. I’m moving here. Seriously.
Day 2-5 get better but I am a tired panda and need to sleep.
He has a girlfriend
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