Son of the beach

Plenty of stuff's been happening over in Cape Town, though my friends still seem to insist that we're “not doing anything much”. I've been spending my first few tentative days in Cape Town getting acquainted with the surrounding environs and, of course, the crowd of people who hang out with my friends.

Last night we had a bit of an evening at the flat – we invited a few people around and played a few drinking games (in a rare moment of alcoholism, I indulged that evening with half a beer – my, my, how uncontrollable I can be!). Afterwards, we sat around swapping stories, telling jokes and generally talking rubbish until about 11pm.

“Let me tell you guys about that time I drank a WHOLE beer!”

The next morning, it was time to cast away my fears once and for all – in an unprecedented move, I suggested to my friends that we Actually Go Outside. This bewildering environment with excessive sunlight and no visible ceiling has long been the bane of my existence, but I decided to tackle it head-on by trundling off to the beach at Muizenberg .

The scenery is unbelievable: on the initial drive alone, I took about a dozen breathtaking pictures of Table Mountain (this was before I was told that I was looking at the wrong mountain). Seriously, though: nowhere before have I seen a mountain that leads directly into the freaking ocean itself.

Big wet stuff, meet huge stone thing.

After becoming marginally more tanned than usual (a slightly less intense milky white), we went on a grand old shopping trip for necessities. In the process, I stumbled upon this interesting little place:

It certainly grabs one's attention.

Happiness Unlimited and its sister establishment, Flashback are a brilliant injection of funkiness in an otherwise oh-so-ordinary environment. Having spent a great deal of time in hubbly lounges, chill-out bars and similar bohemian environs, I have something of a soft spot for what I like to call the “colourful culture”. Vibrant clothing, Eastern trinkets, party costumes, incense sticks and all sorts of funky equipment are available here. Oh, and the shops themselves are absolutely gorgeous. Have a gander at this ceiling mural:

Huuurgh, colours!

Have a look at a high-res version if you want to. Or if you're interested in learning more about the shop itself, check out the Facebook group . I plundered the depths of this establishment a fair amount, laying claim to several colourful prizes including my very first bandana ever ever.

Disclaimer: Not really a picture of me.

Now I'm kicking back with some chilled music, a sweet brown bandana wrapped around my head and the promise of an awesome time at UCT's Big Bash party tomorrow. I have a special little surprise in store involving some plastic guitar controllers, so anybody else attending the bash tomorrow had best keep an eye out for the Coke Zero stand ...