Stellenbosch & Mama Africa

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting a cheetah reserve. In the Stellenbosch area (known for its wine routes), there is a winery called Spier. Spier is actually known as a tourist spot because it has its own cheetah reserve (they are an endangered species, you know), a restaurant where you can dine in the treetops, African face painting, and of course, wine tasting. Because we had some incredibly rainy weather this past Sunday, we just visited the cheetah habitat and then moved to a different winery for tasting (Asara). The South African winelands are beautiful - in some spots even prettier than Napa Valley. And the wine is diverse and robust.












































One of my other favorite spots here in Cape Town is actually on Long Street (a popular street for nightlife) -- it's a place called Mama Africa. You need reservations almost every night of the week at this bustling place, because its so addicting. Mama Africa is a large restaurant and bar with some pretty awesome live music. You can't help but find yourself head bopping (yes, I used the word head bopping) to the marimbas late in the evening, and chilling out to the great local bands that play there. The food is delicious too. I had a Zimbabwean dish of chicken, peanuts, and spinach with rice...and it was excellent.













Lead singer of the Marimba Project 2 at Mama Africa

Oh and speaking of food...I have to say that I'm hooked on the Cadbury hot chocolate mix here. That's right...Cadbury. Hot. Chocolate. I'm convinced that Cadbury, Kinder, Ferrero Rocher and Lindt could beat up a Hershey's any day.