South Africa: Arrival & Paarl

Nanga friends will recall my demands with respect to jetlag (punish me if I complain) and my attitude to defeating it (drink heavily, sleep little). In the days leading up to my departure I explained this as an  MO to Bianka and it required very little persuasion for me to head straight to Fairview - a vineyard in the Western Cape - to sample eleven wines and eight cheeses sometime before midday. Built at the base of a small mountain, the estate is picturesque. It was the sort of setting that would comfortably make all but the best Margaret River vineyards turn green with envy.

Apparently, this is more or less standard.

Bianka - a friend that I made last time out - would be my company for most of the week, a stark contrast to my last visit where for all intents and purposes I was on my lonesome and followed my nose for six weeks. A possessor of Gauteng numberplates (they render road rules mere suggestions), she mixed immense impatience with open and total tolerance where each was most appropriate, is excellent at picking and arranging accommodation while being a terrible guide. Finally, and perhaps most luckily, her knack for spotting large aquatic mammals would much later become a huge boon.

Not wanting to lose any sort of drinking momentum, that afternoon we relocated to Spiers, a former Dutch homestead converted to a vineyard even more enthralling than Fairview. Including a bird park (lots of cages a bit sad), the grounds are massive and simply gorgeous. Strolling aimlessly for an hour or so, we finished at a purveyor of mojitos (Bianka's only prerequisite) and I recommenced my love affair with Windhoek Draught.

The setting sun ushered in dinner, providing a buffet option that included Impala steaks. A quick, easy and delicious decision followed.