The Most Fun You'll Have In Cape Town: Cool Runnings Tobogganning

Remember I said I wasn't going to blog about our road-trip to the Cape? I wasn't. But I cannot get out of my head how much ridiculous fun we had on this particular day! So I had to. 

Hows my hardcore face? I think Jeff's needs work.

When Jeffers suggested that we go tobogganing, I was less than enthusiastic (like this). It's not that I was scared (who me? Never. Is that a spider?!). It's just that I've never looked at tobogganing and though "gee, that looks fun". In fact, it's always been more of a "gee look at those crazy people going at that crazy speed so crazily close to the ground. I wonder if their moms had them tested." But, like I said, I wasn't scared or anything.

I checked out their website, and there were photos of very little people on the toboggans. Not looking traumatized or anything! So I put on my big girl pants (I wasn't scared), and we ventured to Green Point. And then I was blown away.

Everything was run so smoothly, with awesome little details (like sparkling toilet seats) and a food shop and a watching deck. We got there early and it was already packed with people of all ages laughing and screaming and whizzing past us. I was excited!

The view from the top of the hill in the toboggan

It's not just the 800m ride-of-your-life-adrenaline-rush that's cool. You get on the toboggan at the bottom of the hill, and a wire track pulls you up to the top of the hill. It's totally relaxing and the view is quite glorious. And - bonus - no hiking up the hill!

Once you're quite relaxed and you've had a chance to sit in the toboggan queue and admire the gorgeous Cape Town landscape, they set you free on the track, and the real excitement starts! (In my case, "real excitement" is synonymous with "high pitched screaming" and some dogs may have started howling in the distance. But I wasn't scared, you guys.) And WOW, what a rush! 

The stop-go sticky thing

To be honest, it wasn't too scary at all, because each toboggan is fitted with a push-to-go, pull-to-stop level, so you can choose exactly how fast you want to ride down the track. There are also helpful people in yellow shirts with official looking walkie-talkies all the way down to give you advice and tell you when to slow down.

On my first trip, I went solo and enjoyed the ride at my own pace. On the second and third trips, Jeffers and I paired up and went together, and that was a whooole different story. I'm not sure that anyone explained the pull-to-stop part of the lever to Jeff, because it was balls to the wall all the way down!

Seriously though, it was the highlight of my holiday! So much fun, a great adrenaline rush, and a giant bread-pretzel to finish it all off (oh and did I mention the glittery loo seats?!).

Take my word for it and give this a try the next time you're in Cape Town. I guarantee you won't regret it.

You can find Cool Runnings on their website or on Facebook, or call them on 021 949 4439. Oh, and pack the sunblock.

Little Slice of Heaven, Chocolaj Northcliff

I had one of those meh days today. 

You know the ones? Where everything seems to go wrong (the truck parked outside my garage, no power at work, power returns but computer won't turn on, etc). Eventually I gave up and headed home early, past Chocolaj cafe in Northcliff. I've driven past numerous times before, but today I thought a little chocolate might be just the ticket so I stopped in.

And boy, was I glad I did.

I walked into a sweet smelling haven of what I imagine paradise must look like. You can actually inhale the chocolate in the air (and I'm no scientist, but that's gotta be good for pheromones or oxytocin or something, right?). Then there's the gorgeous decor, filled with books, magazines, and shelves filled with goodies hanging on the walls. The little tables each have a brightly coloured Gerbera, so if the chocolate doesn't instantly cheer you up, the happy vibes will!

The place is tiny.

Like, adorable tea-cup piglet tiny. And it's packed full of the most wonderful, delicious treats imaginable! Chocolate, cupcakes, coffee, real hot chocolate, etc. I had to take a photo of the menu to show you:

Yum, right? And on Friday's, they have a special on brownies:

As good fortune would have it, today is Friday (YAY!) so I stocked up on some homemade brownies. I'm eating one right now (you know, for the research of course), and the only words I can think to describe it are Oh.My.God. It's fluffy and light and there are hidden little pieces of melt-in-your-mouth-magic (aka chocolate). I think I'm in love.

