Thursday, May 10, 2012

Market today

Durban, KwaZulu-Natal: It's got dark since I arrived here at 3pm to meet a friend. She's just left, 15 minutes short of three hours with me. The time flew, almost as fast as the sluggish pigeon from the fountain right next to me.
I'm at Market, 40 Gladys Mazibuko road (the old Marriott road) in the Berea; Durban is overflowing with culinary gems like this one.
The setting is tranquil, quite perfect actually. It probably accounts for my happiness at passing three hours of my life here.
I ordered a beef burger with rocket, gorgonzola, streaky bacon, avocado and caramelized onions (R79), which I blissfully wolfed down.
They also serve microbrewed beers (hooray); I ordered a Darling Brew Native Ale (R42): "inspired by the loggerhead turtle, an exceptionally rare rusty ale" proclaimed the back of the handsome brown bottle.
The Douwe Egberts cappuccino (R18) arrived with a stylish crystal sugar stick.
Now, at the change of the guard - afternoon customers being replaced by adults of the night - I'm content to leave here utterly satisfied with the experience.
I'm now going to experience Durban's beachfront at night. It was an utterly safe place for me to wander in wonder as a child (way back when I was growing up), but then went through the dangerous doldrums. Now? Well, now, I'm not sure. I'll get back to you.
I'm here for the 2012 Tourism Indaba at the International Convention Centre; my first sessions begin tomorrow. I'm looking forward, very.
These have been perfect shorts-wearing days of cloudless cobalt skies and subtropical bliss; winter's ass.
Tomorrow evening I get to see my heart...for a weekend. I can't wait.

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