After 3 early starts and late finishes today was are rest day. Had a nice lay in, Harry even woke me up with a cup of tea. Last night I suggested to Harry that he should try and get into the kitchen downstairs today as it was Anna working the kitchen. He ran downstairs and then came bursting through the door with a big smile as she had said yes. Everyone back at Arsenal had heard of Harry's family dish 'Tuna Fish Crunch' and we had all laughed at how awful it sounded. He had said he would make it for whoever he went away with and I was that lucky person. He had tried to do it for a few weeks but for 1 reason or another he couldn't. So today was the day....
Ingredients include:
Egg
Crisps
Peas
Sweet corn
Tuna
Flour
Curry powder
Milk
Butter
He had finally finished and he handed me his trademark dish. I was scared. I didn't know what to expect.
Marks out of 5
Sound of the dish: 0.5
Presentation: 0.5
Taste: 2
Effort: 5
It wasn't that bad in all honesty, and I give him credit for trying but for me there were far too many tastes on 1 plate. I've taken a photo and you can see what you think.
After eating we decided to go souvenir shopping. Harry had seen what he wanted he just needed to go buy it. We headed to the waterfront for the last time. The waterfront is an expensive area and is full of tourists but there's a nice undercover market style place where you can get loads of handmade stuff. I managed to get a few bits and pieces as well. I won't say what as those people reading are probably the people that are getting it. After a few hours walking round we finished up and headed back to Berghof. We decided to give the 1 hour wait for a bus a miss and walk back, it's only 5km.
The only problem about walking is the quickest route is through Long Street, the long street that goes all the way through town full of bars and restaurants. Nice places and always lively but usually full of tourists, meaning you are constantly harassed for money and you spend most of the time looking over your shoulder. It's a shame as it's probably the main reason I wouldn't return to Cape Town, you do feel sorry for some of the people on the streets and I'm not heartless but it does make you feel slightly uncomfortable. And you are followed down the road by some of them until they get bored of you saying no and see someone else. You are constantly told by the locals not to give money and fund drug/alcohol habits. I gave away a couple of mouthfuls of coke today just to get rid of 1 persistent guy that didn't seem to care that he was walking down the road flashing everyone as the elastic in his trousers had gone. The street kids you have to be careful of as well as there's usually a few of them together down this particular road and you hear stories of them pick pocketing. You also find the scammers on this road, if anyone says you're wearing nice trainers and goes for a handshake the other hand had will probably be reaching for your pocket. We've seen that happen and apparently it's a common occurrence.
Me and Harry spent the walk home discussing our time here and we said we don't want the likes of the scenes I've just described to over shadow all our good memories here. On the whole we've had great long lasting memories and it's been an amazing experience. It's a beautiful country with some of the nicest people you will ever meet. But something needs to be done to help this country clean up its streets. It's a continual cycle, if the country is more inviting then people will want to return, they spend more, the economy is boosted, the people become wealthier, less people on the streets, more people want to return and so on and so on. Who can tell I did Economics? but it's also common sense. I've avoided the subject for a while as not wanting to worry anyone back home.
Tonight we plan to watch the football with a few hot cross buns and a cool drink. Nice and relaxed as we are up early tomorrow as we need to get a train to work because of our car.
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