How cute are the Chrismas cupcakes??

Do yourself and your tastebuds a favour and stop in next time you're in Northcliff. Yum!

You can find Chocolaj at Shop 4, Northcliff Gallaries, cnr Beyers Naude and Hockey drives. (You know Impala Fruit and Flower Stores? Just on the other side of Hockey drive). In the meantime you can check out their website and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

Day Trip from Jozi: The Hartbeespoort Aerial Cable Car

The other day my lovely friend, Meg, was telling me about an amazing date she went on to the Harties Cable Way, so I decided to take JD on a surprise adventure to see for ourselves! I gave him a bunch of hints - some less useful than others ("we're not going skydiving") - and although he guessed for 24 hours, he had absolutely no idea!

I opted to buy tickets there, but as you can see, they're available online (at a discounted rate!). I was super impressed with how organised they were, especially since my master plan of getting there included pointing my car in a general Hartbeespoort direction and hitting the accelerator.

As soon as you get near Harties there are signs at every intersection letting you know which way to go. Even though we were there on a Sunday and there were stacks of other people, the ticketing and queuing process was painless and efficient.

There are shops and restaurants at both the top and bottom, and although they ask you not to bring your own food and drinks, there's plenty to eat at the top. Having said that, be warned that the restaurant is self service and the options are small, but if you're okay with burgers, pies, boerie rolls, and a small selection of wraps and cakes, you'll be fine. And the view is so mind-blowingly spectacular that you won't really mind!

When you get to the top, be sure to do the Dassie Loop (the circular walking trail) and read all about the sites you can see in each direction (some - like Botswana - require a little imagination). If your inner Jo'burger hits when you're up there and you need to shop, fear not, there's a gorgeous curios shop with interesting goodies!

Tickets are available online or at the ticketing station at R160 for adults and R90 for kids. As day trips from Jozi go, this one's a winner! And as surprise adventures go, Harties Cableway is a must!

Do Something Good: Kitty and Puppy Haven

Want to do something good? Not sure what? 

Kitty and Puppy Haven in Midrand rescue and rehabilitate injured, abandoned, abused and neglected animals and educate owners in townships on how best to care for their pets. 

Their work has inspired me for years, and this year I wanted to get involved in making a difference in some animals' lives. I was fortunate enough to be in a position where I could offer my home as a foster home for kittens. I was absolutely blown away by how warm and professional Kitty and Puppy Haven were.  They asked if I would take four kitties (quite a bit more than I was expecting), and bring them back in ten days. 

The ten day period was amazing, because I knew from the get-go that this was just a temporary arrangement, and it made taking the little rascals back much easier than I was expecting (yup, I was dreading it). 

To learn more about how fostering helps the animals, the shelter and the new owners, check out Kitty and Puppy Haven's fostering page. If you're not able to foster but still want to help out, there are lots of ways to volunteer. 

Here are the four little kitties I got to take care of: 

For more info, or to adopt a kitty, puppy or grown animal, you can contact Kitty and Puppy Haven at:
Website: www.kittypuppyhaven.org.za
Phone: 010 224 0760
Email: info@kittyhaven.co.za

Joburg's Best Cronuts

I've been dying to try a cronut ever since I heard the name. "Cronut?" I hear you say. Yup. Croissant, meet donut. Donut, croissant. Shake hands. Now merge and bring forth awesomeness to the world.

Of course, the invention of the cronut gave me the perfect excuse to taste all the cronuts in Joburg to find the best one - for research purposes, of course. Because I'm kind like that. Sadly, Joburg.co.za beat me to it, and named Junipa's cronuts Joburg's Choice. Since JD and I have the massive good fortune of living on the same street as Junipa's (Whaaat? Cronuts in walking distance?!) we wasted no time in getting down to the restaurant to try them. And we were disappointed.

