Back in Malawi!!

We are finally back into our normal lives here in Lilongwe after a fabulous trip to Cape Town.
I can't believe how much the time spent in Lilongwe influenced our vacation plan!
I don't think I would normally even deign to GO to a mall while on vacation (Edmonton Mall excepted because it is pretty much the only tourist destination there (just kidding edmontonians!)). Anyways, how that changed in Cape Town!!!
We arrived on Sunday night and spent the first two nights at Ashanti Backpackers. It was clean and the beds were comfy. If you are not in a party mood, I wouldn't recommend staying there on a weekend, but the Sunday and Monday nights we spent there were fairly quiet.
On Monday, I went for an early explore and had one of the best cups of coffee I have had in MONTHS at a place called Arnolds, where we later returned for breakfast before heading to our number one destination THE MALL.
We went to Canal Walk, arriving only 20 min after opening (and only that late as we got lost), and headed directly to Cinn-a-bonn....heavenly. We then took in some shopping - Regan was pretty excited about that part of the trip! We then scoped out the movie theatre and decided to see one of the first showings at 12....we went to see Tropic Thunder - I have to say, it was pretty funny. After the movie, we went to my new favorite restaurant, the Cape Town Fish Market (it is actually a chain) - it was DELICIOUS....and so nice to have so much selection!!! This was followed by more shopping and then we went to see another movie at 7 - Jules saw the Dark Knight while Regan and I chose House Bunny (better than it sounds).
We actually left the mall after 9, having been there for the entire day and for almost 12 hours.
It was fabulous. I feel like I should be writing some heartfelt post about how much waste goes into a mall like that, but I am sorry to say it was just so nice to be there, I didn't feel that way (then). After the whole week away, those thoughts definately crept in.
The second day was supposed to be sightseeing, as we romped up and down Long Street - we went to the Slave Lodge - very emotional experience. We also did some more shopping and ended up finding a great pub (what we have been SO missing) called the Dubliner - the food and KILKENNY were great.
On Wednesday we planned to go to Robben Island, but the tours were completely booked and we were unable to go. We spent the day by the waterfront - it wasn't what I expected, more or less another giant mall, but it was nice. Regan nosed out the Hagen Daas store (delicious!) and we had lunch at Belthezar (known for its wine menu). The food was excellent, but the service and therefore the whole overall experience, was not as nice as the fish market.
On Tuesday we had moved from the Backpackers into the Ritz for a few nights in luxury. Unfortunately the pool was broken, no air-con was available and although they did have satellite, it didn't have So You Think You Can Dance - but they let us watch in the Executive lounge, so we didn't miss it (whew!).
On Thursday, we had booked an eco-friendly bike tour of the wine regions. To get to the wine region, you meet your guide downtown and then take a train. We met the guide, but then Jules ran to change some money and disappeared! We missed the train and the guide was getting worried...Regan and I were also completely freaked out by the time Jules returned almost 20 min later! Glad to have him back safe at any rate, I guess he was held up by a teller that took his passport and then disappeared into a back room and didn't come out again. Forsaking the eco-friendly train, the guide agreed we should just drive out to the region with him, so that is what we did. The wine tour was great - tastings were plentiful and it was SO nice to ride a decent bike again! The day was gorgeous and warm (up until Thursday, the weather had actually been quite chilly) and our guide was really helpful. Since we had driven, he recommended a scenic drive on the way home that was spectacular - taking us up to Gordon's Bay before returning to Cape Town and having dinner at a THAI restaurant (we have two chinese restaurants here and that is the extent of the asian selection in Lilongwe) called Yindees...it was delicious.
On Friday, we did the 'Cape Drive', driving most of the way around the southern cape...again, a ride loaded with amazing views. We stopped at Boulder Beach to see the famous Penguin colony, but unfortunately for us, penguins were not out for some reason, though we did view two poor little guys huddled up against a rock.
We also stopped for a little beach time - the waters are supposed to be a bit warmer than the freezing Atlantic waters closer to Cape Town - but 'bit' would definately be the operative word - it was pretty chilly! We ended the day by going back to the waterfront to go to the famous Mitchells pub, where they brew their own beer....and then went to movie #3 (My Best Friends Girl for Regan and I and an action flick for Jules).
On Saturday, we packed up our stuff and checked out of our hotel and then double checked the time on our tickets, realizing only then that we had in fact bought tickets leaving Sunday, not Saturday. Two hours of confusion and phone calls later, we finally managed to let everyone know that we would be back a day later than planned...unfortunately it wasn't really possible to change our tickets. We spent the afternoon in Clifton hanging on the beach. It was the first really hot day we had experienced in Cape Town, so it was a perfect day for it - it was even hot enough that we ventured into the freezing Atlantic for a dip. Although cold, the beaches in Cape Town are spectacularly gorgeous. We ate a late lunch at Wang Thai for a second taste of Thai food (I have to say, it was even better than Yindees). It was a great day lounging around in the sun. To save money, we booked into another backpackers, Cape Town Backpackers. It was nice and in a good location, but the blankets were a bit mildewy smelling...
We returned to the Dubliner for a late pub dinner, which was a great place to spend the last day.
Sunday morning we spent a few hours in the lodge while Regan studied and then returned to the Canal Walk mall for some last minute purchases and to sneak in another movie....The Love Guru - Mike Myers - cute, but I would have to say that I would rate the movies we say from best to worst in the exact order we saw them.
We arrived at the airport really early since we had to return the rental car (Budget - amazing, and SUCH a good deal!), and report that our jack knives were stolen from our luggage (only mishap of the trip besides Jules's brief dissapearing act). The check in guy laughed at us for being so early.
We flew Sunday night from Cape Town to Joburg, spent the night at another backpackers - Shoestring Airport Lodge - great value for money, and then from Joburg to Lilongwe on Monday (yesterday).
We were tired but refreshed after a fabulous trip and a nice break from reality....now....back to work!!!


Anyways