Week 3 - Chilling at chilly Cape Town

This week had just three working days. Huyaing and me spent the week meeting suppliers, as part of our projects and gathering data for our research. As I had mentioned earlier our projects involves tracing the supply chain of Mr Price suppliers to try and find areas of reducing costs. I also visited the Distribution Center to start work on my second project involving slotting. Amidst all the projects we(interns) did catch up with Athi, Justin and Claire, Justin's beautiful wife, at the House of Curries, for dinner. I had my first taste of the famous “Bunny Chow”, South Africa’s local spicy cuisine. It was delicious.

House of Curries- Yum Yum Yum!!!

As I mentioned earlier this week Mr Price had grand plans for us in Capetown. So, on Thursday we flew to Capetown with our tour guides, Angela and Portia. Angela and Portia both work in the HR department at Mr Price and errr,let me say it the South African way-They were hectic, Man!(Hope I got it right). There was not a dull moment in the whole trip. Ummm…..maybe a few but, only when we were just tired of having fun.

The lighthouse just opposite our hotel entrance.

Thursday evening started with a great dinner at a local restaurant called “Bar-ba –coa.” We were joined with another Mr Price employee Christine , who works at Capetown. I wonder how Mr Price finds the amazing people. It was a night filled with laughter and smiles. I remember goining to bed thinking about the wonderful places I would be visting over the next few days.

First meal In CT- Seated on table from right: Huaying, Jenny, Angela, Portia and Christine. Grrrreat Company

Friday started  with a quick breakfast at our hotel, La Splendida. And trust me - It was Splendid! Portia  drove us all to the harbor where we boarded MV DIAS and sailed towards Robben Island. We saw a quite a few seals on the way and it came as no suprise when we leartnt later that Robben Island means "Island of Seals" in Dutch. Robben Island is perhaps, one of the most famous political prisons in the workld.The island where Nelson Mandela was kept a captivefor 18 years. The cells tell many a tale of the other prisoners, who like Nelson Mandela, where impriosoned for thier political views. One of the guides at the tour was an ex-inmate and it was heart wrenching to hear about the the daily lives of the inmates and how they kept the struggle on even from the prison. It was practically here that the constitution by the South Africa was rewritten by these great men.

Three chirpy ladies enroute to Robben Island

The pile of stones at the quarry ,where the priosners had to work, was started by Nelson Mandela, at a reunion of former prisoners in 1995, and more stones added by the former prisoners. The pile made of stones of different color, size and shape represents the diversity and unity in the rainbow nation- South Africa

This pic could compete for the best pic ever through an iphone. Its not the camera it's the locale--- aaaaamaazing

We returned back to the mainland around noon for another fabulous meal of fish and chips. I can still hear Angela saying-“it was Dee-vine”. We then returned to our hotel as Christine had a bombastic evening planned for us. After another great meal comprising of steak we headed out to Asoka’s for a night of dancing and revelry. However, it was a dissapoinment and just when I thought that maybe, maybe the party quotient was to be a bit less I was proved wrong. Christine took us to 31, a pub on the 31^st floor of the ABSA building. And “OOOH MY GOOD’’ did we dance. Surprise package of the evening the timid Huaying. She rocked and so did the others. Thanks Christine,the evening was Rocking!

Club 31, for the twenty year olds that we are the place was toooo much!!!!!

We had been glancing at Table Mountain, since the day we had landed in Capetown, hoping that we would be lucky enough to get the cable car ride. Unfortunately, that was not meant to be. It had been cloudy and wet since the day we got there but, we did get a chance to see the most amazing locales and scenes in a tour bus through Cape Town. Each locale was better than the other and, there were times I was so lost just watching out the window I forgot to click a picture. And maybe even a picture could not do justice to the yellow sand, the evergreen landscape, the sun which shone at just the right moment(for a few seconds) on the Atlantic. It was a surreal experience! I think by the end of the day our bodies were giving way, with all the travelling and partying from last night and so we called it a early night. Oh,  but before I forget,  we went to the cutest restaurant ever called Sidewalk, for lunch, and had one of the most YUM (as Portia would say), meals ever. Dinner at Lasplendida, compised of  the oxtail and mash potatoes, another South African speciality, and was just awesome.

Table Mountain- On a bright sunny day.Clicked from the ferry enroute to Robben Island.

Table Mountain on the remaining few days.. Argggh , but that is just another reason to go back to CT

Sunday was the last day in Capetown but,not a uneventful one. We checked out early and, headed towards Tiger Valley Mall to check out the new concept stores, by Mr Price. The color combination, lighting and the decor looks just great. We visited Mr Price and Mr Price Home stores. Then we headed of to Spier, a local winery and after a wine tasting session towards Stellenbosch, a settlement by the early europeans and, a most picturesque town. Lunch was steak and fries,(another "Yum" and "Divine" meal), that was to be the last meal in CT. From there we headed to the airport and boarded the flight back to home, sweet home, Durban.

 I have said it before and I have to say it again Angela and Portia-"Thank you so so much for the mosty eventful, fun, crazy weekend at Capetown". And in true South African style let me express my feelings once more -"IT WAS HECTIC, MAN!"  :-)