#zimbabweans

We had a special breakfast for Easter. The chef had really outdone himself and is trying to be creative. There was amazing strawberry butter, hot cross buns with raisins and mimosas. Oddly, there was also a heart-shaped gelatin product with a strawberry in the middle… the gelatin was savoury. We’re not sure what this had to do with Easter… we tried it but neither of us understood what it was. We are still wondering what inspired the chef to make such an odd creation. Indeed, when we spoke to Gareth later, he also had no clue as to what this was or what it had to do with Easter.

Calvin had noticed that J wasn’t drinking the orange juice at breakfast, so he went out of his way to make his special beetroot and apple juice, which was delicious. Because we have the humour of a 15-year-old boy, several jokes were made about how much J liked Calvin’s ‘special juice’.

On our way out of the hotel, we spoke to James at reception, who asked us if we were heading to the Bungalow. We are not quite sure, but think he owns the place or is getting kickbacks from the Bungalow as he’s recommended it to us, Gareth and Margaret about 10 times.

We tried to get in touch with our new friend Gareth from last night, but no luck, so we decided to walk down to the beachfront. Halfway there, he texted us to meet up. After a 30-minute downhill walk we arrived. The beachfront was rammed with Easter holidaymakers. This is a sceney area and most people were dressed up. As far as we could tell, the prevailing fashion is white, neutrals, flip flops, Louis Vuitton and panama hats. There is a ‘strip’ next to the beach where everyone passes by slowly to show off their sports cars. It was a fun place and we lucked into a table on the strip at a posh place called Paranga. This place was packed as well, but we must have arrived just as someone left. We sat down and ordered drinks and about two minutes later, Gareth showed up. We started out with margaritas and he started with a double shot of Glenfiddich on the rocks. We learned that he’s a big Scotch whisky fan. He also introduced S to a new twist on the tequila shot which apparently is very popular here. You take a shot of white tequila and then bite into a piece of pineapple covered with red tabasco sauce (not the green stuff). S really liked it. The heat really makes the drink. Funnily enough, the shots were served in tiny beer mugs. See the picture below. J recognised these tiny mugs as her stepdad was given beer in a mug this size as a child growing up in Canada.

Before we left Paranga, Gareth asked if we wanted some chicken wings before dinner. We declined, but said he should go ahead. He went ahead and ordered a chicken breast and chips/fries. We should note he is in very good shape and apparently ploughs through food.

After about 5 hours at Paranga, Margaret finally showed up and we headed to dinner at the Bungalow. We didn’t mention that we were coming from the Atlanticview hotel, so we hope James still got his kickback. Unbeknownst to us, Gareth had also invited his cousin, Godfried, and his ‘friend’, Danelle. Godfried was a character. He is also from Zim but spends a lot of time in South Africa. He specialises in ‘importing’ cars. We’re not 100% sure whether this is a formal or informal enterprise. Like us, he also doesn’t seem to keep a fixed address. Every time we asked him where he lived, he gave us a different answer. But he was a really nice and funny guy. His ‘friend’ or current girlfriend or perhaps Cape Town girlfriend, Danelle, seemed a bit standoffish at first. Once she learned that S was legally blind, she opened up to us and told us she is legally deaf and can only hear us because she has worn hearing aids from the age of 2. Because S is so loud, she had to turn them down, so as not to make her hearing worse (just kidding). She is Afrikaans and was born and bred in Cape Town and taught herself English by watching American TV shows.

Once again, S had oysters and sushi (spicy tuna roll). J had the mussels starter and burrata starter. Oddly enough, the mussels starter was around the same size as the mussels main J had at Harbour House for lunch. It always leaves you wanting more! The burrata was fine, but J could tell it was past its prime and therefore had lost its creamy texture and was slightly tart. Margaret had the fish and chips and Gareth had his second chicken breast in the last two hours. At least he’s consistent. A number of off-colour jokes were made about Gareth getting two breasts tonight. Even Margaret joined in the fun.

We headed back to the hotel to beat the midnight curfew. We asked if we could have an Amarula nightcap and were told that it was too late as the other guests were sleeping and their room is right next to the bar. We were reminded that there is Amarula in our room and given a small container of ice so we could make our own nightcap. James told us there was a surprise waiting for us in our room. S teased James and said if you tell someone there is a surprise it’s no longer a surprise. This reminded S of his 50th and 52nd birthdays when his former secretary, SJ, accidentally told him he had to keep a date clear for his surprise birthday parties organised by J. Again, not much of a surprise.

To be fair, the surprise was fabulous. It was a bottle of sparkling rosé, flower petals on the bed, white roses and Easter chocolates. Even J had to admit this beats the heck out of a towel creature. Although S wanted to open the rosé straightaway, J, who had not partaken in the tequila shots, prevailed and we saved it for breakfast tomorrow morning.