No, it's not what you think. The cronuts weren't disappointing (although I can't imagine how something that is a hybrid croissant-donut could ever disappoint), what was disappointing was the LACK of cronuts. Apparently we weren't the only people to dash to Junipa's in search of this gooey goodness - the cronuts sell out within a few hours of being made every day. Which means, my seekers of the sweetness, that you either have to get there early or you have to place an order. We hastily put our names down for one chocolate and one caramel and went home to bask in our disappointment (Although, I might point out that there's a new Wakaberry that's opened next to Junipa's. So if you don't get a cronut, you can always drown your misery in froyo).

The next day JD went to pick up our order and reported that all other traces of cronuts were already sold out. This is serious business you guys. Thankfully, ours were safely boxed for us to om nom nom at our leisure. Which we did.

Now here's the hard part of this post - I have to portray to you some sense of how incredible these magical mixed-breed pastries tasted, and I fear that there just are not enough adjectives in the English language. Imagine a croissant in two layers. Now imagine that it's more donut-like - a little more oily. More tender. More melt-in-your-mouth. Now imagine that between the two layers is a layer of creamy, homemade custard. Finally, imagine chocolate or caramel sprinkled on top of all the layers. Now lie down and weep quietly at the magnificence of it all.

More than that, friends, I can't do. You absolutely have to try this for yourself. But you probably also need to pre-order. So pick up your celphone, because here's the number: 011 706 2387. You can also check out their website here. I promise, this will be the best R25 you spend all month.

PS Dear Junipa's, if you ever have too much stock that you need to get rid of, we live just down the road. Just saying.

Music + Views + Jozi = Randlords Balcony TV

I freaking love this city. I mean, I may have mentioned this a couple (of hundred) times, but seriously, Joburg makes me feel so alive. Never can I complain that there's nothing to do. Never are my tastebuds lacking for truly world-class culinary talents. Never have I been at a lack for entertainment, adrenaline, or downright silliness. But now, after this weekend, I can also say this: Joburg is freaking beautiful. You just have to look at it from the right angle.

For years, Randlords has been up there, above Jozi, boasting gorgeous photos on the internet. Available only to those attending a private function there. Which, sadly, has never been me. No more, good people of Joburg! Jozi's most exclusive venue just became accessible to everyone! 

That's right! Randlords has recently opened its doors (and daybeds, and mag-freaking-nificent views) for public events! And it's kicking it off with a bang by partnering with BalconyTV Johannesburg, the leading daily online viral music show that features bands and musicians performing on balconies around the world (and in Jozi). Seriously. Music AND views AND sundowners AND Joburg? It's as if the universe conspired to bring all my favorite things together!

Now, I'd done my research. I knew what to expect. I was totes prepared. Or so I thought. Randlords and Balcony TV absolutely BLEW. MY. MIND. I mean, I get excited about a lot of things (I am aware of this), but this event was truly off the charts. We were treated to performances by the Graeme Watkins Project and Lonehill Estate (pictures below!) against the backdrop of the Nelson Mandela Bridge. Like I said, it just doesn't get much better than this.

Naturally, I took seven thousand photos because I wanted the day to last forever, but I've cut them down to my favorites to share with you. So follow these instructions very closely:

1. Look at my amazing photographs
2. Freak out 
3. Follow Randlords and BalconyTV Johannesburg on Facebook
4. Give me a high five and buy me a drink at their next event (thanks in advance, you lovely person, you!) 

For more info on Randlords and BalconyTV, check out their websites (Randlords and BalconyTV Johannesburg) follow them on Facebook  (Randlords and BalconyTV Johannesburg) and Twitter  (Randlords and BalconyTV). And, of course, let me know what you think (or comment on how many times I used the word "freaking" in one post)!

This is the ladies bathroom. The bathroom. I kid you not.

Graeme Watkins rocking the roof!