Please read Coastal Romance in Mombasa for context
November is always my favourite time of the year. From the year end vibes picking up, Max Verstappen winning the F1 title, and two musical geniuses, Wizkid and Kendrick Lamar, dropping their latest musical works – could I ask for more?
30th birthday in the Middle East
Yes, because November is my birthday month. My 30th last year in the Middle East was amazing so my 31st had to be a step up. Celebrate in the Middle East or South Africa? I chose South Africa so I could reunite with Barbie
The initial birthday plan was the coastal Garden Route drive, 200 kilometres from Mossel Bay to Storms River. Since we used up most of our travel budget we downsized the celebration to a day trip in Cape Town – still special as visiting Cape Town would complete my travel resolution of visiting three new locations, with the other two being Jeddah and Mombasa.
Travelling to Johannesburg (Jozi)
My Riyadh to Jozi flight starts off at 3:30AM, which I now have down to a science – security, seats, connecting gates, etc. First order of business was reuniting with Barbie once I landed at 1pm, then finishing off some errands before her work year end party…
Me and the homie
…which was absolutely a good time. We arrived fashionably late, just in time to party and dance with the DJ. A couple of hours later I was 31 years, with Barbie accompanying my old age with birthday songs and hugs. One of my long time friends Nqoba joined the party which made it that much special. The drinks kept flowing which was good in the moment, but bad for our upcoming morning trip
Travelling to Cape Town
We got home at 3am, decided to take a one hour nap before we wake up and start prepping for our 6am flight to Cape Town. We woke up at 7am – there were tears in our eyes. We missed our flight by a long mile. We rebooked our flights for 10:30AM and started prepping. Even then, we still had to speed through traffic, sprint through the airport, and through security to get to our boarding gate.
Landed
Once boarded we were able to relax and catch up. While Barbie slept, I went through my birthday ritual, using two questions to reflect on progress and growth in my personal and professional lives
- Where were you last year and where are you this year?
- What have you learnt about yourself in the last year?
If you have a birthday ritual, please do share in the comments. If not, consider developing one for yourself to help you improve or create your dream lifestyle.
Running around Cape Town
Finally we landed. My first time in Cape Town, let’s go!! To add some glam to our adventure, we picked up a beautiful, white BMW (Beamer) 218i. It was giving speed and luxury!! One hour later, we drove into Cape Town, navigating the tight-knit, crammed streets as Table Mountain loomed majestically in the background. This gave Cape Town a very European feel, as if a whole different country. I partly understood why Cape Town is very popular with international tourists
Crew love
Snapping back into reality we met Kleinboy, a good friend we met at PwC, at Pitso’s Kitchen. What an inspired choice – it was local food, but gourmet. We were pleasantly surprised and satisfied with how delicious the meals were – from my buttered kota to Barbie’s succulent tripe and Klein’s slow cooked beef. It was chef’s kiss stuff for sure.
Zeitz MOCAA
Zeitz MOCAA: Entry is free on birthdays
Sticking to the mission, we said our goodbyes to Klein and dashed to Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA). I love museums and art galleries, and so Barbie made sure we visited the Zeitz MOCAA. We started from the sixth floor, which had an amazing view of the V&A Waterfront and Table Mountain. It made for amazing Barbie and Ken silhouettes.
Barbie and Ken silhouettes on floor six of the Zeitz MOCAA
We were running out of time so we had to blitz through the other five floors which was a shame, but we got some feel of the exhibitions. Zeitz definitely needs a redo. For now, let’s continue the adventure. Let’s head to…
Chapman’s Peak Drive
Table mountain on Chapman’s peak drive
…the iconic Chapman’s peak drive. Picture a coastal drive with a scenic sunset caught at golden hour. It was all sorts of breathtaking. Although it doesn’t make or break the experience, the Beamer certainly levelled it up. It was such a smooth, easy drive, stopping a couple of times to take in the views with Barbie. Although it was Barbie’s second time doing Chapman’s peak drive, she was thrilled we could share such a special moment together. Absolute top tier romance I tell you!!
Sunset on Chapman’s peak
We extended the drive all the way down the coast past Camps bay, Hout bay, Chapman’s peak itself, all the way round Table mountain back into Cape Town for our final act – Cabo beach…
Cabo Beach festival
Cabo Beach
Cabo beach was a rocking vibe of house music on the beachfront. While the cold and my weary knees caused me great discomfort, Barbie was in her own world vibing along. She loves house music so I had to be strong and keep her company. It was a packed line up and the music was mostly good. A couple of DJs played Hip hop and Afrobeats so that kept me happy.
2woBunnies
The main act was 2woBunnies and once they got onto stage at 12:30AM, the energy went up a couple of notches. It was a really good set of house music, playing crowd favourites that had the crowd chanting and dancing along. Barbie was totally in her element, I just tried to keep up with the vibes
Back to Jozi
After 2woBunnies’ set, it was back to the Airbnb for a nap before the 4am drive to the airport. By God’s grace, we arrived safely in Jozi and headed home with no hassle.
Happy birthday to me
Completely oblivious to me, Barbie had one more surprise for me. All I wanted to do was crash and sleep when we got home. But no, there was a massive cake right in the middle of the bed which completely shocked me – it was three layers high with a replica of Max Verstappen’s title winning car. What a genius surprise, that really was the icing on Barbie and Ken’s birthday adventure.
Here’s a rundown of the total budget:
| ZAR currency | USD currency | |
| Flight tickets (2x) | ZAR 6,500 | USD 360 |
| Uber black | ZAR 350 | USD 20 |
| Car rental (One day)* | ZAR 2,000 | USD 112 |
| Lunch @ Pitso’s Kitchen | ZAR 1,000 | USD 55 |
| Zeitz MOCAA ticket | ZAR 250 | USD 14 |
| Airbnb | ZAR 1,500 | USD 84 |
| Chapman’s peak toll gate | ZAR 60 | USD 3 |
| Cabo Beach tickets (2x) | ZAR 600 | USD 33 |
| Food and drinks | ZAR 600 | USD 33 |
| Fuel | ZAR 800 | USD 45 |
| Total | ~ZAR 13,700 per couple | ~USD 765 per couple |
* Car rental deposit of ZAR 5,000
What’s next
My focus for the last few weeks of December is a work trip to London, indulge in a brief two week Christmas break, as well as plan and commit to God all the wonderful adventures Barbie and Ken dream of in 2025
This usually involves setting a year theme and picking the most meaningful resolutions relevant to the theme. While requiring a good deal of effort, this is a good way to close off 2024 and start 2025 with a positive mindset. Our main goal during this period is to rest, however we’re open to sharing our planning approach where possible
Stay tuned as Barbie and Ken continue their adventures into 2025. Happy holidays
You can follow Global Ville on social media.
