Riotcarrot Runs a Race.: weekend getaway

My weekend in Capetown Part III- WINE!

Due to lack of planning and lack of time, we did an incredibly touristy version of a wine tour (The Red Hop on Hop Off Bus Wine Route)- I may take my wine-ing a little more serious when the Hubs visits. Although he's not really into wine-ing so maybe there will be no wine. As a team, we are more into vodka-ing. Maybe there's a vodka tour.

I would like to find a really great pinotage to bring home to add to our very tiny wine collection (I tend to drink the wine faster than it collects). Pinotage is apparently the South African thing. I've found some really great ones in the grocery store, but unfortunately none on this tour worth hauling back with me.

Wine:

Groot Constantia

We decided to go with the wine and chocolate pairing at our first stop on the "wine tour" because it was around 1pm and hey, chocolate counts as food right?

Apparently not so much, because 5- 1/2 glasses of wine later I was a little tipsy and I thought this pic of my feet not on a beach was the most hilarious thing in the world.

The wine was okay. I found the chocolate pairing, for the most part, pretty interesting. For most of the pairings, the chocolate really did change the taste profile of the wine, bringing forward certain attributes. Nothing I loved though.

Not tipsy enough to stop drinking though, so off to the next stop:
Eagles Nest

We got "real" food and water this time.

Final Stop: Beau Constantia

This Vineyard is really beautiful, but unfortunately no wine tasting here... T had enough and I had to wait for dinner for more wine. :( We did get to check out the "loo with a view" though. That was pretty fantastic.

When we saw this, we were like what the hell, are there glory holes in this bathroom??

Nope. Just a kick-ass view of vineyards while you pee.

A little wine buzzed and front seat on top of the drunk bus...err... I mean Red Bus...with Alkaline Trio blasting in my head phones and these breath taking views may have been one of the highlights of the trip. It was one of those moments you have where you are like "Holy shit, how the hell did I get here?"

I've lost track of the week count. 13, 14 15?

My shoulder's been sore and in general the hard hotel bed and non-magical pillows and my increasing old lady status are wrecking havoc on my back. So my co-worker, P, and I had some girly R&R spa time. We scheduled 90 minute Thai Messages - hers an herbal compression massage and mine, a Traditional Aroma Message. I've had a few messages during my travels in Thailand, but they must of white-ed it up for me, because this was a somewhat different experience. P tried to warn me that it may be "invasive" and that she booked us separate rooms, because we weren't to "that point" in our relationship yet. We arrived. The spa was nice, clean, almost over the top decorated to look like a "Thai spa retreat". I was given slippers and a robe to change into, which in the US, normally you just get nekkid and crawl under the sheet and most of the traditional massages I had in Thailand I wore a pajama type outfit that was provided. I changed into the robe and waited for my therapist, who was a tiny Thai lady. She immediately yanked my robe off, leaving me awkwardly standing there topless in my grannie panties. Fortunately, for you, my readers, the awkwardness does not end there. So now, I'm under some towels face down and she washes my feet.. my feet were probably gross, so okay. But it tickled SO MUCH. So, I started screaming in laughter. Next,she busted out the oil, which I knew was coming, but for those who know about my sensitives, it was a little torturous at first. And the reason I went with the oil was the aroma part...which there was no aroma. I adjusted until she worked up my legs and yanked my grannie panties down and hello, ass crack to the sky. I tensed so hard, she asked if I was okay. I went with it and got the most intense butt rub, I've ever gotten with forearm use and everything. Actually, I'm not sure I've ever gotten a professional butt rub before unless it was running injury related. It seemed to last forever, but eventually (thankfully) ended and she moved on to (literally, on to) my back during which she surprised me by grabbing my wrists and yanking me hard backwards throwing the towel off and almost putting the crown of my head to my back...., which may or may not have caused me to pass gas. Loudly. While she was sitting on my back. I'm not actually admitting this happened, but in a case where it had, the therapist's response would have been "Sign Good Massage: Toot, toot, toot!!" In this hypothetical situation, it would be the first thing I would have rushed out to tell P, if this had actually happened, which I'm still not admitting it has.

Due to the massage and work overload lately, I've had a few very fatigued for a few days in a row. Luckily, we had a a pretty low key weekend getaway in Cape Town. Overall, it was nice, very rich-y, resort-y, lacking the cultural grittiness of Durban and very much like most resort cities I've been to. Phil and I will be back in a few weeks and I hope to check out some of the more historic places that make Capetown, Capetown, more of the nature stuff and less of the touristy stuff.

So Capetown Part I- because I'm too unmotivated to upload it all tonight...

The main attraction: Table Mountain. You can hike 2.5 hours up (Phil and I will), but T and I took the cable car up.